Yawn!.....Dublin can and will be beaten!
Second season syndrome but look out 2015!

Nobody can stop Kerry in 2014!

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 06/02/2014 12:14:50    1542159

hurlingdub
County: Dublin
Posts: 5746

1542084
One would imagine that Dublin had been issuing press statements on the lines of "We are invincible."

Hurling
I'd say Tompkins has been reading Clondalkin's press releases!!!

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 06/02/2014 12:16:06    1542160

Defending it has proved all but elusive in recent times but sooner or later someone will do it. I'd like to think we will give it a better shot this year than 2012 and at least get back to the AI series. Every team has weaknesses and we are no different, an injury to Cluxton, O'Sullivan or MDMA would put us in a precarious situation. At the moment backup is being provided in other areas and the likes of Costello, Lowdnes and George are very welcome but i don't see any short term replacement for the above 3 if they went through a prolonged period of absence.

seany16 (Dublin) - Posts: 1663 - 06/02/2014 12:23:24    1542164

Seany, i think losing COS would be a dreadful loss but we would absorb it, butm the other 2, Cluxton and MDMA, they dont play, we dont win Sam
I think its that simple
they are our two most imposrtant players bar none
Rory would be next in line.

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 06/02/2014 12:46:22    1542175

I think he is moving into that bracket Liam. I'm not convinced we would of beaten Kerry last year without his re-deployment and he was central to running the Mayo midfield ragged in the final. By adding score or two to his game these days he has become a key player in my opinion.

seany16 (Dublin) - Posts: 1663 - 06/02/2014 13:07:05    1542183

Dublin are unbeatable in 2014 the same way Donegal were unbeatable in 2013. its lazy journalism. both Dublin and Donegal won a few games by the kick of a ball. eventually you come out the wrong side of those results.

sugerloaf (Dublin) - Posts: 25 - 06/02/2014 13:07:28    1542184

are Dublin beatable yes , will cork beat us , well I would not be worried by what I saw v Westmeath thats for sure , I dont get the positivity towards Cork its as if the players lost were journey men ,
LT is entitled to his opinion and he could well be right , just dont think it will be those on the Lee doing the damage .

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 06/02/2014 13:36:23    1542194

Cluxton to me is the heart & soul of the Dublin team. That is not to say that there aren't many other fine player on the team, there are, but he is the one who encapsulates the spirit of the team. Add in to that his accuracy from the dead ball & he is nigh on irreplacable.

Funny enough our equivalent is not one of the big name players but Neil Gallagher. Everytime big Neil plays well the whole team moves up a gear & novenas are being said for Neil's good health in chez MuckrossHead every evening.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 06/02/2014 14:22:10    1542228

I think cork have savage potential weather or not they will realise that potential in 2014 will be up to the manager, I liked Conor cunihan as a player and a manager but I allways found him a bit negitive and paronoid as the latter, he allways seemed more worried bout what other teams were doing rather than going out and saying we are cork we will play to our strengths and we will beat ye playing our game. Now I know nothing bout cuthbert but he has good players that have won as much as Dublin at under age so he should be able to take a few big scalps this year if he is positive, I just hope we're not one of them.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 06/02/2014 14:37:30    1542245

I agree about Cluxton being the kingpin. Not only is he a top goalkeeper, but when on form you're pretty much guaranteed midfield dominance from our kickouts and a very accurate and cool headed long range free taker. Other guys like Brogan, Flynn and McCaffrey are fantastic but we have depth in those positions. I'd hold MDMA in a similar ilk to Cluxton as well, his work rate and ability to break tackles last season was outstanding especially towards the crucial stages of the season. COS is quickly becoming a start but I wouldn't say he's as important as the other 2, he can be a top class centre back but Brennan and Nolan will be there as backup, in midfield Bastick did a fine job as backup as well.

CaisleanCnucha (Dublin) - Posts: 1379 - 06/02/2014 14:48:46    1542253

As a Dub going into 2014 there are only 2 teams strike fear into my heart. Kerry and Donegal.
Thats it, no one else. If we dont win it, one of those 2 will, and to be honest I would rate Kerry a lot higher then Donegal.

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 06/02/2014 14:55:08    1542257

The main point he was making that Dublin are not invincible. That was obvious anyway. No team is invincible. He also simply stated that we should be confident and we should be. It is easy for people from Dublin to come along and say we are a poor team and we won't win when you are sitting on the lofty perch of being All-Ireland champions. From that vantage point anything but ultimate All-Ireland victory for Cork allows you to convince yourselves you are right while keeping the ability to ignore the circumstances of any potential defeat along the way.

Cork have it all to do. Nobody is under illusions here about what we have to do. We know though that we have the potential to be much better than we were last year. We have started well. We have won all our games thus far (can't do more than that regardless of who you are playing) and we have more games over the next few weeks. Let's see how we get on there. I am not going to brazenly predict that we will the All-Ireland. I don't know. However, we are competing to win it and we want to win it and if the players and management don't believe they can win it, they might as well pull out.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 06/02/2014 14:58:13    1542261

Larry is just giving his honest opinion. As one who starred for many years for Cork and also managed them (without success), I would respect his analysis.

He is not being disrespectful to Dublin; he knows they have good players and are well managed. I think his point is, simply, that at the end of the day, Dublin are only allowed 15 players on the pitch at the one time, like every other team. But Dublin have certain key players which they need to be in form if the team is to play well, overall. There is a counter tactic for every tactic used. Kerry are supposed to be a team with few top class players left, but they ran Dublin close last year, so no team is miles above all the others and every team - including Dublin - can be beaten on any given day. Other teams have a lot of good players, as well.

In the hurling, even Kilkenny at their mightiest, were not invulnerable. Their main difference to other contestants was that none of them were prepared to put in the work that Kilkenny did. Any lapses in concentration and work ethic and even the greatest teams and the best players leave themselves open to being defeated.

Midleton (Cork) - Posts: 646 - 06/02/2014 15:02:48    1542265

Sugerloaf

Spot on to be fair..

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 06/02/2014 16:03:03    1542305

Good old Larry, always good for a soundbite.

Cute_Kerry_Hoor (Kerry) - Posts: 2518 - 06/02/2014 16:13:20    1542311

Cute_Kerry_Hoor
County: Kerry
Posts: 2353

1542311
Good old Larry, always good for a soundbite.
_____

Culchie wants a sound bite...

Talk about Dublin.

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 06/02/2014 16:16:15    1542313

What's with the gratuitous use of the word "culchie" by the Dubs on this board all the time, like by jimbobdub above, what was that all about and why was it needed? There are a few choice slang words for Dubs, but they wouldn't be posted on here as they would cause uproar.

KeyserSoze (Cork) - Posts: 363 - 06/02/2014 16:30:47    1542331

Dublin sound bites. Sound Bites from Dublin.

jonno (Kildare) - Posts: 261 - 06/02/2014 16:34:47    1542337

Jasus i think this is a very funny reaction to Larry,

He is right. Dublin were top of a poor pile last year. The final was very poor and standard through out all the year was poor as well (cork most certainly included in that). A kerry team on the decline nearly caught them. If mayo had decided to play they could have beaten dublin. But no one did and at the final whistle sam belonged to Dublin. Regarding his comments i think Dublin, Mayo, Kerry ,Cork Tyrone and a number of others are in primed position for a shot at the title. And im really looking forward to an open championship. And please god a championship of decent standard.

The reality is the media contacted Larry not the other way around and he gave his opinion as only larry can do.Id imagine that Cork v Kildare this weekend prompted the call,

Regarding cuth's being under pressure i can think of no manager in the championship being under less pressure. loosing 7 high profile players in one sitting means if cork loose every game he will simply say they are rebuilding. Looking at cork so far the look good and as the team gels i expect them to get better.

I do find the reaction of dublin and the whole Dublin v everyone else kinda funny. Dublin have a good team and some fine players but if they dont follow up their 2011/2013 wins with a prominent championship season where they are a team to be feared like the Kerry / Tyrone teams in the last decade they will never reach status of greatness. They are champions that everyone wants a crack at and no one fears. You know you have reached greatness when teams fear playing you.

ritchie (Cork) - Posts: 346 - 06/02/2014 16:54:21    1542354

Dublin team is a very complete unit. they no longer rely on reputation or potential, all has been achieved and it is now up to the field to catch them. Dress it up whatever way you like, this is the reality. I think that any team can have a bad day. Dublin had one bad day last year, and it was in the final, which they won more handily than the score suggested. I think that in order to beat the likes of Connolly, MD McAuley et et etc you have got to have the same players, both on the bench as well as on the starting xv.

Teams that can compete will not include teams that are too old, have in and out form in the forwards, have not got the bench and are tactically naive or one dimensional.

Kerry almost sprung them last year, but the second half, dublin found their true form, any other team in the country, kerry would have gone in at half time about 9 points up. They did not, and that is the best example i can think of where the dublin team are at .


I feel this year will see tyrone challenge in a more meaningful way than they habe done in a long time. Kildare might do someting in leinster, while kerry and cork are always capable of progressing late in the year, for reasons that are equally to do with logistics than ability. anyone who is going to beat the dubs will have to have their scoring boots, running boots, and thinking boots on as well as being able to stop their attackers, midfielders and half backs run amok. I dont think cork have it

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3853 - 06/02/2014 17:11:55    1542365