NFL Division 1 2024

[Derryman forever]

Bit of an overreaction to Derry's 'win'... it was a draw fulltime and extra-time and Dublin won't be so pourous come championship. However I think that's Derry's full hand albeit impressive.

You think Dublin were not playing to win?

[Blowitupref]

There is much talk about the better players Dublin have to bring back in.
Fitsimmons , Mc Carthy, Mc Caffrey.
Which is all well and good, but what weak/poor players are being dropped to accommodate them?
When Dublin beat a 2nd team from Tyrone we were told that Dublin had no weak links at all.

Wouldn't call them weak/poor players but If all of Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons, Lee Gannon;Jack McCaffrey  James McCarthy,Paul Mannion, Cormac Costello are fit/in top shape then I would expect they'll replace Evan Comerford; Seán McMahon, Cian Murphy; Tom Lahiff; Ross McGarry, Killian McGinnis, and Niall Scully in the starting 15 from last Sunday.

And how much of an improvement is that.
Outside of Comerford I am not sure you are replacing worse with better


The great hype with Dublin last year and this, was that their great strength was in their depth.
They could bring on players of equal quality to what they were bringing off.
Derry's weakness was the diametric opposite of that. (With which I agree). But the performance of Derry's subs on Sunday would say that has already gone some way in being addressed.

Dublin wouldn't have won last years All Ireland without the return and influence to the team that Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons,James McCarthy,Paul Mannion brought. What worked last last year may not be repeated this summer and once the old guard retire where will Dublin be? arguably their senior success was in no small part to their successful U21 teams from 2010 to 2017.  Last three Dublin U20 teams didn't win Leinster in comparison.

Since Harte has arrived Derry have added strength in depth to their panel.

[Armagh18]

If they do win the ulster 1st seed. They be destined to met Dublin in a semi if they top the group qualifiers and win their quarter final. If they lost in Ulster and did draw in Kerry Dublin section in the qualifiers they might be better placed to avoid Dublin to the final If they managed to progress that far, food for thought.

maybe better to meet Dublin in a semi?

[Derryman forever]

There is much talk about the better players Dublin have to bring back in.
Fitsimmons , Mc Carthy, Mc Caffrey.
Which is all well and good, but what weak/poor players are being dropped to accommodate them?
When Dublin beat a 2nd team from Tyrone we were told that Dublin had no weak links at all.

Wouldn't call them weak/poor players but If all of Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons, Lee Gannon;Jack McCaffrey  James McCarthy,Paul Mannion, Cormac Costello are fit/in top shape then I would expect they'll replace Evan Comerford; Seán McMahon, Cian Murphy; Tom Lahiff; Ross McGarry, Killian McGinnis, and Niall Scully in the starting 15 from last Sunday.

And how much of an improvement is that.
Outside of Comerford I am not sure you are replacing worse with better


The great hype with Dublin last year and this, was that their great strength was in their depth.
They could bring on players of equal quality to what they were bringing off.
Derry's weakness was the diametric opposite of that. (With which I agree). But the performance of Derry's subs on Sunday would say that has already gone some way in being addressed.

Dublin wouldn't have won last years All Ireland without the return and influence to the team that Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons,James McCarthy,Paul Mannion brought. What worked last last year may not be repeated this summer and once the old guard retire where will Dublin be? arguably their senior success was in no small part to their successful U21 teams from 2010 to 2017.  Last three Dublin U20 teams didn't win Leinster in comparison.

Since Harte has arrived Derry have added strength in depth to their panel.

Big games are won in and on small margins.
A player only has to lose a very small percentage of their edge and suddenly they are back with the pack.
Dublin were not yards ahead of Monaghan or Kerry last year.

In Sunday papers last week. The article in the IMOS ( cant remember who the writer was) gave Derry no hope whatsoever. The oracle himself Pat Spillane wrote an article for publishing in the Sunday World I think, on the day of the NFL div 1 final . He mentioned only that Dublin were playing in it, he didn't even have enough respect to name who their opposition was.
I am quite sure this dismissive disdain for Derry and all Ulster teams will continue. And i am also very sure Mickey Harte and other Ulster coaches will make hay with it.

[HiMucker]

If they do win the ulster 1st seed. They be destined to met Dublin in a semi if they top the group qualifiers and win their quarter final. If they lost in Ulster and did draw in Kerry Dublin section in the qualifiers they might be better placed to avoid Dublin to the final If they managed to progress that far, food for thought.

My thoughts:
You might be able to manage to lose a game here or there.
But that will only make the management of winning them more problematic.
Try to win every game and you will lose the unwinnable  anyway

Trying to win every game isn't necessarily the best approach in the new system

There is a not a single team that won't be trying to win every single championship match they are involved in. This talk around peaking at the right time is getting a bit mental. It's far more to do with training load than matches. If it's impact injuries you are worried about, you are nearly as likely to sustain them in training as a match, given the intensity teams be going at it in training.

[marty34]

Spillane is a nobody nowadays but still a spoofer.  Long left behind by modern football.  His articles are very generic with little or no detail.

At least Colm O'Rourke took the reins of his native Meath.

[Jell 0 Biafra]

How Dublin escaped the mini-melee and the final melee after the goal in extra time with a single yellow card is bizarre.

No Derry players carded?

[Derryman forever]

How Dublin escaped the mini-melee and the final melee after the goal in extra time with a single yellow card is bizarre.

No Derry players carded?

 Connor Glass.

[Truthsayer]

Bit of an overreaction to Derry's 'win'... it was a draw fulltime and extra-time and Dublin won't be so pourous come championship. However I think that's Derry's full hand albeit impressive.

You think Dublin were not playing to win?

Not in the way they would a big championship game. Did you ever see their backline so loose? Could easily have conceeded six goals. I'd be very surprised if they are as pourous in June/July.

[joemamas]

I went off giving out about refs for lent and will stick with it. Like players, ref's will obviously make mistakes, that's the rub of the green. Hand on heart I don't think a ref ever goes out to go easier on one horse in a two horse race. It's always in my mind too that the ref, during any passage of play will most likely be viewing a passage of play from a different angle than myself.
We were a couple of rows back from the pitch, the speed and physicality of both sets of players was off the charts, pretty much no let up for 90+ mins

Was not there on Sunday, but that was also my initial reaction after being at the all-Ireland last year.

[joemamas]

If they do win the ulster 1st seed. They be destined to met Dublin in a semi if they top the group qualifiers and win their quarter final. If they lost in Ulster and did draw in Kerry Dublin section in the qualifiers they might be better placed to avoid Dublin to the final If they managed to progress that far, food for thought.

Not true. Semi-finals pairing are based on a draw, unless two of the four have met in the group stages, I.E Derry v Monaghan met in group stages in 2023, therefore no need for a draw for semis.

[inroundthesquare]

If they do win the ulster 1st seed. They be destined to met Dublin in a semi if they top the group qualifiers and win their quarter final. If they lost in Ulster and did draw in Kerry Dublin section in the qualifiers they might be better placed to avoid Dublin to the final If they managed to progress that far, food for thought.

Not true. Semi-finals pairing are based on a draw, unless two of the four have met in the group stages, I.E Derry v Monaghan met in group stages in 2023, therefore no need for a draw for semis.

There was still a draw last year iirc as Dublin v Derry, and Kerry v Monaghan would have been acceptable pairings.

[inroundthesquare]

Bit of an overreaction to Derry's 'win'... it was a draw fulltime and extra-time and Dublin won't be so pourous come championship. However I think that's Derry's full hand albeit impressive.

You think Dublin were not playing to win?

Not in the way they would a big championship game. Did you ever see their backline so loose? Could easily have conceeded six goals. I'd be very surprised if they are as pourous in June/July.

In fairness Kerry in the league could have had a couple more goals against Dublin, Clifford blasted a couple over and butchered another one wide.
Expect them to tighten up for Championship, only conceded one goal through the whole of the Round Robin & Knockout stages. Cluxton likely being back too will help.

[Captain Obvious]

Was no such talk in media about a penalty shootout not a fair way to settle a GAA match after Armagh lost 3 shootouts over past 2 years in the Championship however as soon as it's the Dubs who lost a league final in that manner the questions come out.

[marty34]

I think people have got on to penalties now. It's not an issue anymore.

Finishing the game on the day, after extra-time and penalties is fine.

It's hapoened a few times in big games now. Definately a lottery but good entertainment for all.

Everybody knows the drill now.