Larry thinks that Dublin are no world-beaters and that Cork can be every bit as good.
I don't know whether this is an attempt to goad Dublin or to instill belief in Cork.
I think he is putting a lot of pressure on Brian Cuthbert though.

Are Dublin good enough to retain Sam or is Larry right in saying that there is no air of invincibility about any team.


http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=208910

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 05/02/2014 21:09:44    1542028

Are Dublin good enough to retain Sam or is Larry right in saying that there is no air of invincibility about any team.

________________________



Every team is beatable, No such thing as an invincible team.

Larry has his opinion, He is entitled to it, But if i was Jim Gavin its this kind of stuff id be putting on the dressing room walls to keep the players focused on proving him wrong :)

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 05/02/2014 21:18:19    1542032

Tompkins is quite right.

Dublin are deserving champions but are by no means untouchable.

Kerry were right with them until the last minutes of the 2013 semi final & they only beat Mayo by one point in a poor final.

Top of the pile yes, invincible? No.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 05/02/2014 21:19:39    1542033

Everytime there's talk of a team being invincible, Kerry...Tyrone...Donegal...we quickly find that is not the case.

GetOverTheBar (Tyrone) - Posts: 1388 - 06/02/2014 08:10:16    1542056

no team is invincible. none. look at donegal last year, battered out the door by Mayo after everyone believing that they could not be beaten after winning 2012. only a fool would believe that a team is invincible.

bluedubstar (Dublin) - Posts: 835 - 06/02/2014 08:33:19    1542060

Whilst i'm far from confident we will retain Sam, I don't think Cork will this year. Love his arrogance though and I mean that. A good manager needs to drill it into his team that they are good enough. Even if they are not.

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 06/02/2014 09:10:23    1542068

No team is invincible
Every team is beatable
Dublin are vulnerable this year as defending champions
We could easily be beaten

tell you one thing tho.....it wont be by Cork

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 06/02/2014 09:21:14    1542070

At the end of the 2012 championship, a lot of sport writers were of the opinion That Donegal would be the team to beat in 2013 However that was not the case. Donegal looked so good in 2012 yet they were a spent forest in 2013. I don't think that will happen to Dublin. But I could see them getting beat in Leinster so if that happened going through the back door could make things awkward. They have massive potential as had a lot of teams before hand. I don't think this present Dublin team are a better team than Armagh in 2002/Tyrone 2005/2008 or Kerry around 2006/7. The biggest problem JG will have is keeping the whole panel happy. Competition for places will be intense and some players might not like sitting on the bench for too long. When you look back over the last 20 odd years the All Ireland champions struggled to retain the All Ireland Tyrone could not win back to back and a great team like Armagh just won 1 All Ireland Kerry did put back to back All Ireland's together but they also lost about four over the last 10/12 years
To be honest I think it will be August before Dublin get really tested, of course they have to stay free of injuries. Also S Cluxon has contributed big time to Dublin winning matches Take off what he kicked against Cork and there would have been nothing between the teams He also kicked a few in the AI what made all the difference in the end I don't think Dublin are a mile in front of the other few top teams

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 06/02/2014 09:22:31    1542071

He probably doesn't need to mention that Cork isn't a weak little county like Leitrim or Wicklow, that just offends people for no reason and it makes him sound cocky, regardless of whether he meant it or not. Apart from that however, he's spot on. A county with a pick like Cork have should always be reasonably confident that they can have a crack at an All Ireland. Dublin are a very good team but you wouldn't be describing them as one of the great teams of all time like the teams they and Kerry had in years gone by. They'll rightly be favourites again this year but Mayo, Cork, Tyrone, Kildare and possibly Kerry will have something to say about it. Reckon there could be one last kick out of that Donegal team aswell.

decky (Roscommon) - Posts: 384 - 06/02/2014 09:42:15    1542075

One would imagine that Dublin had been issuing press statements on the lines of "We are invincible."

Seemed to have missed that ..... Cork dod have a good chance if they play more adventurously and fin a few new players during the league. But I'd imagine that Cuthbert be cringing a bit at Tomkins statement!

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 06/02/2014 09:57:10    1542084

Ah well, Larry always has something to say about Cork the week they play Kildare. Just to make sure everyone realises he is now "from" Cork.

doublehop (Kildare) - Posts: 4172 - 06/02/2014 10:07:46    1542088

Dublin will IMO do back to back. But Meath will beat them in Leinster. At this time Leinster means more to Meath and they are totally focused on that. Dublin are focused on all ire but Meath have to get to final and that may not be as easy as was thought it would be.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 06/02/2014 10:17:04    1542093

And i'd be just as confident that Larry is talking through his rear end. We will retain Sam thats all that matters.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4898 - 06/02/2014 10:17:20    1542094

Of course not. This Dublin group are quite a streaky team. They have a lot of guys who can play great, or just as likely play noticeably badly. Plus they have a big reliance on the unusual abilities cluxton brings to the table. They also give a lot of frees away with over-exuberant tackling. I would say that on a bad day, if these things were to go against them they would be very beatable.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 06/02/2014 10:33:39    1542101

Can't see anyone beating us in this years championship but stranger things have happened.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 06/02/2014 10:42:19    1542106

clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 4531

1542106
Can't see anyone beating us in this years championship but stranger things have happened.

You won't really know until the AI Quarter final or Semi final stage. I remember back 2012 thinking Dublin would be ahead of everybody else, as they had a decent league campaign. They stormed through the Leinster Championship, but then against Laois in the All Ireland QF did they look to be shakey.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 06/02/2014 11:19:00    1542129

I think Cork were capable of being successful while playing football like Dublin, but a mixture of injuries, retirements and players moving abroad make me think that chance is over. I think they missed their chance while underachieving under Counihan.

On Dublin, of course we're beatable. We have some good players mixed with a bit of underage success and people think we're going to win 5 in a row. Our corner backs are still below par IMO and our midfield has been got at in the past. We have a fantastic team with lots of potential but no way are we unbeatable. I said last season if Mayo could repeat their performance against Donegal they would win the AI, and I still believe that. Dublin were flawed last season and hurt by direct, physical forwards plenty of times.

CaisleanCnucha (Dublin) - Posts: 1379 - 06/02/2014 11:22:23    1542131

Master like in an all Ireland final with only 13 fit players on the field for the last 15 minutes and a free count of 32 to 12 against them? Now if that isn't beatable I don't know what is.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 06/02/2014 11:22:23    1542132

There wouldn't be anything strange about it clondalkindub.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 06/02/2014 11:26:33    1542137

Gerrymc wouldn't say they stormed through Leinster in 12. They looked awesome v Louth and I was in Croke park for the semi and left not able to believe they had besting Wexford who were a lot better than them that day, but got serious dose of nerves as it dawned on them they were about to beat all ire champs. Missing frees that were harder to miss than score. Honestly they kicked that game away , litteraly . In final Meath conceded two soft goals within two minutes and ended up with a kick at end of match to draw game. Again a lack of belief seemed to be major cause for Meath. Apart from Louth game I think that was a very poor campaign for Dublin as a whole.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 06/02/2014 11:35:23    1542141