All this league positivity talk and yet no thread for the final

[Jinxy]

League finals never felt right to me, to be honest.
Even when we were winning them.
I suppose it's nice to win one if you're not used to winning stuff in general.

[Crete Boom]

Mayo maybe depressed but Kerry are going about the business of challenging the Dubs rather than moaning about them. Kerry are winning minor All Irelands, club titles, Hogan cups and probably an U21 shortly. Perhaps it's time that other counties similar in size a resources to Kerry got on with it?

Mayo have won a minor title, U21 title, club title and school's All Ireland titles (Rice & Drummond) in the last five years so while Kerry are rising fast we are hardly just sitting in the corner crying about Paddy Macenaney!
I think we have challenged the Dubs at senior more than Kerry in the championship recently so a few lads on here moaning hardly equates to a county with less resources than Kerry or Dublin moaning??? When was the last time you heard a current or very recent Mayo player, coach or manager mention Dublin or Kerry resources/venues/refs/decisions etc...
We in Mayo all know our problem ie forwards and not producing them!!

[Crete Boom]

Mayo raise huge cash abroad as well and Donegal have done so too. There have always been differences in playing and financial resources and while Dublin are an exception in financial and playing numbers, Kerry are not. If Kerry can produce players that can compete with Dublin and win All Irelands why can't others?

Mayo should raise huge cash in the States especially but we don't and from the last New York trip came home with about €7000 whereas Kerry last raised in the region of €150,000 from a trip there. They also have smartly got the Kerry Group on board whereas we have a multinational that was started and owned by two huge Mayo fans that are not involved in any meaningful way with the county. Again like the forwards problem this is a something we need to solve and has nothing to do with Kerry or Dublin or even Meath!!

[Zulu]

Mayo raise huge cash abroad as well and Donegal have done so too. There have always been differences in playing and financial resources and while Dublin are an exception in financial and playing numbers, Kerry are not. If Kerry can produce players that can compete with Dublin and win All Irelands why can't others?

But the thing is they can't! Not at the moment!

Have Kerry not won the last 3 minor All Irelands? Sure Dublin haven't even made one since 2012. Kerry will be as strong if not stronger than Dublin in the next few years.

[didlyi]

League finals never felt right to me, to be honest.
Even when we were winning them.
I suppose it's nice to win one if you're not used to winning stuff in general.

Good point re league finals. I have always found them an anti climax unless 2 outsiders are involved.

[Rossfan]

If Monaghan and Donegal had made the final there'd be novelty value interest at least.
I think it's time to abandon League Finals but I suppose 40k at an average €25 a head........

[From the Bunker]

Mayo raise huge cash abroad as well and Donegal have done so too. There have always been differences in playing and financial resources and while Dublin are an exception in financial and playing numbers, Kerry are not. If Kerry can produce players that can compete with Dublin and win All Irelands why can't others?

But the thing is they can't! Not at the moment!

Have Kerry not won the last 3 minor All Irelands? Sure Dublin haven't even made one since 2012. Kerry will be as strong if not stronger than Dublin in the next few years.

Dublin have won 7 of the last 9 under 21 Leinster titles!
Dublin have won 4 of the last 8 Leinster Minor titles!
Dublin have won 9 of the last 12 Leinster Club titles!
Dublin have won 11 of the last 12 Leinster Senior titles!
Dublin have won 2 of the last 4 Senior Club AIs!
Dublin have won a Minor AI in 2012.
Dublin won under 21 AI in 2010, 2012, 2014
Dublin senior team has won 4 of the last 6 AIs!
Dublin have won the last 4 National Leagues!

This is a Tsunami of titles! Look how well Dublin fared 10 years plus and you will see the Change!

It's frightening.

[Zulu]

Most of that list only proves Dublin are the best team in Leinster which is irrelevant. The senior team are undoubtedly the best team in Ireland but the underage trend is not in their favour. Kerry are the growing force and importantly they are producing great young forwards. Dublin won't be languishing in division 3 anytime shortly but Kerry, at least, will be beating them soon.

[macdanger2]

Any teams named?

[From the Bunker]

Most of that list only proves Dublin are the best team in Leinster which is irrelevant. The senior team are undoubtedly the best team in Ireland but the underage trend is not in their favour. Kerry are the growing force and importantly they are producing great young forwards. Dublin won't be languishing in division 3 anytime shortly but Kerry, at least, will be beating them soon.

Most of that list proves that Dublin have been dominating Leinster for the last 10 plus years and that they have got a strong foothold in dominating the National stage the last 6 years or so.

Kerry (at the moment) are no where near that!

[Ball Hopper]

Any teams named?

Kerry:

1.   Brendan Kealy
   
2.   Fionn Fitzgerald (C)
3.   Mark Griffin
4.   Ronan Shanahan
   
5.   Peter Crowley
6.   Tadhg Morley
7.   Paul Murphy
   
8.   David Moran
9.   Anthony Maher
   
10.   Jonathan Lyne
11.   Michael Geaney
12.   Donnchadh Walsh
   
13.   Kevin McCarthy
14.   Paul Geaney
15.   Stephen O'Brien   


Fir Ionaid:
16.   Brian Kelly   
17.   Jack Barry   
18.   Barry John Keane   
19.   Jack Savage   
20.   Bryan Sheehan
21.   Darran O'Sullivan
22.   Adrian Spillane   
23.   Gavin Crowley   
24.   Denis Daly   
25.   Cathal Ó Lúing   
26.   Kieran Donaghy   
27.   Conor Keane   

[Lar Naparka]

As  I see it, the jackeens vs the culchies is all right for a bit of pub talk and some waffle on internet forums (fora?) but Dublin's dominance on the field  right now isn't my biggest concern. I think Jim Gavin is a good manager and a very nice chap and he's only making the best of what he has at his disposal, as any manager worth his salt would do.
But there are socio-economic forces at work that will propel Dublin further and farther away from the chasing pack and that can't be good for Dublin and for the whole of culchie land.
Rural communities along the western seaboard are being decimated by the drift of people from the land to the towns and cities along the eastern coast. That's a fact of life and it's tearing the heart out of towns and villages in Mayo, Galway and every other with its arse to the Atlantic. Anyone who takes a walk around Ballinrobe or Kiltimagh or other small towns in Mayo on any night will find pubs shut down and shops that were shuttered a few years ago.
The arrival of multinational supermarkets on the scene has given the kibosh to small shops that served as social centres, just as blacksmiths' forges did in previous generations. THe GAA is in serious trouble, at least in the short to medium term as the young , fit and ambitious are packing up in greater numbers than ever before.
You have assloads of clubs in Dublin that have no room for new members while you have the likes of Parke-Keelouges- Crimlin trying to survive in Mayo. (Where did the three names come from? Go figure....)
Dublin can only get bigger and better and further ahead of the rest, there is no other logical alternative. But the percentage of the population of those who engage actively in GAA affairs is decreasing. I mentioned Erin's Isle before- a middling-sized club with a catchment  area with the same population as County Cavan. One club to represent over 72,000 people!  And that's only one example.
Not good for the future of the GAA.
Believe me, there may be is trouble ahead!

[Farrandeelin]

Well said Lar. Also the amount of underage amalgamations in Mayo is frightening. As mentioned by.others, a clear longterm programme has to be planned and well thought out.

[macdanger2]

Any teams named?

Kerry:

1.   Brendan Kealy
   
2.   Fionn Fitzgerald (C)
3.   Mark Griffin
4.   Ronan Shanahan
   
5.   Peter Crowley
6.   Tadhg Morley
7.   Paul Murphy
   
8.   David Moran
9.   Anthony Maher
   
10.   Jonathan Lyne
11.   Michael Geaney
12.   Donnchadh Walsh
   
13.   Kevin McCarthy
14.   Paul Geaney
15.   Stephen O'Brien   


Fir Ionaid:
16.   Brian Kelly   
17.   Jack Barry   
18.   Barry John Keane   
19.   Jack Savage   
20.   Bryan Sheehan
21.   Darran O'Sullivan
22.   Adrian Spillane   
23.   Gavin Crowley   
24.   Denis Daly   
25.   Cathal Ó Lúing   
26.   Kieran Donaghy   
27.   Conor Keane

Cheers

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

The (over) familiarity of a foregone conclusion it would seem, alas (the lack of hype), though I would hope that Kerry can actually put a decent shift in here, and maybe even nick it. Though they'll need to be 6 points or more ahead heading into the final ten minutes for that eventuality to actually materialise I'd say.

Not the Dubs' fault, that this monotony threatens, but that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be addressed.