Dublin GAA Discussion Thread MOD WARNING POST #2944

Someone needs to just man up, make the decision and, make it now. Get onto the Met Office in the morning. If there is the slightest chance of even a bit of mist in the next 7 days, then move the game. There is a lot of pressure to have the Mayo & Dublin games in the Hyde....town needs the business, hotels all booked out, Ros county board needs the moolah from having home fixtures etc etc. I don't care. A young lad doing his cruciate or dislocating his hip, just isn't worth it.

The ref doing a pitch inspection 30 mins before throw in today was a joke. Like they were going to call the game off, when there were 13,000 people in the stands and both teams were already in the dressing rooms. That was plain daft. Make the decision now and, let both teams get on with being able to prepare for it properly.

Pierce_1991 wrote:

, it surely can't be the case that they were so afraid of Dublin that they just decided to go for the blanket.

I think they were afraid of getting another hammering.
I can't see what they'd have up their sleeve apart from conditioning and peaking later on, their games this year early on were good, we've seen that, they weren't hiding anything.The roscommon result wasn't great for them and they needed to contain a side like dublin to show progress.

Pierce_1991 wrote: »

I'm just thinking they don't want to give the Dubs any edge. When they hammered us a couple of years ago they produced a performance that we hadn't really seen from them before, maybe they are banking on doing something similar and don't want to give Dublin a free practice go in March.

I tend to agree with this. After 2014, my paranoia about Donegal laying in the long grass knows no bounds. However, I don't think that Rory Gallagher is as good a tactician & strategist as Jim McGuinness was. So I don't think he will be able to set Donegal up to take advantage of our short comings, as brilliantly as McGuinness did.

McG also had Donegal playing with a controlled aggression, that kept them on the right side of the law for the most part. Gallagher seems to want a more naked aggression approach & I think it could really cost them down the line.

ProudDUB wrote: »

I tend to agree with this. After 2014, my paranoia about Donegal laying in the long grass knows no bounds. However, I don't think that Rory Gallagher is as good a tactician & strategist as Jim McGuinness was. So I don't think he will be able to set Donegal up to take advantage of our short comings, as brilliantly as McGuinness did.

McG also had Donegal playing with a controlled aggression, that kept them on the right side of the law for the most part. Gallagher seems to want a more naked aggression approach & I think it could really cost them down the line.

I'd love to see a comparison of the number of frees/yellows/reds/black conceded by Donegal under Gallagher versus McGuinness - playing a blanket defence and conceding 1-2 scoreable frees in the course of a game is one thing, but conceding 5-6 scoreable frees is an entirely different kettle of fish.

I didn't think the game yesterday had much bite in it. It's almost as if the two teams have grown to "like" each other a bit more. It might actually be the fact that Donegal now have a number of teams they have issues with, we've always had that, but they've moved now from a kind of west of Ireland team like Sligo that everyone likes into a typical Northern football team, they have to divide it up a bit more now, Tyrone are similar too, Dublin Tyrone games dont have the bite they had.

Interestingly when they play kerry things flair up, usually 50 50 like we had yesterday, but Donegal now come out on the wrong side, other teams are now "matching " or "standing up to " them.
There were a number of incidents yesterday from red cards, high tackles below the belt digs etc, but it was just accepted that it was a tough game guys walked imo that's how it should be, teams should stand up to each other, I paid in to see it

At the end of the day the top teams all have guys that would take the head off you. It is what it is.
We've seen recently how fast management can cure discipline and tackling issues but I suspect it's deeper with Donegal.

I think Roscommon look promising. Tyrone continue to improve. Last year Parsons worked out well for mayo, this year Diarmuid O Connor, COS and possibly Regan are coming on.
IMO McBrearty looks like about 75% the player he was 2 or 3 years ago, haven't seen him win the type of ball he has in the past. .
Overall I think Donegal have dropped back a bit against the other top teams. Or at least stood still.

I'm 90 % sure they couldn't reproduce 2014 v Dublin again. Indeed that bullet could only be fired once, Kerry shut it out at the next game.
Goals are on against them now.
I understand I'm nailing my colours to the mast here
We've lost two great players and over and above Murphy going in at 14 and destroying a Fitzsimmons / cooper combo I don't really see where the new players and new ideas would come from within the Donegal camp this year.

I could be wrong though, but to me anyway this is no McGuinness capable management team.

Bit of a campaign going on against James McCarthy in the media. Anyone think he gouged McElhinney?

I thought he pushed him in the face. Definitely deserved his red but calling it gouging is a bit far imo. Might be spillover from McMahons actions last year.

I think newstalk and setanta are pushing it. Ger Gilroy went on about it, the two commentators told him it was a hand in the face and he deserved to go but it was not eye gouging, he kept on about it, carried on to newstalk the next day. I think setanta want the attention, but Gilroy went for it having been told in no uncertain terms that the boys didn't think it was eye gouging, I don't know why he bothered asking them he did his best to change their minds, he seemed genuinely disappointed they wouldnt agree with him.
It didn't look good but he walked . They didn't show any of the other incidences on slow motion. He was told about how slow motion makes things look worse .

I didn't have an excuse for McMahon and Donaghy but imo there is a world of difference between the two incidences, some calling for 12 month bans etc is a joke and pushing an agenda.

Lots of neck grabbing etc going on now and off the ball stuff mainly between Kerry, Dublin, Mayo and Donegal.

I can select players for Dublin and each of those teams that were at it in all the games we matched with them in. The only issue I have with that sort of thing is one player getting away with it and another not.
If the rules we had were applied it would stop, can't see McCarthy doing that in his next game, but lads who stayed on the field might.
Gavin is ruthless now taking lads off that have a booking now anyway. We saw that again with Cooper and i think Lowdnes.

Dublin have used 31 players in 6 League games.Appearances+Subs for 2016 League Games

Byrne, David(Naomh Olafs) 6
McCarthy, James 6
Andrews, Paddy 5+1
Cooper, Jonny 5+1
Costello, Cormac 4+2
Fitzsimons, Michael 4+2
Rock, Dean 4+2
Connolly, Diarmuid 5
Kilkenny, Ciaran 5
McMahon, Philip 5
Bastick, Denis 4+1
Small, John 4+1
O'Conghaile, Emmett 3+2
Brady, Tomas 2+3
Cluxton, Stephen 4 (3 Clean Sheets. Conceded 1 Goal)
Fenton, Brian 4
Flynn, Paul 4
O'Sullivan, Cian 4
Carthy, Shane (Naomh Mearnog) 1+3
Carthy, Shane (Vincents) 0+4
Daly, Darren 0+4
Brogan, Bernard 2+1
Lowndes, Eric 2+1
McManamon, Kevin 2+1
Mannion, Paul 2
Savage, Michael 2 (1 Clean Sheet. Conceded 2 Goals)
Byrne, Davy (Ballymun) 1+1
McCaffrey, Jack 0+2
Reddin, Ciaran 0+2
Ryan, Philip 0+2
O'Callaghan, Con 0+1

Dublin have scored 7-76 and conceded 3-61 in 6 League games. Scorers 2016 League Games

Costello, Cormac 1-20
Rock, Dean 0-22
Connolly, Diarmuid 3-4
Andrews, Paddy 1-8
McManamon, Kevin 0-5
McMahon, Philip 1-2
McCarthy, James 1-1
Flynn, Paul 0-3
Kilkenny, Ciaran 0-3
O'Conghaile, Emmett 0-2
Bastic, Denis 0-1
Brady, Tomas 0-1
Brogan, Bernard 0-1
Cooper, Jonny 0-1
Fenton, Brian 0-1
Mannion, Paul 0-1

Dublin have used 32 players in 4 O'Byrne Cup games.Appearances+Subs for 2016 O'Byrne Cup

Andrews, Paddy 4
Carthy, Shane(St Vincents) 4
Costello, Cormac 4
Curley, Jarlath 4
Small, John 4
McMahon, Philip 3+1
Reddin, Ciaran 3+1
McCarthy, James 2+2
Scully, Niall 2+2
Bastick, Denis 3
Brady, Tomas 3
O'Callaghan, Con 3
Rock, Dean 3
Savage, Michael 3
Cooper, Jonny 2+1
Culligan, Eoin 2+1
Mullally, Conor 2+1
Whelan, Jason 2+1
Deegan, Michael 1+2
Concarr, Michael 1+1
Daly, Darren 1+1
Caffrey, Adam 0+2
Hannigan, Graham 0+2
Walsh, Niall 0+2
Cluxton, Stephen 1
Devereux, Nicky 1
Manning, Oisin 1
McGuire, Conor 1
Cunningham, Stephen 0+1
MacDonncha, Maitias 0+1
Ryan, Philip 0+1


Dublin have scored 4-61 and conceded 6-38 in 4 O'Byrne Cup games. Scorers 2016 O'Byrne Cup Games

Costello, Cormac 2-11
Rock, Dean 0-15
Andrews, Paddy 1-7
O'Callaghan, Con 1-3
Carthy, Shane(St Vincents) 0-5
Deegan, Michael 0-5
Whelan, Jason 0-4
Brady, Tomas 0-3
Reddin, Ciaran 0-3
McGuire, Conor 0-2
Daly, Darren 0-1
McMahon, Philip 0-1
Scully, Niall 0-1

Paulzx wrote: »

I'm reading nothing into that game. Donegal were dead on their feet the last 20mins and it was quite obvious they are nowhere near the fitness levels required to play their usual game.

That won't apply in another couple of months

Yes and no - I saw them last year in the league semi against Cork and it was quite evident their heads were already on the Ulster Champ game in May. This year they aren't out til middle of June so the distractions are minimal. You're quite right - they'll do what they do quicker and stronger with a greater degree of intensity - but I don't see them doing anything new. In actual fact the nature of the Ulster Champ will virtually dictate they'll play football to the same template as previous years. A semi v Monaghan and a probable final v Tyrone will more than likely be trench warfare

DoctaDee wrote: »

Yes and no - I saw them last year in the league semi against Cork and it was quite evident their heads were already on the Ulster Champ game in May. This year they aren't out til middle of June so the distractions are minimal. You're quite right - they'll do what they do quicker and stronger with a greater degree of intensity - but I don't see them doing anything new. In actual fact the nature of the Ulster Champ will virtually dictate they'll play football to the same template as previous years. A semi v Monaghan and a probable final v Tyrone will more than likely be trench warfare

I agree. I don't believe they are hiding some new masterplan that will only be unveiled in the championship.

However, they'll be physically able to apply the old masterplan. They didn't seem capable of that on Saturday

Even if there is a heatwave for the next 5 days, there is no way that enough standing water from Sunday, will have drained away sufficiently to make the pitch safe. Drainage is the problem in the first place.

And there ain't gonna be no heatwave this week. According to this, there is an 85-95% chance of rain, every day this week, bar Thursday. Sun on Friday & Saturday is a whopping 10% & 20%.

http://www.zoover.co.uk/ireland/ireland/roscommon/weather

Just move the bloody game & have done with it.

Why do you think you can't buy in advance? You can buy them on tickets.ie or at participating Centra and Supervalu shops. Or just pay on the day at the gate, or from the ticket van in the car park. I'd be very surprised if it's a sell out.

Oh sorry, I thought you meant getting your hands on an adult ticket in advance. Still don't think you'll have a problem. The Galway game was no where near a sell out. There were plenty of empty seats in the stands, never mind the terraces. They would be a much bigger draw than Limerick, even though this is a quarter final. Get there half an hour before throw in, if you're still worried.

Dodgy wurly burger from the chipper across from St Davids? I'm down with that. I've been that soldier. I think we've all been that soldier.

salmocab wrote:

What would happen if and Im not suggesting it will or should happen, but if Dublin said that pitch isn't playable? Would there be a fine or points deducted.

I'd say the points would be deducted that's the rule as far as I'm aware, if the ref says it's suitable and you don't play you drop the points doesn't seem any different at this level than an U14 game .
The ref still inspected the pitch before the Roscommon Mayo game.
I don't know about a fine though.