Fair play to you Samsforthehills. The only one to back your own county!

Defending an AI is a sign of a great team. The objective odds are against us but if Jim can keep the squad fresh with a few younger players i think we have a good chance.

Dublin for me!

seany16 (Dublin) - Posts: 1658 - 20/01/2014 11:47:59    1534136

Dubs
very confident
More confident than I was this time last year

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 20/01/2014 12:12:15    1534159

Seanie 16
I'm basing my prediction ( Dublin) on squad size and ability and Dublin have that in spades. We have a real good first 15 but our strength in depth isnt what it was.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 20/01/2014 13:11:57    1534198

Dublin at their leisure.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9139 - 20/01/2014 13:25:59    1534210

Unfortunately same oul same old.... Munster: kerry and Cork, Connacht: Mayo and an emerging Galway team. Leinster: Dublin, Meath and Kildare, Ulster: Tyrone, Derry, Cavan and Donegal.....

Realisticially: Dublin, followed by Mayo, and then Kerry, Tyrone, Cork Donegal in the next tier... any one of these can win it, Dublin will be favourites.. but if the black card comes in though key players could be lost to teams at key stages... anything can happen.. but Dublin are favouites

Horsebox77 (Kerry) - Posts: 5491 - 20/01/2014 13:34:22    1534221

Good teams win all Ireland , great teams win them back to back.
Are Dublin a great team? Lot of pressure on them but I really do think they will walk it, might not get it all their own way in Leinster. But even if beat , u just can't see any team getting close from quarters.
Dublin at their leisure.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 20/01/2014 15:49:49    1534313

I think it will come down to Dublin, Kerry, Mayo & Tyrone. It might be a year to soon for Cork with the squad turnover they have had this year. Mayo will win Connaught, galway could possibly put it up to them in a provincial final. In Leinster Dublin should progress to the final were they will probably play Meath or Kildare. Meath look to be the team that could potentially end Dublin's dominance of leinster will be very interested in how they get on in the league. In Munster I fancy Kerry to beat cork in final. In Ulster Tyrone look to be the best bet. Don't think Donegal have the Squad. They will need to discover a few more players as usual ulster can be a minefield were any team can beat another.

jacktheDub (Dublin) - Posts: 944 - 20/01/2014 16:54:01    1534350

royaldunne
County: Meath
Posts: 5269

1534313
Good teams win all Ireland , great teams win them back to back.
Are Dublin a great team? Lot of pressure on them but I really do think they will walk it, might not get it all their own way in Leinster. But even if beat , u just can't see any team getting close from quarters.
Dublin at their leisure.

Nah man...

The Tyrone team that won 1 AI & 2 Championships were a great team

They never put back to backs

Dublin have won two of the last 3 and contested a semi-final in between

If they do go onto win back to backs in 2014

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 20/01/2014 17:02:59    1534355

royaldunne
County: Meath
Posts: 5269

1534313
Good teams win all Ireland , great teams win them back to back.
Are Dublin a great team? Lot of pressure on them but I really do think they will walk it, might not get it all their own way in Leinster. But even if beat , u just can't see any team getting close from quarters.
Dublin at their leisure.

Nah man...

The Tyrone team that won 1 AI & 2 Championships were a great team

They never put back to backs

Dublin have won two of the last 3 and contested a semi-final in between

If they do go onto win back to backs in 2014

It'll be some achievement... but far from easy

Either way... Dublin wont get any credit for it.

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 20/01/2014 17:03:39    1534356

Horsebox77
County: Kerry
Posts: 1552

1534221 Unfortunately same oul same old.... Munster: kerry and Cork, Connacht: Mayo and an emerging Galway team. Leinster: Dublin, Meath and Kildare, Ulster: Tyrone, Derry, Cavan and Donegal.....

Realisticially: Dublin, followed by Mayo, and then Kerry, Tyrone, Cork Donegal in the next tier... any one of these can win it, Dublin will be favourites.. but if the black card comes in though key players could be lost to teams at key stages... anything can happen.. but Dublin are favouites

What about the Ulster champions ,do they not get a mention !!!

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 20/01/2014 17:11:51    1534361

jimbodub
County: Dublin
Posts: 11720

1534356
royaldunne
County: Meath
Posts: 5269

1534313
Good teams win all Ireland , great teams win them back to back.
Are Dublin a great team? Lot of pressure on them but I really do think they will walk it, might not get it all their own way in Leinster. But even if beat , u just can't see any team getting close from quarters.
Dublin at their leisure.

Nah man...

The Tyrone team that won 1 AI & 2 Championships were a great team

They never put back to backs

Dublin have won two of the last 3 and contested a semi-final in between

If they do go onto win back to backs in 2014

It'll be some achievement... but far from easy

Either way... Dublin wont get any credit for it.



At the moment Dublin are a great team Jimbo,
Galway won 2/3 and were called a great team,
so as far as Im concerned the current Dubs team
are too! And if they win it this year they will
be considered one of the greatest of all-time.
That doesn't mean that non-Dubs are gonna like it;
but that is the way it is.

;)

TheGateKeeper (Tyrone) - Posts: 2843 - 20/01/2014 17:38:52    1534371

I've always thought that the Meath team of the late 90s was a great team.

Obviously not.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13710 - 20/01/2014 17:44:25    1534374

Ah jimbo they will get credit
think many would believe ( even some dubs) that 11 was slightly fortunate. And maybe that's why they not getting the credit they deserve. But back to back would solve that IMO.
Look even though its generally accepted that great teams put back to back , I'd argue that the Meath team of 96/99 were better than 87/88 all Ireland. But sure that's just me.
But I think every other county is at least a year behind dubs.
And this may be one of the most clear cut winners in a long time

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 20/01/2014 17:53:36    1534382

moylagh
County: Meath
Posts: 65

1534130
Interesting discussion yesterday on RTE with Oisin McConville and John Mullane which is not directly related to this post but thought it worth mentioning. Oisin is of the opinion that in a lot of weaker counties, players are now focusing on club football and not IC. As such the only counties that will win the AI are the better resourced ones i.e. Dublin, Cork, Kerry, Mayo, Tyrone (no particular order). Can see the odd upset along the way but can't see a winner from anywhere else.

I don't know if that's an entirely new phenomenon. I know that there's often a claim put forward that Galway hurling suffers at IC level for it's competitive club championship and I'm sure there's examples in other counties- perhaps St. Gall's and the northern hurling clubs in Antrim, Crossmaglen in Armagh, some of the old Wicklow club sides.

To be honest a good club championship is pretty important to IC success. Certainly I think that the Tipp footballers would be stronger for a better club championship. Also the teams you've mentioned have built on underage success as well as good club championships.

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 20/01/2014 18:02:59    1534387

Evidence says Dublin , good squad , re freshed new faces , word from camp good , but as Ive said on many many similar threads , we lose Cluxton , MDM , Flynn through injury as good as squad is , id be worried . If not Dubs Id have a punt on Donegal .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 20/01/2014 18:10:15    1534390

AthCliath
County: Dublin
Posts: 2753

What about the Ulster champions ,do they not get a mention !!!

ah No.

Horsebox77 (Kerry) - Posts: 5491 - 20/01/2014 18:28:17    1534402

meath

meathalltheway (Meath) - Posts: 789 - 20/01/2014 19:00:35    1534414

Royaldunne no offence if you think Meath had a better team in 96 to 99 to the team off 87 to 91 you are a bad judge of a team but like you said everyone has a different view.

jackhammer (Louth) - Posts: 83 - 20/01/2014 19:34:33    1534436

Monaghan could push on this year and make the final.

Midlu1 (Louth) - Posts: 790 - 20/01/2014 19:42:41    1534438

Jackhammer. Players like fay McDermott Giles geraghty Murphy etc were far more natural and skilful than a lot of the 80s team. Boylan said it and many would agree 2 all Ireland's was a poor return for the 90s team.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 20/01/2014 20:41:06    1534463