clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 5161

1624663
Joe McMahon is more skillful than Dermot Connolly or Bernard Brogan?

For me, yes. Joe is a phenomenal passer of the ball and reader of the game who is well capable of taking a score. Not many players can play in virtually every position on the pitch in an inter-county team but Joe is one of the few.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1422 - 23/07/2014 11:40:37    1624692

clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 5162

1624663
Joe McMahon is more skillful than Dermot Connolly or Bernard Brogan?

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In fairness, I got a laugh out of that one. You could add Alan B there also by the way.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 23/07/2014 12:40:09    1624729

benjyyy
County: Donegal
Posts: 1034

1624650
Dublin have a lot of great athletes but Tyrone had the more skillful footballers. Brian McGuigan and Joe McMahon springs to mind and also someone, surprisingly, who nobody has mentioned - Colm McCullagh - who was for me far and away the best player on the pitch when Tyrone destroyed Dublin in 08

It's funny, people used to say the opposite about Tyrone and Kerry back in the noughties.

Tyrone always had better conditioned atheletes with a better team ethic, while Kerry always had the more skillful footballers. It's amazing what a few All Ireland's can do to change opinion

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 23/07/2014 12:51:10    1624739

In a way, we did see a prime Defensive Football v Attacking football encounter already this season.

Monaghan v Tyrone, was probably the best example to date.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 23/07/2014 13:05:09    1624750

God we are over a month away from this "POTENTIAL" match and it's started already. A lot of football to be played yet before this game can happen. Also anyone that takes devenney seriously needs to stop listening to the radio. It's a game I'd like to see happen and I do enjoy seeing people predicting how Dublin will beat donegal easy etc etc can yous predict me the lotto numbers since can see so far into the future ;)

ringerbell (Donegal) - Posts: 39 - 23/07/2014 13:15:00    1624757

I'm not sure if Donegal can live with the pace of this Dublin team. I think for Donegal to win they would have
To score on every attack. Otherwise Dublin will kill them on the break. Would be an interesting game though should it happen

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1596 - 23/07/2014 13:28:07    1624763

Joxer
County: Dublin
Posts: 1643

1624729 clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 5162

1624663
Joe McMahon is more skillful than Dermot Connolly or Bernard Brogan?

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In fairness, I got a laugh out of that one. You could add Alan B there also by the way.
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Well, considering Joe would be playing fullback in a Tyrone selection, you might instead want to compare his skill levels to those of ROC instead.

In terms of skill, talent and natural ability, Gerard Cavlan had as much as anyone on either side. In his book, Canavan described him as the most gifted player on the Tyrone panel. For Dublin, only Connolly would come close in that regard.

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 23/07/2014 13:36:44    1624774

To start naming Costello, Rock, Andrews, Mannion, O'Gara as great players is a bit overboard. Lets see how effective they are for the rest of the season. The current Dublin forwards are not as good as what Tyrone or Kerry had in the mid 00's. Canavan and Gooch are in the top 5 of all time - Dublin's best forward Brogan/Connolly aren't woudlnt make a top 20 list.
They may well win the All-Ireland this year but with a likely run-in of Monaghan, Donegal and Kerry, they certainly won't be putting up the big wins like they did in Leinster. After Monaghan kick them upo and down Croker the last thing they will want to face is a Donegal defence that will be even tougher.

MJR (Tyrone) - Posts: 2 - 23/07/2014 13:44:16    1624776

Barrowsider
County: Carlow
Posts: 791

1624763
I'm not sure if Donegal can live with the pace of this Dublin team. I think for Donegal to win they would have
To score on every attack. Otherwise Dublin will kill them on the break. Would be an interesting game though should it happen

Look at last Sunday's game, and see how you can hit them on the break? They move forward, but fill the gaps along the way. So if you dispossess them, you still hit a wall of yellow and green.

Donegal are one of Ireland's best conditioned and best prepared teams, and have been for 4 years now. I would Imagine they would target Cluxton's short kick outs, which account for so many of Dublin's possessions. And every Dublin possession normally leads to a score.

If they could limit the effectiveness of those kickouts, and concede no goals. Then I feel it would be a tight enough game, and that would suit Donegal more than Dublin. In addition to this, Donegal would play Murphy, McBrearty and McFadden at full forward. And I would expect them to score goals against a man marking Dublin defence.
If Dublin decided to leave an extra man back as cover against Donegal's forwards, that makes Donegal's defensive duties that bit easier.

Make no mistake, the mental and physical structure of Donegal present a different challenge to what Dublin have faced to date. They have the defence to hold Dublin, and the full forwards to really cause maximum damage to Dublin at the other end.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 23/07/2014 13:50:31    1624785

I'm pretty sure Donegal wouldn't target Cluxtons kickouts because it would involve bringing too many men up the pitch and he is just too accurate. All he needs is one man to make a move and he will put the ball in his chest. Then Dublin will be attacking a defense that is not set. I'd be pretty certain that Donegal will let Dublin hit short kickouts un-opposed.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1422 - 23/07/2014 14:04:44    1624790

MJR
County: Tyrone
Posts: 2

1624776
To start naming Costello, Rock, Andrews, Mannion, O'Gara as great players is a bit overboard. Lets see how effective they are for the rest of the season. The current Dublin forwards are not as good as what Tyrone or Kerry had in the mid 00's. Canavan and Gooch are in the top 5 of all time - Dublin's best forward Brogan/Connolly aren't woudlnt make a top 20 list.
They may well win the All-Ireland this year but with a likely run-in of Monaghan, Donegal and Kerry, they certainly won't be putting up the big wins like they did in Leinster. After Monaghan kick them upo and down Croker the last thing they will want to face is a Donegal defence that will be even tougher.

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Well that's your opinion. Mine is different. To say that Bernard and DC are only top 20 is suspect at best. DC is probably the greatest ever natural talent to come out of Dublin, a county that is the second most successful of all time. That in itself is some statement. We are talking about a player who single handedly destroyed Tyrone in the 2011 1/4 (that result put an end to careers in Tyrone IMO) and single-handedly won Vins the club championship final this year with a performance that many said was one of the greatest ever seen at HQ. Bernard and Alan's talents and records speak for themselves multiple all-star and POTY awards between them. Paul Flynn was described by Pat Spillane as the top wing forward in the country and heading towards being one of the greats. Ok with two positions left I would say, Costello (watch this space - destined to be a great), Kilkenny (same story). To say that Tyrone and Kerry had better talent in their forward line than that is a very dodgy statement.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 23/07/2014 14:13:49    1624792

I said 'will', I meant 'would' of course. Getting past Armagh or Meath will be an achievement in itself

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1422 - 23/07/2014 14:16:02    1624794

BD predicted a Monaghan win last Thursday and now 4 days later he is saying Donegal will definitely beat Dublin.....just like that.
Very good piece by Dara O'Se in today's times bout this possible match.
Must say I'm delighted that RTE have taken on board the need for newer relevant pundits.
At half time lad week Spillane was on a rant and Johnny Doyle brought it back to reality. The 3 young guys last Sunday night were good so analysis is now more relevant.
As a Donegal person who knows very little about hurling Donal Ogs punditry is sensational and has drawn me to watch the hurling more so than before

fintownsuburbs (Donegal) - Posts: 30 - 23/07/2014 14:17:01    1624795

I think Bernard is the pick of them. Connolly has had too many bad games to be considered a great. He has plenty of time to turn that around though. I just don't rate Alan Brogan that highly. A very good player but makes too many bad decisions and his accuracy in front of goal isn't good enough to be considered a great player. Flynn I could go either way on.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1422 - 23/07/2014 14:22:40    1624797

Joe McMahon more talented than Bernard and Connolly....
Dublin a team of athletes not footballers...

ye havent a clue god help us
not a clue :)

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 23/07/2014 14:28:56    1624802

Why are so many of the Donegal posters so quick to have a snipe at DV? short memories, this guy carried Donegal for years

eunans4ever (Donegal) - Posts: 1595 - 23/07/2014 14:29:32    1624803

Liam don't waste your time replying to that.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 23/07/2014 14:35:05    1624809

eunans4ever
County: Donegal
Posts: 599

1624803 Why are so many of the Donegal posters so quick to have a snipe at DV? short memories, this guy carried Donegal for years

Nobody is denying that but he is a poor pundit, same as Cassidy. This has nothing to do with their football ability it has to do with How they see football and the random comments they come out with.

Honestly why are people really talking about a game that might never come to pass. Armagh or Meath could beat Donegal. Monaghan could beat Dublin, Kildare could beat Monaghan. Who knows.
Jim and the boys will worry about training until they see who they will be playing, then its all about the tactic to beat them. If its Armagh it will be more of the same if its Meath it could be something completely different. Then and only then if we are still standing would we look at a Semi Final.

So the reason we are telling people not to listen to Devenney is because what he says is irrelevant and I believe he is a poor pundit. Nothing to do with his football ability as I still remember great days watching him but comparing him as a football to comparing him as a pundit are too different things. I dislike Pat Spillane as a pundit, does mean he isn't a grand fella and was a good footballer.

dstuction (Donegal) - Posts: 1209 - 23/07/2014 14:49:18    1624820

Jesus lads the hype has really got to you this year. A few good performances (all against teams outside the top 8) and you are talking about greats of the game. Short memories. Connolly and the Brogans were playing when you got hammered by Tyrone in 2008, they were also playing when you got spanked by Kerry in 2009. They were playing in 2011 when you were outplayed for 65mins by a past-peak Kerry team, a Kerry team that in their prime could not get one over on Tyrone. And even last year in the final against Mayo you were lucky not to be 6 or 7 points down after 25 mins.

But here I am getting laughed for suggesting one of the mainstays of that great Tyrone team could even lace the boots of Brogan or Connolly. A fickle bunch.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1422 - 23/07/2014 15:00:36    1624824

With all respect do Devenney for his many years of service, he never quite cut it in Championship football. But agreed that the conversation is irrelevant because there is more than a fair chance the game wont happen.

benjyyy (Donegal) - Posts: 1422 - 23/07/2014 15:03:41    1624828