Where will the challengers going to come from for that Dublin team in the future.....The way I'm seeing is that Mayo are easily the second best team in the country at present but maybe time is closing in on whether that present team can win that elusive All Ireland...there are some great servants there getting older and have some mileage on the clock now. Munsters best hope is Kerry with some talent needed to bridge the substantial gap that's there..Cork did push Mayo earlier but are a bit of an enigma....Ulster will continue to be dominated by Tyrone Donegal and Monaghan. Leinster is providing tepid opposition to Dublin...maybe Kildare can make strides in the next few years....Meath don't seem to be going anywhere..In Connacht Galway and Roscommon are light years from making an All Ireland...so it would look like in 2018 Dublin will be firm favourites for Sam with only probably Mayo or Kerry that can genuinely challenge them as they roll through Leinster and through to an easy qf.

moros (Roscommon) - Posts: 1080 - 18/09/2017 20:39:44    2047688

Vishred (Mayo) - Posts: 303 - 18/09/2017 21:08:29    2047704

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 18/09/2017 21:16:34    2047717

kerry will challenge. But that is all. Nobody else is in the same stratosphere. So much so that interest in Gaelic football is on the slide big time. Game is dying in the normal counties.

Daith (Kildare) - Posts: 1171 - 18/09/2017 21:30:10    2047733

Kerry will dominate in a few years

hipster (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 18/09/2017 21:45:17    2047744

Mayo again, Dublin could run out of gas come the semis next year and Kerry could put us out. Very hard to keep the tank full to achieve the 4 in a row.

Marse (Dublin) - Posts: 217 - 18/09/2017 22:00:13    2047755

avonali (Dublin) - Posts: 1974 - 18/09/2017 22:02:58    2047758

mayotyroneman (Tyrone) - Posts: 1821 - 18/09/2017 22:04:48    2047761

I think from my own county's perspective we are clearly not as good as we looked after the league final, nor are we as bad as we looked after the Mayo replay. A better approach to strength and conditioning, a good defensive coaching team and a couple of younger legs around the middle and we may be able to compete soon enough. We have good forward talent which is a huge asset, and some very promising youngsters coming up. Mayo beat us well but they looked sharper and better prepared, if kerry address this I don't think the gap is that huge at all.

Mayo can keep going for another year or two at least with this team, Moran will be an impact sub you'd imagine, but there is nobody else in that starting lineup that can't start next year. They just won an U21 last year too which is promising.

Tyrone, who knows, they looked like a team on the up but they won't win an All Ireland again with a defensive approach like they took in the semi final. I'm not sure Harte can win another one to be honest.

Donegal, cork, Galway, Meath and kildare are all potentially good teams that can rise again with a bit of work and planning. Annual hammerings from Dublin are not doing the Leinster teams any good it must be said. I'm not sure what the answer is there.

At the end of the day Dublin can only put 15 on the field at any one time, same as everyone else. They will lose some day, although I can't ever see a situation where they are not genuine contenders again. I wouldn't be surprised if they overtake Kerry in AI wins during my lifetime. They have taken the advantages they always had and maximised them fully. It's an amazing transformation when you consider the shambolic setup they had not that long ago.

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 18/09/2017 22:04:49    2047762

as_ky (Kerry) - Posts: 535 - 18/09/2017 22:42:56    2047794

Kerry are not far away at all. Tactics cost them the replay. There's certainly only 3 teams up there at the minute though. Dublin were far from their best yesterday and Kerry could've got over the line if they were there
Dublin like Kilkenny won't dominate for ever despite how it looks at the minute

tiobraid (Tipperary) - Posts: 4119 - 18/09/2017 23:14:01    2047814

Ireland.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 19/09/2017 02:33:14    2047874

This professional Dublin team will remain in the top 3 pretty much forever unless the sport goes professional in future and 7/8 other teams get financially backed as such.

Who will challenge? Next year only kerry and mayo.

Apart from mayo I can't see anyone beating the dubs for another 2/3 years. By then the underage talent in kerry should have come through.

Cork have potential but they could take 5+ years.

Apart from that if Tyrone or Kildare and step it up a little bit they might challenge Dublin but would probably still fall short.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 19/09/2017 11:51:50    2047984

New York

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 19/09/2017 12:41:33    2048027

DUBJOHN (Dublin) - Posts: 932 - 19/09/2017 13:08:24    2048043

This is only silly. Ok so Leinster teams are in the doldurms. But its ridiculous to say no one can challenge dublin before a ball has even been kicked. Gang keep going on about dublin being professional . They arent paid so they are still Amateur !!!! What dublin are is organised / trained / supported. No details is left uncovered. They have a huge back room team that caters to every facet of the game. The footballers have it the hurlers dont simple as. The coaching and study is unreal. If cork kerry tyrone mayo or any team gets the same level of involvement then they can challenge. Kerry can challenge tyrone with a change in tactics can challenge mayo can challenge. Ill go out on a limb here. My own cork. If cork got them selves organised . Got a huge supporting back room team. Picked the best 30/35 players in the county based on the players merits then yes with time and support they could challenge and so could anyone else . And as we saw on sunday. Get 21 FIT / STRONG/ ATHLETIC players in any county and give them the level of support coaching and GO OUT TO PLAY DUBLIN NOT STOP THEM then there are teams to challenge dublin.

ritchie (Cork) - Posts: 346 - 19/09/2017 14:16:55    2048083

Mailman98 (Galway) - Posts: 319 - 19/09/2017 14:26:10    2048092

When Galway get a proper manager who kicks out complacency when they are favourites and fear when they are not they will be as well equipped as anyone to challenge. They have better forwards than most, especially Mayo, and now need to add steel at the back and in their heads.

Mailman98 (Galway) - Posts: 319 - 19/09/2017 14:32:39    2048097

#1 Challengers to be Mayo again. I hope Higgins & Moran give it another year. They've both been there since 2004 and it must take some serious soul searching to keep coming back year after year but there's no reason physically why they can't play on - they both should get all stars and Moran is a definite top 2/3 for POTY. You'd think his role may switch to impact sub but the question is do Mayo have anyone coming through to take his place in the first 15? Were there many standouts from the u-21 panel?

#2 Kerry can and will come good again. If Clifford stays in Ireland, I'd love to see him thrown in there next year. Apart from that, I read that Kerry used 70 players in those 4 minor wins - that's a pick of 70 young lads with all ireland winning experience to add 3-5 new faces to the squad. I just can't see how a county like Kerry won't utilise that in the coming years. They're definitely not as far off as that replay would suggest.

#3 Tyrone flattered to deceive this year. They were paralyzed with fear against Dublin and their game plan was just awful in that match. They will be good enough for a semi again but my gut feeling is that if they wanted to push on, they needed a change of management. That's not going to happen next season, and I just think Harte has taken them as far as he can.

There's a gap then to the next rung of teams - I really hope Kildare can push on again in 2018. They had a reasonably good year but the real disappointing result they had was the loss to Armagh, not the Leinster final. Anyway, hopefully a good league campaign in div.1 will set them up well for a better go at Dublin in Leinster. It might be another year or two before they are in a position to beat them though.

Galway have the forwards, just don't seem to have the backs at the moment.

Cork, Roscommon, Donegal, Tipp, Armagh & Monaghan are all a bit bit off this again I feel. Some of them could slide further down the pecking order (Donegal), others need to get their house in order (Cork & Rossies) if they're to improve and then the others may just simply be at their realistically best level.

iluvspuds (Longford) - Posts: 160 - 19/09/2017 15:11:43    2048116

poguemahone (Dublin) - Posts: 365 - 19/09/2017 15:24:08    2048123