Sean Leo McGoldrick is having a scan today on a knee injury picked up in a club game last night.

Doesn't sound great and he would be a massive loss to this team if he were out long term!

Not to mention I would be gutted for the man, as he was really starting to get the recognition he deserves as a top top player. Fingers crossed it is not too serious.

jamesjoyce (Derry) - Posts: 126 - 17/04/2014 11:50:24    1576267

jamesjoyce
County: Derry
Posts: 71

1576267


Sean Leo McGoldrick is having a scan today on a knee injury picked up in a club game last night.

Doesn't sound great and he would be a massive loss to this team if he were out long term!

Not to mention I would be gutted for the man, as he was really starting to get the recognition he deserves as a top top player. Fingers crossed it is not too serious.

Hopefully he makes it , serious player , we want to play a full strength Derry team , head to head .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 17/04/2014 12:15:11    1576278

Anybody want my tickets? Don't think there is much point in going considering the revenge style battering we are going to take.

kingpuck71 (Derry) - Posts: 690 - 17/04/2014 17:26:04    1576471

King puck......

I am giving my tickets away too..... Sure after ye beat Mayo (who didn't wanna win by the way according to certain posters on here), I was thinking ye should win handy. Sure we only beat a team of kids from Cork.

Derry's to lose!?

(Note.... That old "we are here to make up the numbers" lark)

JayP (Dublin) - Posts: 1772 - 17/04/2014 18:50:42    1576505

Very surprised to see Derry played club league games last Thursday and Leo Mcgoldrick got injured in one of them games, massive loss to Derry maybe this game is not that big a deal for them.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 23/04/2014 12:09:11    1578936

If dubs click the way they did against cork in the second half i really fear for derry. Allthough derry are going well i feel dublin will still have to much for them. Derry will no doubt give it 100 percent but for the dubs going for back to back league titles will only fire them on even more. Roll on sunday. UP DA DUBS...

DUB1 (Dublin) - Posts: 5583 - 23/04/2014 15:35:12    1579117

If the dubs dont win I promise to start a "humble pie thread" on Monday :)

Yous are all to be named and shamed!

jamesjoyce (Derry) - Posts: 126 - 23/04/2014 16:35:59    1579163

Derry beat us by 6pts in the league game recently and were full value for it, and are a formidable team.
Gonna be extremely difficult for us to turn around a 6pt difference is such a short space of time.
I would rate the Oakleafers as slight favourites........

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 3736 - 23/04/2014 16:42:37    1579171

jamesjoyce.

Fine by me.

I believe Dublin to win by 6

But wouldnt surprise me if it went into Double figures.

I'll be back monday morning if we lose to congratulate you though dont worry!!.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 23/04/2014 16:58:00    1579178

Good analysis there by Fionn, who is obviously a man of sense and discernment. Seriously, though, Derry are 4/1 with Boylesports and I think that is very good value. Someone mentioned to me today that they had seen 5/1 somewhere - if anyone knows where, let me know. Either way, I'll be having a go at those sort of prices. Dublin are rightful favourites but I think they're far too short for this game and that the odds more reflect the weight of money on the Dubs, including bets all year on them to win the league, than the actual chances of either team on Sunday. I would imagine that a Dublin win would be a bad result for the bookies and that Derry have been lightly enough backed. Sean Leo is a big loss for Derry on Sunday; at the same time the most important thing is that he will be okay for the Donegal game.

doiregael2 (Derry) - Posts: 337 - 23/04/2014 17:21:19    1579196

Dublin to pull away in last quarter.Experience of winning big games,especially tight games,is a big advantage.Derry are a proper outfit, but playing and beating the Dubs in Croke Park is a step up on anything theyve achieved thus far.Looking forward to it.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 23/04/2014 17:35:22    1579203

doiregael if Derry were playing anyone other than the Dubs I would be having a bet at 4/1. Ridiculous price considering Derry beat Dublin relatively comfortably in Celtic Park and had an overall impressive divisional campaign.

I think it will be close with Dublin perhaps stronger than they were in March but a Derry win would not be at all surprising. Croke Park will not have any fears for them as they seemed to thrive there against Westmeath in the Div II final last year and were getting stronger the longer it went on.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 23/04/2014 18:42:24    1579227

This will be a close match, there will be no revenge batterings going on here. Regardless this match for Derry will be a great preparation for their opening match against Donegal which I fully expect them to win.

bluedubstar (Dublin) - Posts: 835 - 24/04/2014 20:56:50    1579688

bluedubstar
County: Dublin
Posts: 766

Regardless this match for Derry will be a great preparation for their opening match against Donegal which I fully expect them to win.

bluedub,
I told JMcG what you said, he wasn't a bit happy.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 24/04/2014 21:15:08    1579703

MuckrossHead
County: Donegal
Posts: 2420

1579703
bluedubstar
County: Dublin
Posts: 766

Regardless this match for Derry will be a great preparation for their opening match against Donegal which I fully expect them to win.

bluedub,
I told JMcG what you said, he wasn't a bit happy.


Ah muck why did you have to go and do that for? Jim been omnipresent he probably knows who I am and is plotting my downfall (while at the same time as refining the cold fusion theory)

Damn you!

bluedubstar (Dublin) - Posts: 835 - 24/04/2014 21:49:49    1579714

bluedub,

Your name has been added to an ever lengthening list. When the revolution comes........

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 25/04/2014 08:45:42    1579734

25/04/2014 08:45:42
MuckrossHead
County: Donegal
Posts: 2422

1579734
bluedub,

Your name has been added to an ever lengthening list. When the revolution comes........

Jims a compassionate God, he'll forgive me! :)

bluedubstar (Dublin) - Posts: 835 - 25/04/2014 10:46:14    1579775

OK, so I see both sides of this;

The first of these is the straight forward view. Dublin are all Ireland Champions and have treated us to some great football over the last 12 months. They're second half performance against Cork was outstanding and was the sign of a team that has really clicked for the first time this year. Regardless of who they would have met in the final they would have been strong favourites. The fact that they are playing Derry, who are admittedly unproven minnows makes this even more of a formality. Derry will be blown out of the water and will not be able to handle this Dublin team with the Hill behind them.

The trouble with the above point of view however is that the opposition (Derry) and their form are being totally disregarded. Yes Derry are unproven as yet, and yes it is possible that they won't be able to handle Dublin. But...... from their form, there is not one piece of evidence that might suggest that this will happen.

So the smart man would assess this match by looking at both teams form;

Dublin have had a stop start league campaign. They struggled against Kerry and Westmeath in the opening round but have gradually built up momentum as players have come back in which has reached its current climax in the second half against Cork. We know that Dublin has the best squad of players in the country and on their day will beat anyone. However, you cannot ignore the first half against Cork and the fact that Cork collapsed in the second half. This collapse will/should not happen with Derry, due to the fact that during the league we have a number of players who have proven to be experts at carrying the ball from Defence and taking the pressure of the team (this incidentally is why Sean Leo is a massive loss as he is our main man in turning defence into attack). Ironically though against Dublin in Celtic Park it was Sean Leo's replacement for Sunday, Aidan McAlynn, who made the break that won a free for us at a vital time when Dublin were in the ascendancy.

Derry's form, from a Derryman's point of view during the league has been consistently strong. This is what is now being ignored by those taking the "straight forward view". We have played all four of last years all Ireland semi-finalists in this league campaign and, disregarding the "B Team" we started against Mayo, we have beaten three of them and drew with the other. This is due to a number of reasons. Derry have a game plan that makes the most of the players we have. As I mentioned we have plenty of ball carriers but we also have grafters and have two good ball winners on the edge of the square, in Emmet McGuckian and Caoalan O'Boyle, both of whom who work well together and are capable of holding the ball up for support or turning their men and finding the back of the net. The other aspect of this team is the belief and confidence that they are playing with. Make no doubt Derry are travelling to Dublin with a win in mind. This is thanks to the leadership shown by Brian McIver and his team, which is then translated to the leadership shown by the likes of Mark Lynch on the pitch. The strength of our game was shown perfectly against Mayo in the Semi final. When we had 15 men we were able to create opportunities and goals from running at Mayo and using the two inside men. When we went down to 14 men, we effectively abandoned our passing game into the forwards and run the ball everytime we got it, and this alone was enough to win the game. (there is the fact that Mayo's tactics played right into our hands, but it doesn't take away from the point).

So, Im going on a bit.... I summarise, yes Derry are unproven minnows, but for anyone travelling to Croker on Sunday expecting to see a walkover, you are, based on form, probably wrong ;)

jamesjoyce (Derry) - Posts: 126 - 25/04/2014 11:04:52    1579784

Dublin all the way, no 1 to get within 7 points of Dublin for the rest of the year. I tipped Dublin at the start of the year it's gona be a boring year for the rest of the country as we fight it out to see who gets second place in the championship

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 25/04/2014 13:27:31    1579838

jamesjoyce
County: Derry
Posts: 75

all fair points and well made. I dont know anyone from Dublin expecting a walkover on Sunday except for the usual few maggots on here :-) I do however think Dublin will win based on the strength of the bench Dublin have and Gavins use of it. That's no disrepect to Derry, the've a fine team and Lynch has been outstanding during League. Really looking forward to Sunday and whatever happens enjoy the day. Dubs to do back to back though.

Aido

Aido69 (Dublin) - Posts: 381 - 25/04/2014 13:54:00    1579848