Dublin v Cork - National League Final - 4pm throw-in

[Syferus]

Media nothing got to do with it.
Donegal beat Dublin last year because Donegal identified a weakness and it paid big time. They also got lucky and they could have been killed early.
Cork look a limited team. Hurley and O Neill make them seem scarier than they are and teams have learned how to deal with those 2 as well. I hear that Cork don't particularly like playin defensive. Well they'd want to get to like it cause their midfield isnt worth a shite and their defenders need all the help they can get.
Wouldn't rule out Kerry beating Dub later in the year. Best manager imo and may well have a better 15 by August/Sept. On the other hand Dublin are better defensively now.
As for the rest, I can't see any danger. Mayo, unfortunately, ran up the white flag when Horan walked away. It's between Kerry and Dublin.

You might be over-rating the contenders by one there Moy. Kerry did incredibly well to win the AI last year but they haven't the capacity Dublin have. Donegal might still be the stiffer test for Dublin too even if they aren't the second best team in the country.

[Rossie11]

Dublin looked great but as has been said in here and elsewhere Cork were so poor. I agree with some of the posters above its just the wrong time of year to play Dublin if you're in that bracket of the chasing pack . I'd swear Horan told his players last year to not give it 100% against Derry in semi final for this very reason.

In saying all that you still have to admire the Dubs , they are pure quality when on song . They've won two out of the last four SAMs and three league titles on the bounce . They could very possibly win Sam four out of the next five too. Realistic challengers to Dublin are getting weaker not stronger and that is going to be the worry .

Kerry, despite winning the all Ireland last year I still have my doubts about them, gooch and Walsh getting back to their best could determine how far they go.

Mayo, the general feeling is a provincial title would be a fantastic season.

Donegal, again you'd have to think they're just floating about q/f s/f max .

Cork, looked really bad today , no buzz about the football in that county at all Tis no wonder they don't win as much as you'd think they should.

I'm struggling to find a team that's going to stop Dublin , maybe it's a case of who can come up with a system to stop them in 15 . An Armagh or something like that in a q/f to burst their bubble would be a nice change.

So you have the best player in the country..
Ross are overhyped..
A win in salthill would now be seen as a "fantastic" season..

Jesus where's me violin..

[larryin89]

Dublin looked great but as has been said in here and elsewhere Cork were so poor. I agree with some of the posters above its just the wrong time of year to play Dublin if you're in that bracket of the chasing pack . I'd swear Horan told his players last year to not give it 100% against Derry in semi final for this very reason.

In saying all that you still have to admire the Dubs , they are pure quality when on song . They've won two out of the last four SAMs and three league titles on the bounce . They could very possibly win Sam four out of the next five too. Realistic challengers to Dublin are getting weaker not stronger and that is going to be the worry .

Kerry, despite winning the all Ireland last year I still have my doubts about them, gooch and Walsh getting back to their best could determine how far they go.

Mayo, the general feeling is a provincial title would be a fantastic season.

Donegal, again you'd have to think they're just floating about q/f s/f max .

Cork, looked really bad today , no buzz about the football in that county at all Tis no wonder they don't win as much as you'd think they should.

I'm struggling to find a team that's going to stop Dublin , maybe it's a case of who can come up with a system to stop them in 15 . An Armagh or something like that in a q/f to burst their bubble would be a nice change.

So you have the best player in the country..
Ross are overhyped..
A win in salthill would now be seen as a "fantastic" season..

Jesus where's me violin..

Well let me think ! Nope I don't have a clue where your violin is.

That is the general feeling in Mayo, not a prayer of landing the all Ireland but provincial might not be beyond them . I don't understand why you're shouting at me.

The general feeing is different than mine if that's what you're getting at , I think we will win the all Ireland and hammer Kerry in the final after a ding dong battle with the dubs in semi. But I am a bit of a mad Kunt.

[orangeman]

Jim Gavin says in his post match interview that Dublin need to improve for the championship.

God help everyone else if they do.

[BluestackBoy]

I'd say the double duvet style managers must feel well justified how they played against the Dubs.
A lot of people including myself bemoan the way football has gone lately but I'd much rather watch a tight nervy game with disciplined and tackling like Tyrone did to the Dubs this year than these open games where its all over by halftime.

The Dubs are an awesome attacking machine in their own backyard if you give them time and space to do so. Their biggest enemy now is the usual run of easy games to the quarter or semifinals.
Cork very disappointing today and lacked intensity. If Dublin don't get off to a flyer then it's not so easy for them to play that champagne football.
Congrats Dublin.

Eh? Sure Cork played a sweeper and got bodies back. It's a poor day for the GAA if the only thing teams can do to stay competitive is to haul everyone back. Dublin are a fine side and I hope they get success playing football properly but Cork should have done a lot better if they were confident in their players. Their problem was they played too defensively not that they didn't pay defensively enough.

If Cork were playing defensively then they would need to have a long hard look at themselves. On top of what they conceded yesterday they shipped 0-22 against a Donegal team in the middle of heavy training ahead of the Tyrone game. That is not defense as we would recognise it.
As for hauling everyone back, Dublin are at it now as well with their own "blue blanket". That is now how everyone plays the game. How a team turns from defense into all out blitz attack is what will separate the men from the boys & Dublin, having learned their lesson the hard way, are now masters of the art.
Long way till September though........ 

[BluestackBoy]

Jim Gavin says in his post match interview that Dublin need to improve for the championship.

God help everyone else if they do.

Jim Gavin is quite right.
Dublin swept all before them in the league & Leinster championship last year but when the chips were down they were found wanting.
There is nothing much between the top 3 or 4 teams in the country & on their day any of them can beat any of the others.
Gavin knows this right well & recognises that his team be can't complacent & plateau where they are now.
Yes, Dublin are out in front at the moment but there is a lot of football to be played yet this year.

[rosnarun]

Dublin can be  streaky team . if the get the run on you god help you, but tyrone,derry and even monaghan in the semi  showed they can at least be Stopped .
I think thats what cork tried to do yesterday but hadn't a clue how to go about it.
they would have been much better playing thier own game
Maybe cork will learn more from the match Than Dublin . or may be not...

[highorlow]

Dublin can be  streaky team . if the get the run on you god help you,

Aye, I think Connelly missed a sitter goal chance last year v Donegal. Had that gone in they were on their streak and were 6 or 7 ahead [I think].

Defence now starts in the FF line when the opposition have the ball, Cork forwards and management don't get that, they were ballwatching throughout. The amount of unchallenged kick outs yesterday by Cluxton was baffling and they had no plan to upset him. FFS to let SC do as he liked is an unforgivable and arrogant approach by Cuthbert and his management.

I'd say Gavin is rightly unhappy with his fullback line which were poor enough yesterday for the few minutes in the game where they had to do something, but then again it was a makeshift FB line.

You need to physically stop Dublin far up the field and attempt to turn the ball over and get them out of their comfort zone, otherwise they are allowed to play the game on their own terms which is relatively unbeatable with the forwards they have, their home pitch and the majority of the crowd with them.

[AZOffaly]

Dublin have always been a team that if they get a run on you, will murder you. You have to stay with them and then try to push for home when they start to tighten up if they haven't blown you away and expect to.

[naka]

Jim Gavin says in his post match interview that Dublin need to improve for the championship.

God help everyone else if they do.

what did you expect him to say

donegall would give them a proper match and monaghan weren't too far away in the semi final
Kerry will have a plan for them as well
I also think mc geeney would have plan for them

[Croí na hÉireann]

I'd say Gavin is rightly unhappy with his fullback line which were poor enough yesterday for the few minutes in the game where they had to do something, but then again it was a makeshift FB line.

Jonny Cooper was my MOTM and like you say they lost Rory O'Carroll early. They need him to have an injury free summer, no cover for him.

[Canalman]

Imo we are a way way better team with  Cian O'Sullivan playing in the backs.

Not his biggest fan in the past but I thought Ciaran Kilkenny was excellent on Sunday. My motm for what it was worth.

No other way of putting it I'm afraid but Cork were abysmal.

Glad to see the team genuinely happy about winning the league (and rightly so). Undeserved draw with Tyrone very important as things turned out.

Monaghan by the way are an excellent team from what I saw. They imo will be very dangerous later in the year.

[Wildweasel74]

McGeeney have a plan for them, seriously? Dublin would murder that Armagh team, as for Monaghan getting close to them, i look more at the championship result last year more, than a half out Dublin team in this years league semi!

[heffo]

McGeeney have a plan for them, seriously?

He was a great for having plans for us when he was with Kildare alright