clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 4726

1571765 GaryMc82 yeah it's called not having your best team on the pitch so far this season[/I].

Its easy to say that. Very few teams have their full teams on the pitch at this time of the year. Dublin are not the only ones trying out new players. Jim Gavin is trying to find out what his best team for 2014 is (he knows his best team for 2013 was good enough but like all good coaches, he is still discovering what is right for this year). GaryMc just made a comment on what he has seen so far this year.

Bennybunny I accept that but our missing players our all Ireland champion missing players to be fair

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 07/04/2014 15:46:58    1571794

Nobody is in full championship trim yet but I wouldn't argue too much with clondalkins 3 favourites even if I think calling it a 3 horse race is a bit much.

For our own part we have to stay injury free to be in real contention. There are good signs at the moment, a couple of the new lads are playing really well but we can't afford to have players hurt.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 07/04/2014 17:32:43    1571882

The league has not changed much. Top four Cork, Dublin, Mayo and Kerry. The Ulster championship features strongly with possible contenders Tyrone, Monaghan, Donegal and Derry. Meath and Kildare may make inroads from Leinster.

Byanthon (Tyrone) - Posts: 1780 - 07/04/2014 17:48:28    1571902

I think its more than a 3 horse race, people rating cork above mayo is madness. Mayo I feel are a better outfit than cork and are more battle hardened.

Maybe this is my heart ruling my head but I still think Dublin are the team to beat, don't feel we will be challenged in leinster until the final were we would play meath or Kildare.

The top 3 are:

Dublin
Mayo
Cork

Tier 2

Tyrone
Derry
Donegal
Kerry

jacktheDub (Dublin) - Posts: 944 - 07/04/2014 17:51:13    1571905

Very simple to narrow the field down for an all ireland football winner.

Division 2 or below rarely or never win the all ireland.
Teams relegated from division 1 never win the all ireland.

That leaves 6 teams. of them, Dublin and Cork are well ahead of the field. Mayo are next, and if they get to grips with their mental block in an all ireland final they will obviously win it. But they will have to get there in the first place, and there are a lot of teams that will take their chance against them. That leaves 2 teams. I fancy cork to win it on the displays they have put up so far this year.

Kerry are not looking good, tyrone too inconcsistant, and derry are aiming at ulster and a league title.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 07/04/2014 18:22:02    1571926

Dublin well ahead I think.

tyroneed (Tyrone) - Posts: 753 - 07/04/2014 19:34:13    1571977

Dublin cork or mayo. Your all Ireland champs 2014 will come from either one of those teams.

bluedubstar (Dublin) - Posts: 835 - 07/04/2014 19:56:58    1571991

bluedubstar
County: Dublin
Posts: 758

1571991
Dublin cork or mayo. Your all Ireland champs 2014 will come from either one of those teams.

Certainly front runners at this stage although none of the three have looked invinceable.

Nobody gave Donegal a chance in April 2012 and yet they turned out to be the best team in the country by a distance come Sept.

You just never do know, the bounce of a ball, an injury to a key player, dodgy refereeing decision.......

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 07/04/2014 20:08:29    1572002

Donegal and tyrone are definately in with a shout also. But for those early goals against tyrone, dublin would have been in trouble, and micky harte is the master of creating a system to stop a team. He got a good long look at dublin at the weekend. It would be interesting to see how they would set up if they met again. Writing either of those teams off, and indeed derry, would be foolish.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 07/04/2014 21:33:42    1572045

Derry

MiAmigaVERONICA (Clare) - Posts: 302 - 07/04/2014 21:46:08    1572061

There will always be a surprise so saying the rest have no hope is way off. The teams you mentioned are the market leaders i agree but football goes in cycles and some of the teams you reference are reaching the end of their current cycle. Remember cycle is not necessarily to do with age of a squad but the number of years on the road and 3 years these days is the equivalent of 6 years in previous eras given demands etc. If i was to call the all-ireland tomorrow i think Tyrone will have a big say.

kiloughter (Galway) - Posts: 1947 - 07/04/2014 21:55:13    1572075

clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 4733

1571794 Bennybunny I accept that but our missing players our all Ireland champion missing players to be fair [/I]

I agree with that too and last year they more than proved themselves. Anyway, whatever about Dublin's performances this year compared to this time last year, they have still made the semi-finals of the league and we should all reserve judgement on how they are until after the league is finished. They may end up champions.

I do think the league is vitally important for all teams (particularly those outside of Ulster). The reality is Dublin, Cork, Kerry, Mayo will steamroll their first few matches in their respective provincial championships. They then arrive in July/August with some questions over the team/squad. From that point of view, the more competitive games we get against Dublin, Mayo, Kerry, Tyrone, Derry the better as we can judge how good we are against those teams rather against Clare/Waterford etc (no disrespect meant to them).

Obviously Dublin as the reigning league and All-Ireland champions have a little bit more luxury than others. However, I would suggest that your next game against Cork is very important for you as well. If you do get beaten, it will be a while before you get a game of similar intensity. The same goes for us naturally.

jacktheDub

Mayo might be battle hardened but it is impossible for the scars of the last few years not affect them. Reality is against 14 men dublin the bottled it and thats in april . Dublin are definitely not the team they were last year and while i conceed that they have players out so does every other team and we are talking about a team that scraped past mayo by 1 point in a poor final. . If cork continue their growth i would have them as favourites for 2015 but think inexperience will catch them in 2014 not quality just the inexperience of a young team in croker can get to them . I think wrongly in this tread there is little mention for Tyrone who i think will have a say later in the year.

ritchie (Cork) - Posts: 346 - 08/04/2014 10:54:49    1572146

It will be very difficult for Mayo to reach three finals in a row. For me Monaghan are a dark-horse and in my opinion the best team in Ulster(whether they win it this year or not),Cork look very strong and are contenders,as are Dublin...

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 08/04/2014 11:30:52    1572166

ziggy320001
County: Meath
Posts: 407

1572166
For me Monaghan are a dark-horse and in my opinion the best team in Ulster(whether they win it this year or not)

Monaghan are certainly contenders but to be regarded as the best team in Ulster they surely have to win the Ulster championship. How else do you judge the best team?

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 08/04/2014 11:36:50    1572170

ritchie
County: Cork
Posts: 96
___________________
There is a very good reason for this!

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 08/04/2014 11:36:50    1572171

I can't see any evidence why people are picking Tyrone as this years champions if anything there league form has convinced me they'll win nothing this year but maybe others are seeing something I can't .

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 08/04/2014 11:43:46    1572175

For me:

Top one - Dublin, they're still the best team in the country and have the strongest squad, motivation may be their biggest obstacle.

Top contenders - Cork, Mayo and Donegal, I think Cork in particular look very strong, Mayo keep on knocking so surely someday it will happen and Donegal won it only 2 years ago so should still have the required talent.

Dark horses - Monaghan (who are very good) and Derry (very good but always look more a league team).

I'd be surprised if any team outside of those 6 won it.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 08/04/2014 11:54:33    1572185

clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 4736

1571765
GaryMc82 yeah it's called not having your best team on the pitch so far this season.

Is that Echo's of Donegal fans in 2013 I hear!! :).

I agree with you on Tyrone though, they are just too hot and cold at the minute to be considered serious contenders. Now when they are good, they are stunning and very effective with the ability to trouble anybody. But when they are flat ( See 2nd half against Kerry, and first half against Dublin ), they are very worrying. Kyle Coney is on fire though, class act.

Cork look to have that sparkle this year, just something about them at the minute. I wrongly predicted they would be relegated prior to the start of the National league, and boy was I wrong. They look extremely strong at the minute, with plenty of depth. The force is with them I feel.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 08/04/2014 12:41:17    1572221