Dubl$n v Laois Sunday June 8th 2014 Dubl$n at home as always

[Croí na hÉireann]

Yeah, we have a grand stadium in Tullamore, that all the rest of the country gets to play championship matches in. Meanwhile we're going to Tipperary and Laois to train.

And Westmeath, AIT and Lomans.

[Shamrock Shore]

Of course Croí - you are correct.

All boils down to having competent people in charge of the purse strings. Longford have made one major error over the past number of years (anyone want to buy a green field site, zoned for a centre of excellence or a frog habitat, take yer pick) but, by and large, we are in a strong position with no long term debt.

Maybe we could buy a bus?

[Dinny Breen]

Always have Dubs in Croke Park.

50,000 in Croke Park generates more dosh than 20,000 in Portlaoise.

30,000 extra @ (say) €20 = €600k for Leinster.

More money for Leinster means more funding for all Leinster counties when the dust settles at the end of the year.
More funding means counties can spend more on developing players.
Better players means better county teams - with a realistic chance of upsetting Dubs.

May be a wee bit simplistic but in general it's true.

Not a hope in hell there will be 50K at this game - 35k max I'd say. Kildare/Louth/Laois will struggle to bring 10K between them. Will have to watch the Kildare v Louth game in an empty stadium, how exciting!!!

Sick of these double headers and the extra cost associated with them. Kids can't even get in for free.

[easytiger95]

Just with regard to the game itself, I can't help thinking what way the media would have played this if we hadn't drawn with Mayo in the league. Perhaps it would have all been about a Dublin team repeating the same mistakes from 2012, mediocre league form, struggling with an All Ireland hangover and facing a team that lost out by three points after a brutally unlucky goal in our last Championship meeting. It would be a different story then.

But now, because O'Gara saved our bacon, we're on the verge of establishing a thousand year Reich and all should cower before us??!! I'll say this for Woolly, after the game on Sunday he was saying that if any Laois player are frightened of going to Croker they shouldn't be on the panel. He said that playing Dublin always inspired him and the lads of his era and they had no fear of them in Croker.

We should win it, yes, and I don;t think Laois are as defensively disciplined as they were in 2012 - but the best time to beat us is now. I hope it is a close game, as we had brilliant clashes in 2003/05/06. If Laois have any sense they'll make it as slow and as sticky as they can, invite us on and then try and hit their forwards as quickly as they can.

Dubs by six.

[Wildweasel74]

This game could have had abit of appeal if it had been in portlaoise, Dubs always abit wavy on the road, as it is, Dublin will take the game for granted and probably win but not as handy as most think, all depends on whether the dubs will be on cruise control or pedal to the metall!!

[lynchbhoy]

Jeez whatever about dublin$ - laoi$ are worse!!

All the Laois lads heading up to play for pay for Dublin clubs since the mid 90's

Laois county men have a tendency to head to USA for a few bob rather than stay at home with their clubs ( common problem everywhere to be fair)
Plus it was a Laois man who first started whinging about and looking for GAA players to be paid in 1993

Laois IMO have great talent and if they got their act together could beat the dubs, but it's highly unlikely. Would be great for the game if they did

[Ohtoohtobe]

Some of my best memories from childhood are from watching Leinster championship games in Portlaoise, Navan or Tullamore. Imagine Laois were playing Dublin in Portlaoise and Louth and Kildare were playing in Drogheda, there would be two cracking atmospheres.

Instead we're left watching games in a two-thirds empty stadium which kills any sense of occasion and looks bad on TV.

You can say it's up to other Leinster counties to vote for these games to take place outside Croke Park and you'd be right. Dublin are not at fault in this case.

But I'd rather see Croke Park distribute money in such a way that the other 11 Leinster counties aren't reliant on gate receipts from Dublin games in CP. As it stands the other counties don't really have a choice.

[heffo]

But I'd rather see Croke Park distribute money in such a way that the other 11 Leinster counties aren't reliant on gate receipts from Dublin games in CP. As it stands the other counties don't really have a choice.

What are you suggesting and who in Kildare will this cheque be made out to?

[Shamrock Shore]

But I'd rather see Croke Park distribute money in such a way that the other 11 Leinster counties aren't reliant on gate receipts from Dublin games in CP. As it stands the other counties don't really have a choice.

OK - it's nothing to do with Croke Park. It's the Leinster Council, which is based in Portlaoise.

Leinster Council rent Croke Park for Leinster championship matches.

Where would any funds for distribution come from for the other 11 Leinster counties if Croke Park is left idle for the majority of the Leinster championship and the Dubs are sent off on tour of Portlaoise, Navan or a neutral ground for QF and semi final purposes?

[seafoid]

Just with regard to the game itself, I can't help thinking what way the media would have played this if we hadn't drawn with Mayo in the league. Perhaps it would have all been about a Dublin team repeating the same mistakes from 2012, mediocre league form, struggling with an All Ireland hangover and facing a team that lost out by three points after a brutally unlucky goal in our last Championship meeting. It would be a different story then.

But now, because O'Gara saved our bacon, we're on the verge of establishing a thousand year Reich and all should cower before us??!! I'll say this for Woolly, after the game on Sunday he was saying that if any Laois player are frightened of going to Croker they shouldn't be on the panel. He said that playing Dublin always inspired him and the lads of his era and they had no fear of them in Croker.

We should win it, yes, and I don;t think Laois are as defensively disciplined as they were in 2012 - but the best time to beat us is now. I hope it is a close game, as we had brilliant clashes in 2003/05/06. If Laois have any sense they'll make it as slow and as sticky as they can, invite us on and then try and hit their forwards as quickly as they can.

Dubs by six.

It was the same last year with Donegal and Kilkenny.
Lazy journalism.

[Jinxy]

Some of my best memories from childhood are from watching Leinster championship games in Portlaoise, Navan or Tullamore. Imagine Laois were playing Dublin in Portlaoise and Louth and Kildare were playing in Drogheda, there would be two cracking atmospheres.

Instead we're left watching games in a two-thirds empty stadium which kills any sense of occasion and looks bad on TV.

You can say it's up to other Leinster counties to vote for these games to take place outside Croke Park and you'd be right. Dublin are not at fault in this case.

But I'd rather see Croke Park distribute money in such a way that the other 11 Leinster counties aren't reliant on gate receipts from Dublin games in CP. As it stands the other counties don't really have a choice.

Pairc Tailteann on a summers evening is paradise.
Grass banks & a cornetto.
Sure where else would you get it?

[Hound]

Heffo, Indiana, Hound, Easytiger, Squire - general feeling only Dublin can beat Dublin? Will complacency be your only enemy? How can Gavin keep such a talented squad happy?

I don't worry about complacency per se, but I don't think its possible to play well every game, especially over a long period of time. We could very easily be caught out on any given day. I certainly don't buy the "only Dublin can beat Dublin" argument. If someone beats us, they'll need to play well to do it and they will deserve all the praise.

We are blessed that we have a special group of players hitting their peak at around the same time. Connolly and Flynn are the best two half forwards in the country. And whoever number 3 is, is probably a fair distance behind the two of them. And while he might have one or two equals, there is nobody better than Bernard Brogan in the full forward line - can win his fair share of 50/50s against any back and can kick scores from anywhere.

We also the biggest X factor of any team on top of that. I don't think there's a midfielder in the country similar to Macauley. I was worried about his poor form in the league but from HT in the Cork semi he's brought himself back to his very best. Then O'Gara and McManamon, whether they start of are subs, are two options we have completely different to anything else we have (or maybe anyone else has).

Great keeper of course, and pretty solid everywhere else. No glaring weakness individually but as a team we do give up plenty of goal chances. But one of the biggest assets we have as a unit is workrate. I don't think there's a team that matches us in terms of yards covered in a game. And that's not because we train more than anyone else, its because they've got it ingrained into them. Nothing less is acceptable.

I don't think we are as good yet as Kilkenny were in hurling in their pomp a few years ago. When they didnt give a shíte that they were raging hot favourites in every game. There'll be times when it looks like we're in trouble entering into the final quarter and we'll have to see if we can keep digging out the wins or not.

[Dinny Breen]

But I'd rather see Croke Park distribute money in such a way that the other 11 Leinster counties aren't reliant on gate receipts from Dublin games in CP. As it stands the other counties don't really have a choice.

OK - it's nothing to do with Croke Park. It's the Leinster Council, which is based in Portlaoise.

Leinster Council rent Croke Park for Leinster championship matches.

Where would any funds for distribution come from for the other 11 Leinster counties if Croke Park is left idle for the majority of the Leinster championship and the Dubs are sent off on tour of Portlaoise, Navan or a neutral ground for QF and semi final purposes?

Is 35K in Croke Park any better than 20K in Portlaoise and 10K in Navan financially? Any figures available? I'm sure the costs to run CP would be considerably higher than the other 2 grounds combined.

[Johnnybegood]

But I'd rather see Croke Park distribute money in such a way that the other 11 Leinster counties aren't reliant on gate receipts from Dublin games in CP. As it stands the other counties don't really have a choice.

OK - it's nothing to do with Croke Park. It's the Leinster Council, which is based in Portlaoise.

Leinster Council rent Croke Park for Leinster championship matches.

Where would any funds for distribution come from for the other 11 Leinster counties if Croke Park is left idle for the majority of the Leinster championship and the Dubs are sent off on tour of Portlaoise, Navan or a neutral ground for QF and semi final purposes?

Is 35K in Croke Park any better than 20K in Portlaoise and 10K in Navan financially? Any figures available? I'm sure the costs to run CP would be considerably higher than the other 2 grounds combined.

premium seat holders being kept happy

[Dinny Breen]

But I'd rather see Croke Park distribute money in such a way that the other 11 Leinster counties aren't reliant on gate receipts from Dublin games in CP. As it stands the other counties don't really have a choice.

OK - it's nothing to do with Croke Park. It's the Leinster Council, which is based in Portlaoise.

Leinster Council rent Croke Park for Leinster championship matches.

Where would any funds for distribution come from for the other 11 Leinster counties if Croke Park is left idle for the majority of the Leinster championship and the Dubs are sent off on tour of Portlaoise, Navan or a neutral ground for QF and semi final purposes?

Is 35K in Croke Park any better than 20K in Portlaoise and 10K in Navan financially? Any figures available? I'm sure the costs to run CP would be considerably higher than the other 2 grounds combined.

premium seat holders being kept happy

Do CP pay a premium to the Leinster Council based on these seats?