http://hoganstand.com/Dublin/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=252826

The great John O'Leary has called out the likes of Meath Kildare + Offaly for their demise and he's dead right.

Blaming us for your ills is unfair and laughable, we raised the bar it's up to ye to raise your standards and give us proper games rather than the boring procession it has been for the last 5 years in front of dwindling attendances. Its very sad and concerning

When Munster rugby we're winning European Cups it forced Leinster to up their game which to their credit they did.

Just look at Connacht rugby now, why cant other Leinster teams at least give us a decent game?

BlueGolconda (Dublin) - Posts: 39 - 31/03/2016 13:59:05    1839645

Kildare is a a county that has no excuse. Huge population, bigger than most counties. A rich county at that and a big support base.
There should be no reason, providing work is put in at underage and coaching why the likes of Kildare should not challenge most years.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11243 - 31/03/2016 14:07:32    1839649

Should be a good year for kildare winning division 3 and leinster u21 championship. Throw in their 2 midfielders have given up professional sports to play for their county

JimmyFloyd (Wexford) - Posts: 50 - 31/03/2016 14:22:20    1839663

Thanks for the priceless advice John, we'll get right on that.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 31/03/2016 14:26:19    1839666

The thing is, if you were a young lad in one of these counties, and you seen the state of affairs in the gaa, would you be willing to undertake putting in the amount of time and effort that would be required to do this? I mean it is maybe 15 years of your life you are talking about here to go from development squad to seasoned senior player. It is a serious undertaking.
That was always going to be the problem down the line, the imbalance has gone beyond the point of it being a challenge that people might relish as an underdog, to what for all intents and purposes looks like a fools errand and a mugs game.

Personally I can't really blame them. O'Leary sounds a bit like the young lad who, because he owns the football and the pitch is at his house, keeps changing things to allow him to win all the time, and then starts giving out when nobody bothers playing with him any more.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 31/03/2016 14:37:52    1839670

All I see The Master are a bunch of excuses

We have very smart people running Dublin GAA why should they be punished for creating excellent structures that has produced many great young players. The likes of Meath & Kildare have to create proper structures and be progressive and not try and limit and stifle the great Dublin program of excellence.

BlueGolconda (Dublin) - Posts: 39 - 31/03/2016 14:46:04    1839676

Kildares last All-Ireland was 80 years ago roughly.Apart from Micko's time with the team,they have never really been up there.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 31/03/2016 14:54:57    1839680

Kildare obviously have good structures in place,it will take time for them to get there at senior,but the structures are there.I don't want to take about Meath because I am sick of repeating the same things.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 31/03/2016 14:58:05    1839684

BlueGolconda (Dublin)
We certainly will be trying to stifle ye on Saturday in Navan in the U21 Final. Our structures can't be to far off Dublin with two Leinster minor and one U21 championships in recent years.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 2992 - 31/03/2016 14:59:31    1839685

I don't see excuses, I just see a grim reality.

It isn't about structures, it is about balance. How did Dublin put those structures in place? With gaa and sports council funds. Sure how is that fair ffs? The bottom line is, an unfair system turns people off and it always will. Dublin is a de facto province competing as a county. The gaa funding them in the manner they have only compounds that problem and now it has gone beyond the point where people can be bothered to take on the challenge. And all for what? GAA greed.

Fewer and fewer youngsters are willing to spend their time on something where they know they cant get anything out of, and in fairness, can you blame them for that? To be frank about it, who is John O'Leary or anyone else to be telling them what to do with their lives?

And before you say it, Im not blaming Dublin, Im simply pointing out why things are the way they are.

The reality is when the gaa decided to intervene and push gaa in Dublin, they should have expanded their plan and put in place legislation around funds sharing etc. They didn't and now they have created this mess.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 31/03/2016 15:08:21    1839692

Dublin put the right structures in place which didn't happen overnight and it took years to bear fruit but they got their house in order after being so poor at underage level for so long that in the last 5 years we have seen the big success that has happened at minor, under 21 and senior level now. Meath and Kildare used to regularly compete against and beat Dublin in the 80's/90's when Dublin were competing for All Ireland's still (well before the barren times happened before 2011) Kildare do seem to be getting their house in order at underage level.

Dubsfan28 (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 31/03/2016 15:10:53    1839694

The master you'll have to be a bit more specific in your last post! Who in Dublin Gaa is to blame for the current imbalance in leinster and more to the point why are they to blame? It seems to me that the only thing that the Dublin Gaa command have done is try to run a good organisation, if that was their objective, then mission accomplished! As per usual you are derogatory towards Dublin once again! It really must be terrible to be that bitter towards other people who's only wrongdoing (in your eyes) was to be hugely successful! Like I've said before that bitterness and resentment only serves to make our victories all the sweeter!

DUBJOHN (Dublin) - Posts: 932 - 31/03/2016 15:14:04    1839697

@ Htaem
Maybe you should get on that alright buddy, O'learys advice should be heeded because by the looks of things over the last few years there's no-one in the Royal county coming up with the answers to arrest your current slide into oblivion! How sad that must be for the likes of Sean boylan and the great players that played for him, I'd say they're mortified at the efforts of the current group of players turning out for the royals!

DUBJOHN (Dublin) - Posts: 932 - 31/03/2016 15:21:48    1839702

Begrudgery is alive and well.

BlueGolconda (Dublin) - Posts: 39 - 31/03/2016 15:24:05    1839704

All the supposed 'advantages' (or excuses as I call them) are all in your head, lads

BlueGolconda (Dublin) - Posts: 39 - 31/03/2016 15:25:29    1839706

That word 'structures' getting used again. The buzz word people use when discussing why a certain county or counties isn't cutting the mustard.

Can someone explain to me what 'structure' means, what needs to be put in place in Leinster counties, how much it will cost, length of time it will take, barriers to implementation and why no one thought of the previous before?

RoyalBadger (Meath) - Posts: 571 - 31/03/2016 15:29:31    1839707

Dublin put the right structures in place which didn't happen overnight and it took years to bear fruit but they got their house in order
Dubsfan28

Can you not see how they managed to fund getting their house in order though? Gaa money and sports council money. Money nobody else was given. The issue isn't that they have the structures in place, the issue is everyone else funded that happening and it isn't getting done for anyone else, let alone everyone else. Patting yourself on the back for putting structures in place doesn't change that Im afraid.


The master you'll have to be a bit more specific in your last post! Who in Dublin Gaa is to blame for the current imbalance in leinster and more to the point why are they to blame? It seems to me that the only thing that the Dublin Gaa command have done is try to run a good organisation, if that was their objective, then mission accomplished! As per usual you are derogatory towards Dublin once again! It really must be terrible to be that bitter towards other people who's only wrongdoing (in your eyes) was to be hugely successful! Like I've said before that bitterness and resentment only serves to make our victories all the sweeter!
DUBJOHN

I was actually very specific on that point - I didn't blame Dublin at all. Neither was I derogatory towards them. This is just rhetoric to deflect from the genuine point I have made. The only ones Im bitter towards are the gaa, who sold out the game completely with their actions aimed at milking you lads for all you are worth.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 31/03/2016 15:36:34    1839712

Can we not just have a very good team right now and Meath and Kildare don't? Are posters saying Jack McCaffrey whose dad played for Dublin wouldn't be playing now if we didn't have structures? The Brogans Flynn Connolly Bastic Cluxton have been on Dublin teams that got hammered over the years but then we got aload a young lads who have a gaa blood in them came along at the same time; James McCarthy's dad played for Dublin dean rock the same Kilkenny has famous Galway cousins the Purcells Cian O Sullivan's parents are from Kerry fentons da is a kerryman can we not just have a very good team. Like is it structures that has the O Shea's playing for Mayo ? We just happen to have a great senior team right now and posters look at everything and think Jesus look at all they have no wonder there so good

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 31/03/2016 15:37:45    1839713

Per capita, Meath are getting €0.24 and Kildare are getting €0.20 for every €1.00 Dublin are getting (http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/unease-as-dublin-s-blue-wave-threatens-to-engulf-gaa-1.2519956).

Money isn't everything but it certainly makes it a lot easier to put "good structures" in place.

Speaking from a Kildare pov we're probably doing well to be as competitive as have been recently against Dublin at underage level. Senior level is obviously a completely different story but hopefully things will pick up again with O'Neill at the helm.

beir_bua (Kildare) - Posts: 746 - 31/03/2016 15:45:13    1839717

Can we not just have a very good team right now and Meath and Kildare don't?

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts:7262 - 31/03/2016 15:37:45 1839713

The answer to that question is no.

When the inevitable happens and this current Dublin team has won all it's going to win then the giving out will abate. Who knows, this Dublin team's period of dominance may be already at an end, they might have all the All-Ireland's won that they're going to win. That's sport.

As long as Dublin are successful they will be those that begrudge that success, no matter what structures are in place in the GAA that will always be the case. When the success is over the giving out will end and only resurface if the good times come again. It's inevitable.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13719 - 31/03/2016 15:50:50    1839719