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[The next 5 Leinsters is being optimistic]

The next 5 Leinsters is being optimistic, I can't see anyone challenging in the next 10. Only Kildare have been competitive at underage level and there isn't a hope of that transferring to senior level with the gap in resources. Cian O'Neill would need to be the greatest manager in the history of the GAA to manage Kildare to win a Leinster.

Laughed when i seen that! Yeah, pretty depressing stuff if you are county in the Leinster Championship. County Reps in the Leinster council have to get their act together as to looking for home venues or at least neutral venues for Championship games. To much plámásing to the Dubs for the last decade!

8 years on from hope and change. He could never be as transformational as the media portrayal. What do you think of his 8 years ?

He was portrayed as a radical type character. Big business America would never allow such a character get the highest office. America needed a President with an up beat message after Bush jr. Obama on appearance made America look less aggressive.

[Other counties just ask how much can we whinge.]

I think even some of the Dubs are questioning it at this stage. What's the point in winning things if you haven't earned it? I wonder do supporters of teams in other sports question the validity of things they won? Like the soccer clubs with billionaires backing them or rugby teams with similar financial backing. I suppose the opportunity for other teams to do similar is possible in those sports but not in the GAA world. In fact, is there any example of another team that gets bankrolled by the actual governing body of a sport like we see with Dublin? It's crazy when you think about it.

We've earned all out titles. 

We bankroll a lot of Clubhouses and pitches as well

None of you complain about that.

Other counties simply took their eye off the ball

You've bought your titles.

The clubhouses could have been paid for with the millions given to Dublin GAA.

Other counties are still amateur while Dublin are professional.

We won through hard work. You should try it an odd time. You might achieve something

We're not apologising for being the best

Even when Kildare have a 50% percent better u21 team they still can't beat us.

What can we do to get better is the question we ask ourselves.

Other counties just ask how much can we whinge.

A couple of Million since you ask how much!

Hey, of course Dublin GAA works hard. There is no doubt about that. You can't get to where you are without work. They have a above decent team (and getting better each year). They have huge advantages, in that all because of economics all their players are based in the Capital. Work is made a available to suit their lifestyle, PR representatives, Work schemes, College, and all of this local. They travel little or nothing from April to September for games, in fact they don't travel at all. All home games in the familiar surrounding of Croke Park. Their own Dressing room, their own warm up area and all getting to sleep in their own beds the night before the game. There is no worry of support. Dublin supporters can get up in the afternoon get the dart, bus, luas to the game. So the cost factor in time and money is little. This means bigger support.

Now we come down to the support network. The backroom team. This is where things can get crazy! Individual Caterers, different coaches, drivers, Medics, Solicitors, Video analysists etc. Some that are hands on for most of the year, some who pop in and out as they are needed. All (you'd expect) are very good at what they do and all (you'd expect) cost a lot of money for their expertise. Many of the chasing bunch will have same amount (if lucky) of backroom experts and support, but on a smaller cost (and often lesser expertise).

On the development level. Huge grants far out weigh anything going to any other counties. Biggest amount of full time coaches. This leads to proper development of young players.

Sponsorship is a bottomless pit of tenders. County Sponsors, Team Sponsors, Training Sponsors! Money is not an object and there is a queue to be associated with the Dublin GAA brand.

It's so in your face that most GAA fans don't see this. Dublin fans talk about having their house in order and having no debt, but this is easy when you have a constant wind fall each year and have no costs/debts in maintaining your home ground (Croker) and the infrastructure around you.

Dublin at the moment look like winning the next 5 Leinsters. That will be Crossmaglen dominance of Leinster. Mayo and Donegal will evolve back to mediocrity and lower team budgets (as their counties will not be able to justify the cost). Kerry might knock a dent here and there.

How do fix this? Is it something that needs fixing?

It's got very quiet in here. None of our Dublin posters defending their Cash Cow! They are probably hoping that this topic drifts to the bottom of the page and then onto the next page and then is forgotten about until the next big handout!

[Sakho was immense tonight.]

You'd have to be happy enough with that.
Good performance and an away goal. Still all to play for.
Sakho was immense tonight.

Yeah!
Have to be happy with that! We'll score at home, problem is i can see them score also.

In 7 years that 31 titles by my count!!!

Here's what they won in the 7 years between 2002 and 2009:

Senior
Football
Leinster Senior Football Champions: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

U21
Football
All Ireland u21 Football Champions: 2003
Leinster u21 Football Champions: 2002, 2003, 2005

Minor
Football
Leinster Minor Football Champions: 2003

That's 10! But of course money had nothing to do with the huge increase!!!

Are you from Laois by any chance?

What does it matter where he is from? Is he wrong? And explain your reply!

Well done to Monaghan. Also well done to our Tyrone posters for being magnanimous in defeat. They (Tyronies) are not all that bad you know! 

I think even some of the Dubs are questioning it at this stage. What's the point in winning things if you haven't earned it? I wonder do supporters of teams in other sports question the validity of things they won? Like the soccer clubs with billionaires backing them or rugby teams with similar financial backing. I suppose the opportunity for other teams to do similar is possible in those sports but not in the GAA world. In fact, is there any example of another team that gets bankrolled by the actual governing body of a sport like we see with Dublin? It's crazy when you think about it.

It is the reason why attendances at Dublin games have somewhat collapsed in comparison to 10-15 years ago where Dublin Meath games would get 80000+ and a Dublin Kildare game wouldn't be far behind. Now a lot of their fans are waiting until the semi final at least before turning up while opposition fans have given up years ago.

You've no excuse. You pissed all your resources away paying managers

Kildare under McGeeney:

Highest paid and most expensive management team
Most expensive training sessions in the country
Centre of excellence
Still couldn't win a raffle

Other counties (especially those who's brief period of success coincided wth the 120m GBP windfall from Her Majesty) should concentrate on setting standards in their own counties.

Agree, with the setting standards in their own counties. But you have to admit that Dublin is now head and shoulders above all teams in regards to almost all counties in regards advantages. You have no concept of how far ahead you are in regards funding and sponsorship. It's a different world! This coupled with the home venue issue makes it impossible for nearly all counties to be even anywhere near Dublin.

[Counties from outside the province are not as badly affected as they can get the confidence of winning a provincial crown coupled with knowing that Dublin are coming into the final stages of the championship without playing a competitive game. Over the coming years these non Leinster teams are going to be hammered more routinely though.]

Kildare are reasonably close to the levels of those 3 teams mentioned and should be going back in the right direction at senior level with Cian O'Neill in charge. Plenty of good work going on at underage level but it is near impossible to close the gap to Dublin due to the money involved coupled with all the other advantages they are givenn. It is the same for every other county in Leinster. This is more of a realistic attitude rather than a defeatist one.

Counties from outside the province are not as badly affected as they can get the confidence of winning a provincial crown coupled with knowing that Dublin are coming into the final stages of the championship without playing a competitive game. Over the coming years these non Leinster teams are going to be hammered more routinely though.

I was someone who did not begrudge Dublin winning their AIs over recent years but am massively concerned at how much harm is being done to the GAA by creating such a behemoth while other counties are not getting anywhere near the same level of support from the GAA.

Yes this is true - for example Most if not all of the (so called) lesser lights outside of Leinster rarely get to come up against Dublin in Championship football. Bar Fermanagh last year I cant think of many.  So many of these teams do not get a hands on look as to how much they are out of their dept against this present Dublin side.

So for 2017 it's

Cork
Down
Galway
Fermanagh
Meath
Derry
Kildare
Clare

With the loss of three Ulster teams - replaced by only one. There is a nice provincial mix. I'd expect Cork to go straight back up! The rest is (as goes with this division) a toss up as to promotion and relegation!

Since the emergence of the new Croke Park stadium. The GAA got confidence in its standing. In the past it was not always been about the GAA taking on other codes in the Capital. But the last decade plus or so it has been and rightly so! You can't just sit on your hands and be happy with your lot. The GAA has taken on a lot of sports in the Capital and they are winning hands down and must be commended. The Problem is they are not playing against these codes in competition. They are playing against the counties in the rest in the rest of the country who are on different investments. So here we are, left with a real whopper of a conundrum. You can't undermine the great movements forward by the GAA and on the other hand you can't have a Intercounty Championship that looses all sense of competitiveness. The leinster Championship is nearly non existent. Second favourites for the title are Kildare at 12/1. And for those who say this is a fad - 11 Leinster titles in 12 years has dominance written all over it.

Jarlaths always had a few boarders playing sure enough.
Saying that the last 2 Hogan Cup winning teams in 1994 & 2002 were almost entirely made up of Galway lads.
Jarlaths have had a few tough seasons at senior level but I don't think we should be writing obituaries for them just yet.
They will still be very competitive over the coming years.
Other Galway schools need to get their act together though.

Not writing obituraries or anything. But Jarlath's now are no longer backboned by outsiders.
I remember that team that I was talking about had Ahern and Finneran from Roscommon. Kavanagh from Kildare and Kilcoyne from Mayo. All players who were able to play serious senior county football. The goalkeeper Donoghue and Gary Sice are the only 2 Galway lads that I can recall that had serious careers with Galway from that team.
Even back in the day when I was about they had the Mayo lads ( likes of Brogan and Mark Butler from Mayo made the best ever Jarlath's 15 for their millinium I think) , Roscommon lads and even a McGettigan from Donegal. We were scrabbling about from local lads. Some of the better Ballina and Knockmore lads (the local senior clubs) were in Jarlath's.

A lot of the Knockmore lads would have gone to Foxford Secondary School.

How much is the growth of Rugby affecting Galway?

Not a lot I wouldn't think, there's 3 senior football clubs within Galway city, St. Michael's, St. James', Salthill Knocknacarra, all of which are fairly competitive and would probably be in the top tier of senior football clubs in the county. It's the schools I think that are suffering at the minute, since St. Jarlaths amalgamated with St. Pats and stopped taking borders the football has been on a steady decline, a few years ago the Galway minor team would have a serious number of Jarlaths players, not anymore. St. Mary's have disappeared altogether, I think they've slipped down to senior B in fact.

In contrast St. Geralds - Castlebar was a joke for decades in regards to even competing in the College 'A' Competitions.  Decent Coaches, pitches and structure changed all that. With that success, better footballers are attracted to the College. That said Jarlaths have won a few titles lately! And these lads should be senior level or close now! So is this the problem?

It's laughable reading the bullshit here.

Dublin would never house themselves there for training. Simply because the location is so bad mid-week.

Endless traffic jams and crashes on the M50.

DCU suits all parties. Easy to get to. Gym beside the pitch. All weather surface available if required.

But please keep going . It's entertaining.

Now I don't know Dublin very well.

But given that it's a big f**ker of a city, with one main ring road, would the majority of Dublin players not use that same M50 to get to training in DCU?

I mean they're hardly all from Ballymun ffs.

Most of them work in town. Far easier to get to DCU from the City Centre then having to navigate the M50 around Blanchardstown. You'd need a helicopter to get up the slip road to the Aquatic Centre in the evenings during the week. Most of the players didn't like having to go to Martin Kennedys place beside the Aquatic Centre when he was S&C coach there for that reason.

Who is it for then?

The past is the past and there is nothing we can do about it. The mad thing about the great Galway team circa 1997 -2002 is you'd expect success like that to inspire the next generation? To make them think they have a god given right to win Connacht and AI's. And that thay'd go on to dominate Connacht. On the opposite side Mayo's continual lack of success seems to inspire team after team to come back and back. We have ended up like some sort of sado masochistic county, but we keep plugging!