The Kerry teams of the noughties won many All Irelands but always had their character questioned because they could not deal with Tyrone. Its the same for the Dubs, they fell apart last year when it was put up to them, until they beat Kerry or Donegal this year and win the All Ireland proving that was year was a blip I do think its a legitimate point of view to question the character of the team,

Traleenative (Kerry) - Posts: 44 - 01/07/2015 19:12:09    1746195

why are you ignoring the league semi joxer?...monaghan did ok that day and could have came out with the win..it seems you are only making points to suit your own argument..to compare dublins situation with antrim is just laughable..cork and galway are 2 hugely successful counties in both codes...population isnt everything but lets not pretend it doesnt play a huge role...kerry and mayo arent exactly small counties either......the arguments on here have gone so boring beyond belief its just tiring at this stage....it really insults peoples intelligence when you compare the population issues counties like longford and leitrim have and then you compare antrim with dublin which ignores every context possible...it just shows a bias or fanboy attitude to not concede that your team has huge advantages over a great deal of counties....football has been completely dominated by the counties with the bigger populations....monaghan are carrying the flag for the smaller counties at the minute but i feel they have peaked and just dont have the depth or resources of the bigger sides

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 01/07/2015 19:21:34    1746202

Would be funny if Cork won on Sunday !

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 01/07/2015 19:27:25    1746211

fabio8
County: USA
Posts: 2011

1746202
why are you ignoring the league semi joxer?...monaghan did ok that day and could have came out with the win..it seems you are only making points to suit your own argument..to compare dublins situation with antrim is just laughable..cork and galway are 2 hugely successful counties in both codes...population isnt everything but lets not pretend it doesnt play a huge role...kerry and mayo arent exactly small counties either......the arguments on here have gone so boring beyond belief its just tiring at this stage....it really insults peoples intelligence.....

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Agreed, people are willing to raise the population argument in the context of Dublin's 'success', 3 AIs in 32 years, but ignore it when it comes to other provinces. I find that very amusing and being honest you're right it is downright boring at this stage. It's as though Dublin suddenly expanded by a million people overnight. Where has this 'huge' advantage been for the last 32 years? As for making comparisons to suit my own argument. Isn't that the point of debate?

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 01/07/2015 20:06:05    1746224

Kerry has the 14th highest population and the oldest average age in the country, so the idea that Kerry has a big population to pick from is a myth. Geographical yes Population no

KYTitletown (Kerry) - Posts: 816 - 01/07/2015 20:31:17    1746233

KYTitletown
County: Kerry
Posts: 21

1746233
Kerry has the 14th highest population and the oldest average age in the country, so the idea that Kerry has a big population to pick from is a myth. Geographical yes Population no

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Agreed. Population = success myth busted. Too simplistic, many more demographic, cultural and even parochial factors at play. Watched the programme on Paidi last night. You can see why Kerry have been so successful over the years. They eat, sleep and breathe football down there as Kilkenny do with hurling. If each had half the population I still think they would have been as successful.

Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4700 - 01/07/2015 21:39:07    1746263

Traleenative
County: Kerry
Posts: 34

1746195
The Kerry teams of the noughties won many All Irelands but always had their character questioned because they could not deal with Tyrone. Its the same for the Dubs, they fell apart last year when it was put up to them, until they beat Kerry or Donegal this year and win the All Ireland proving that was year was a blip I do think its a legitimate point of view to question the character of the team,

Kerry met Tyrone 3 ties in the noughties and lost all 3 games ,obviously questions were asked .
We have beaten ye 2 times in this decade so i think it is ye who are under pressure not to allow it become 3.
I wouldnt question the character of that Kerry team they were serious footballers in the noughties , just unlucky that a very good Tyrone side were around also .
How good are Dublin , i think very good . We went well behind in 2 AllIreland Finals and won them both, 3 leagues also.
Last year we were beaten by a more focused Team ,who played the game of their lives and deserved to beat us , it actually could of been more. this year we are better at the back ,but still we leave gaps at the back because of our attacking game plan .
Donegal , Mayo or Kerry could easily on the day exploit this.
We can only use league games against Teams who were experimenting at the moment to judge our level.
So jury still out for me if we are any better than last year.
Hopeful that lessons are learned from last year .

AthCliath (Dublin) - Posts: 4347 - 02/07/2015 08:16:32    1746280

Joxer
Agreed. Population = success myth busted. Too simplistic, many more demographic, cultural and even parochial factors at play. Watched the programme on Paidi last night. You can see why Kerry have been so successful over the years. They eat, sleep and breathe football down there as Kilkenny do with hurling. If each had half the population I still think they would have been as successful.

Sorry but the above is what is simplistic. Population has the potential to be a massive factor in success, saying otherwise is crazy. In your above example of Kerry; yes they have a very strong football culture, and the same goes for Kilkenny in the hurling - now imagine what it would be like down there if they had 1.3 million people on top of that. How many all Irelands would they have then? Similarly, if they only had 10,000 people - they would have far less all Irelands, and all the football/hurling culture in the world wouldn't change that.

That is the thing people keep ignoring - Dublin have developed their own culture around football over the last 10 years. They have lads turning down aussie rules contracts to stay and play for Dublin, that isn't even happening in Kerry these days. That, combined with the huge numbers and funding available has become something that is out of kilter with the rest of the teams in the competition. In the past, that culture wasn't there in dublin, so the difference in resources was manageable. Now it is there. What you are saying is the equivalent of adding 1 million extra kerrymen and trying to pretend it wouldnt make a difference. Of course it would.

The problem with this is people assume that everyone just wants Dublin out of contention, so their own team can win. That is too simplistic, and not accurate. When Dublin weren't anywhere to be seen, mayo weren't winning anyway. It is about what is best for the gaa. Functionally, what has occurred is Dublin have expanded their boundaries - not out the way, but up. They could easily field two county teams (probably more if they really went for it), capable of competing at, and probably winning at the elite level. I believe that this is the key to making the gaa great again. I also believe, that left alone, it could potentially ruin the gaa.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 02/07/2015 09:56:51    1746310

unless Dublin win their semi-final and final by about 20 points then there is no grounds for fearing the end is nigh.

Dublin,Kerry,mayo and Donegal (and possibly Cork and Monaghan will provide plenty of entertainment and close high-quality games this summer. just as the top teams have always done. (actually in the past there have been some mis-matches at semi-final and final level due to the straight knockout nature of the championship . Nowadays , because of the back door , you are more likely to see the best 4 teams in the country end up in the semi-finals. The complete mis-matches occur earlier on in the competition.

Dublin have not hockeyed any of the top teams in the latter stages of the all-ireland series in recent years so what is the problem.
let them have their day in the sun. Kerry have won 4-in-a-row in the past and so have Wexford I believe

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 02/07/2015 11:16:21    1746374

Ah lads this population stuff is well overplayed. Its a factor but not the most relevant one.

Look at Kildare on Sunday, I'm still disgusted by them and I was only at the match out of curiosity (and the fact the girlfriend is from there). Can you honestly say Dublin's population, the number of clubs, the sponsorship money is really an excuse for a proper footballing county like Kildare to lose by 19 points, 19 for God sake!

It's just as well they wear white, because it suits their character at the moment. I'm sorry if I am being harsh but that was a spineless, cowardly display. To go into a stadium of 50,000 and play like that, they should be ashamed to walk the streets for the rest of the summer. No belief, no courage, no leadership, no defiance. It was the same with Longford, you have to wonder why do they bother putting in all the work and training if all they can do is play like a Junior B side when it counts.

No team, certainly not a Division 2 one, should be 19 points worse than any other in Ireland. That's down to their own failings and not the greatness of the opposition.

People go on about the Munster championship but I tell you the likes of Clare, Tipp and Limerick in modern times don't go down to beatings like that. They are tough and physical and stay with you for most of the game, before failing away in the last 10-20 minutes when the Kerry's and Cork's manage to run up the scores. At least they go out and throw everything they have at it.

There's no shame in losing to a better team as long as you have given it everything. Kiladre gave up after 5 minutes and spent the rest of the game hiding in their shell. I hope Offaly dump them out next Saturday.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 02/07/2015 11:28:43    1746382

Dublin are beatable, but a lot has to go very wrong for them on a matchday the same way that everything has to go right for their opposition.

Couple this with the fact that Mayo and Donegal are the only 2 teams in the last 5 seasons who have beaten them, and you see how hard it is to do it.

Fab to watch them, and a yardstick for the field to up their game.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 02/07/2015 11:40:55    1746387

Dublin are a quality outfit and I do think they will be hard stopped this year. No doubt they will have taken lessons from last year. I would strongly fancy them to win the All-Ireland. That is not to say they are unbeatable but they wont really face a test until the semi-final I would imagine and Mayo, Kerry or Donegal could beat them on their day.

I wouldn't be getting away about Dublin dominating football just yet. They won both the 2011 and 2013 finals by a solitary point. Donegal won 2012 by 4 and Kerry 2014 with 3 to spare. When Dublin start to win semis and finals by double digit margins then we have a problem.

DL4SAM (Donegal) - Posts: 19 - 02/07/2015 11:43:56    1746392

This is the thing. Leinster's standards have fallen so far back it's sad at this stage. For me, there is absolutely no excuse for the likes of Meath and Kildare not being able to give Dublin more of a challenge. Granted Dublin probably have better players in a number of positions but this is cyclical I feel. A peak Johnny Doyle, Dermot Early or a Glenn Ryan would make that current Dublin team in my opinion. But what's not excusable is the lack of fight and fitness evident from both Meath and Kildare the other day. Some of the Meath boys looked knackered in the second half when Westmeath got going. If you don't have the players to combat Dublin in a footballing sense then you damn sure need to better/match them in other facets of the game. Dublin are in tremendous shape physically but that is down to hard work on the training field and the gym. Why can't other counties match them in these stakes?

As we saw last summer, Dublin can be got at tactically. You may not beat them but at least save yourselves the indignity of a 20 point walloping year after year.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9141 - 02/07/2015 12:30:43    1746422

Being realistic no there not in horse racing terms they have a stone in hand,far superior to any team in ireland

monkstownrebel1 (Cork) - Posts: 351 - 02/07/2015 12:40:48    1746435

Yes, this is the worst Dublin team in living memory

JackoDub (Dublin) - Posts: 458 - 02/07/2015 12:49:59    1746439

you can't judge Dublin on leinster, yes they'll be favourites but I would give mayo, Kerry and Donegal a chance of beating them, they are not all Ireland champs, they were beaten last year.........out the gate.

switec (Kildare) - Posts: 525 - 02/07/2015 13:07:57    1746452

monkstownrebel1
County: Cork
Posts: 325

1746435
Being realistic no there not in horse racing terms they have a stone in hand,far superior to any team in ireland



Ya wha???

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8592 - 02/07/2015 13:12:31    1746455

Dubln do not have a centrefield like Kerry, when you consider Anthony Maher,David Moran and Bryan Sheehan, Kerry also have good forwards.
Dublin have great forwards and their backs seem to have improved from last year, Johhnie Cooper looks really good and Jack McCaffrey seems to be realising the promise he had shown in the early part of 2013, Cian O'Sullivan will further strengthen the backs,if he is played there. Dublin will miss O'Gara as an option this year. On the basis of last years semi-finals, Dublin are coming into this years championship ranked fourth.I think this years championship is quite open.

fainleog (Limerick) - Posts: 598 - 02/07/2015 13:44:48    1746466

At this moment in time Dublin look to be the best team in the country.

The problem is that Dublin look to be the best team in the country every year in early July, they set their stall out early & then other teams have the summer to try & figure out a way past it.

Donegal managed it last year & I'm sure someone will have a good rattle at it this year as well.

If I'm looking for encouragement I would still say that Dublin's defence is not watertight. It has improved certainly but Jim Gavin is not defensively minded & they could be got at. Whether they have a plan B when things are careering out of control is open to question as well. Last year a lot of big names simply went missing when the going got tough. Whether these guys will have grown a pair since will not be evident until someone puts it up to them.

They are a great side & are better than last year, but there is still enough there for opposing teams to work on.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 02/07/2015 14:03:25    1746478

My point realdub is there is nobody anywhere near dublin,They are a truly awesome outfit I see people putting up kerry donegal and mayo to beat them. all good teams but not in dublins class yes donegal beat them last year that's why I don't see them beating them this year imo kerry or mayo not good enough although its a brave man that writes kerry off only my opinion realdub

monkstownrebel1 (Cork) - Posts: 351 - 02/07/2015 14:15:55    1746483