This is how I see it all
Let's go back to 2011
Dublin beat Donegal ( then an emerging team) in the semi final by two points;;; won the final by a. Few points against Kerry with a late goal doing the business
2012, Caught by Mayo in the semi.
2013 semi beat Kerry by 7 points ( all the winning scores more or less coming in added time, level after 69 minutes. Then won the final against Mayo by a point ( once again bad defending by Mayo cost them)
2014::: looked unstoppable until JmcG/ his plan/ Donegal came to Croke park and they lost by 6 points which was Dublin's heaviest loss to any team in the championship since 2011. Looking at all that , are Dublin that far in front of Mayo, Kerry or Donegal ???
From those results they are not so of course they are beatable ( not in Leinster though)
I for one , would be weary of us Donegal beating them this year but Mayo / Kerry could beat them I would fancy Donegal against Kerry or Mayo but I think we would have it all to do to beat them two years in a row In saying that IF we are to meet it would be in the final and I think Donegal always produces their best against Dublin
I think when you play Dublin you have to stay with them on the scoreboard( easier said than done)and don't let them score goals
Still I would grab the chance to meet them in this year's final win loose or draw

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 30/06/2015 21:12:54    1745716

A lot of rubbish is being talked on here about Dublin going to dominate Leinster for the next 20 years or so ::: that won't happen
I predict , and I might not be here to see it that Meath, Kildare, Offaly maybe Laois or indeed Westmeath will produce a team good enough to win Leinster inside the next 4 to 7 years. Dublin will have their day, same as a lot of other top teams down the years
Look at Kerry after 1986 and how long it took them to win an All Ireland (was it 11 years) But in that time look what happened, Donegal and Derry make the breakthrough and Tyrone should have also done so plus Down went on to win Sam twice
Also Meath went on to won Sam after a 20 year wait
Five years ago ( 2010) who would have though we would be talking about Donegal the way we are now , I think they were ranked about 19 at the time and in around 2008 nobody wanted the Donegal manager's job ( have ye all got that last bit)
So supporters of Kildare and Meath and indeed other Leinster counties cheer up, you are no worse off now than we were in around 2008/2010 and don't forget Antrim beat us in ballybofey in the championship
Get yer houses in order and sometime soon some of you will beat Dublin

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 30/06/2015 21:30:03    1745727

The only time Dublin will be beat this year is in the charity game after the all Ireland as champions .

syferuseen (Roscommon) - Posts: 80 - 30/06/2015 21:44:49    1745734

You always bring up this very simplistic view of population equals success. Last I checked Cork and Limerick were well populated cities in Munster yet Kerry dominate. In Connacht you have the city of Galway playing second fiddle to Mayo. In Ulster you have Antrim. Was this 'critical mass' not always present in the case of Dublin or did we have an overnight baby boon

Joxer, I am not sure you should entirely dismiss the notion based on what you have stated. Last I checked, Cork have won 37 All Irelands (remember it is a dual county!). In provincial terms Galway and Mayo are almost equal. In Ulster, particularly the wee 6 there is a demography scenario where a defined % of the community are not involved with the GAA in any way…In Antrims case it's fair to say over half. The truth is a vast population with interest in the game will always bring success. The interest in the game comes from prior successes. Dublin have by far and away the biggest population but there is probably a higher proportion of people not involved in the GAA. However, you are still left with a fine selection to choose from. Dublin should always be there or thereabouts for sam. They underachieved for most of the last two decades outside of leinster but those days seem to be well gone (unfortunately for the rest of us!)

Population can be used as a very rough gauge but there are always exceptions. Monaghan is one of the smallest counties in Ireland and also have one of the lowest populations but in terms of Anglo celts we are the second most successful county, after Cavan (also a small county). However these exceptions rarely carry past the provinces as the teams typically don't have the depth and resources to carry it further. Someone posted on here before that no county will a population below 100k has one sam since 1982. I think that says a lot. Football is a very competitive code with lots of strong teams with pedigree that make the path to success long and arduous. Having as much resources (players, mgmt teams, supporting staff and cash) makes that path easier to negotiate.

seanfinn (Monaghan) - Posts: 360 - 01/07/2015 11:08:21    1745844

It is the Pro Kerry and Pro Meath media who say the Dubs are unbeatable. Typical "cute hoorism" from the likes of Spillane and Colm O Rourke. Kerry have won more All Irelands then any one else by a long long way. They will probably win again this year.
What will the Cute hoors say then, after Donaghy and Co. win Sam again? Blame the Dubs?

galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2520 - 01/07/2015 11:14:02    1745848

Yes the Dubs are very beatable, Cluxtons kick outs are still the focal point. In the 2013 Semi Final closed down Cluxtons kick outs and at stages the Dubs were in trouble. Fitzmaurice will know this and im sure he will come up with a plan to limit the Dubs. The championship is so similar to other years, the Dubs steam rolling Leinster with the hype growing by the game. The Dubs may not be ready for a big game where its put up to them and they have to dig deep. This Dublin team has a lot to prove they fell apart when it was put up to them last year, no reason yet to suggest that Dublin have changed.

Steam rolling shocking poor teams in Leinster doesnt prove anything, Dublin have a lot of big egos but we will only know after they lay the likes of Kerry and Donegal if they have big characters.

Traleenative (Kerry) - Posts: 44 - 01/07/2015 11:54:00    1745876

Dublin have a lot of big egos
no reason yet to suggest that Dublin have changed.

Explain, who has the big ego on the Dublin team, Donaghy doesn't play for us.
You obviously know little about football if you haven't noticed a change in Dublin's approach, the only thing you got right is that winning handy in Leinster does not help, but my 7 year old noticed that too!

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8592 - 01/07/2015 12:24:15    1745910

Steam rolling shocking poor teams in Leinster doesnt prove anything, Dublin have a lot of big egos but we will only know after they lay the likes of Kerry and Donegal if they have big characters.


The Leinster point is true

Not sure about the big ego thing

And we've already proven that we can beat Kerry and Donegal... just completely lacked any sort of proper game plan against Donegal last year

That's been addressed now

Even when Kerry pushed up on said kick outs... and scored 3 goals in first half in 2013

Dubs won by 7 in the end last time we met...

So if anything it's Kerry who have all the ???? marks surrounding them

Having won last years AI without playing Dublin...

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 01/07/2015 12:25:02    1745914

Oh its obvious to any impartial observer that Dublin are on a different plane to all the rest

Media and certain fans try to paint an image of a 'Big 4' when the reality is a 'Big 1' with the likes of Donegal and Mayo next in the chasing pack. The fact that they are already shorter than Evens to win the AI tells you all you need to know.

If Kerry somehow got to final to face the blue juggernaut, there would be very little expectation of winning which be a nice change our players, all the pressure and hype would be on Dublin, although I'd imagine they will deal with it much better in comparison to last year.

KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts: 816 - 01/07/2015 13:06:10    1745957

I think people saying Dublin have a different approach this year are losing sight of the fact that implementing a new approach against appalling teams means nothing. I still believe that suffocating Cluxtons distribution and forcing Dublin to go down the middle will be the way to beat this Dublin team.

As a Kerry man I am more than happy to feed into the nonsense that Dublin have a new approach that makes them unbeatable, this new approach has been used in matches that basically were challenge matches and wouldn't even be considered National League standard. Its nonsense to suggets Dublin are better than previous years when they are playing these matches. Nobody doubts that Dublin have great footballers but that was never in question. What is in question is Dublins character, they threw in the towel last year when it was put up to them. When they dig deep and beat Kerry or Donegal then we will know they have character. Implementing new "approaches" against hshocking poor teams proves nothing.

Traleenative (Kerry) - Posts: 44 - 01/07/2015 13:42:46    1745996

A lot of Kerry fans making a lot of noise about Dublin

I wonder why?

:)

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 01/07/2015 13:49:41    1746000

Well it's a Dublin thread hardly gonna be discussing the Munster Final are we, just giving honest and fair opinions

KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts: 816 - 01/07/2015 14:01:16    1746005

No one else seems overly bothered....

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 01/07/2015 14:18:10    1746017

Honest and fair opinions ha, Pull the other one, you are fooling noone. :)

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 01/07/2015 14:21:51    1746023

There are lots of counties posters in this thread from what I've seen you've overreacted at 2 consecutive posts which just happened to be from Kerry(We do happen to be interested in Gaelic football)

Anyway, time to focus on Sunday and the mighty Rebels and stop worrying about the unstoppable blue juggernaut for now, we can do that if we lose Sunday

KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts: 816 - 01/07/2015 14:35:08    1746035

A lot of Kerry fans making a lot of noise about Dublin

I wonder why?

Sure Jimbo we're only doing our best to exercise the Ghost of Paidi and set ye up for a maroon ambush in two weeks. Up Westmeath!!!!

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 01/07/2015 14:48:40    1746043

KYTitletown
County: Kerry
Posts: 19

we will know they have character. Implementing new "approaches" against hshocking poor teams proves nothing

Calling this teams character into question? This is the same team that has one 2 All Irelands and 3 National League titles in the last few years beating your own county twice (in excellent fashion despite whatever excuses you've come up with). I think your barking up the wrong tree. But if it make you happY :-)

A

Aido69 (Dublin) - Posts: 381 - 01/07/2015 14:54:58    1746051

Aido69
County: Dublin
Posts: 292

???

I've clearly stated ye are favourites by an overwhelming margin, not sure what I did to upset you

Ye now have the best defence as well having the best set of forwards (ye're bench possibly having potentially the 2nd or 3rd best batch) It'll be practically impossible to game-plan against a team like that as Jim Mcg said in yesterdays IT

My only possible ? about ye is the sky high expectations but as you said yourself ye have 2 AI's and 3 NFL's in a row! which indicated that the Donegal game was a freak result as I've already mentioned in y earlier post.

KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts: 816 - 01/07/2015 15:08:00    1746060

KYTitletown
County: Kerry
Posts: 20

Oops! Apologies. That was meant for one of your fellow countymen (traleenative). Either way I hope we get a chance to meet up later in Summer for what should be an excellent match.
Aido

Aido69 (Dublin) - Posts: 381 - 01/07/2015 15:24:59    1746067

A lot of people dismissing and disrespecting the second best teams in Ulster and Munster it seems. Dublin buried Monaghan in Croke Park last year and did the same against them in Clones in the league. They also hammered Mayo in Castlebar and dismissed Cork by double scores in the NFL final. A lot of people would regard these teams as high quality regardless of the competition so I don't buy into the notion that Dublin won't know what hit them when they come out of Leinster. We heard that before the Monaghan game last year and we all know what happened there.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 01/07/2015 18:45:05    1746179