Messages

Melbourne go into a 5 day hard lockdown
Everything closed
Surely we need a plan b at this stage?
We could get down to single figure and then open up and it could get to 1000 within 2 weeks
Likely it wouldn't happen but is possible
Really need a plan b here to live with it
Brocade it seems vaccines now isn't the way out

Melbourne are totally overreacting. Didn't they recently lockdown for a week over one person (working in a quarantine hotel ffs) catching covid? No way to live. Once the vulnerable get the jab we need to reopen.

[All this talk of population is hypocritical as well. Cork have more clubs and registered senior players than Dublin,]

Not going to quote above but where Dublin 7 did 6th Sam talk about a split?

Are you reading quotes you are replying to? Or are you trying to confuse the debate with out of context replys?

So you're saying no one wants to split Dublin? That's odd. Must be getting paranoid.

As I see it the likes of yourself want Dublin stopped as they're too good. I find it bizarre and like a spoilt child screaming for not getting what he/she wants.

Tiger Woods dominated golf, Patriots dominated American Football, Man Utd dominated the premier league. These eras all ended (just like this era of dubs domination will) and the opposition strived to reach the standards set. Strange how Dublin do so poorly in minor football but no one mentions that and let's not even mention the hurling side.

The dubs are the best because of their ability, focus, mental strength and sheer hard work on their skills. They also have more on field leaders than any other team in the country. Ignorant accusations of financial doping for funding put into training kids in schools/clubs is just stupid and irrelevant.

Take this years AI final. Mayo scored their 14th point in the 49 min. They scored one more point in the rest of the game and some of their attempts on goal were embarrassing. No leadership from the veterans on the pitch and if anything it was the younger players leading the way. Several times over the last decade Mayo had Dublin on the ropes , but they couldn't deliver the knock out blow as they didn't have the belief/conviction at the key moments or shot themselves in the foot with crazy self inflicted mistakes.

Mayo were wide open in defence down the middle against Tipp in the semi final and what happens in the 1st play of the final? McCarthy runs right down the middle to set up Rock for a goal.

All this talk of population is hypocritical as well. Cork have more clubs and registered senior players than Dublin, yet they spent this year in division 3 in the league and were well beaten by Tipperary in the Munster final. They should be dominant in both football/hurling of it's just a numbers game but their county board seems to have been so focused on PuC they ignored what was going on in terms of on field matters and they as far away from even challenging for an All Ireland in either code as they've ever been. How's that Dublin's fault?

TBH, that's a bit hypocritical as well.
Cork is a hurling county- same as every other Munster county except Kerry. Cork footballers continually moan about their lack of funding and support from their CB. IIRC, they went on strike a few years back toi highlight their grievances.

[/b] Yeah Kerry footballers did something similar this year.

[Tyrone]

County: Tyrone

Are you happy with 2020 achievement? No Mickey's last year very dissapointing. A win over Mayo couldnt paper over the cracks of 2 poor games against Donegal.
What was your minimal aspiration for '20? Ulster Title and Semi Final
Are you happy with the direction of your county going into 21? Very optimistic. New voice, new ideas, return of players out of the previous fold, no blind loyalty to existing players. Conor McKenna and Cathal McShane.
What is you minimal aspiration for '21? League Final, Ulster Title, All Ireland Semi Final.
Where do you position your county 1-33? 4 but very capable of moving ahead of Kerry and Mayo if squad is fully utilised.
If Dublin are a 10 out of 10. What number out of 10 would you give your county for 2020? 3/10

4? Ahead of Donegal?

County: Armagh

Are you happy with 2020 achievement?
No. Promotion was nice but we limped over the line by dropping needless points early in the year, then struggled past Derry and were humiliated by Donegal
What was your minimal aspiration for '20?
Promotion, a Ulster final depending on the draw and super 8's.
Are you happy with the direction of your county going into 21?
Yes. Hopefully Donaghy can add something different and we get a few new faces into the team.
What is you minimal aspiration for '21?
Stay in Division 1, decent run in Ulster and make quarter final draw dependent.
Where do you position your county 1-33?
Between 8-12
If Dublin are a 10 out of 10. What number out of 10 would you give your county for 2020? 6

I can see your point to a degree Sid but I don't think it is the same. E.g. kk couldn't replace hickey so pulled Delaney back, they couldn't replace Delaney, it's debatable whether tyrrel or kavanagh have been replaced. Walsh certainly hasn't. Shefflin too. Reid is superb but can't take a game by the scruff of the neck the way shuffling did imo.

Basically the spine of that kk team imo could not be replaced. They were a lot stronger than any opposition for years and got weaker as every key player dropped off. Dublin aren't batting an eyelid at any key player dropping off. Maybe that will change but they are showing no signs of weakening nine years later. They re in fact getting further away from the pack.

It's definitely the same

The notion that Dublin are different to Kilkenny rests on the notion they will continue to bring through new players of the calibre of Fenton, McCaffrey, Kilkenny, Mannion, Howard and O'Callaghan - at least four of those six already are or will be top tier all time greats and the other two aren't far behind

They haven't brought through anybody who is near that calibre in 2019 or 2020

Bring a few more players like Davy Byrne, Robbie McDaid and Paddy Small into the Dublin team and you'll soon start to see cracks - these lads are nothing special

Where Dublin do very well is in getting the mid-tier players to excel, the lads who wouldn't be all time greats or near it but make the absolute most of themselves - Fitzsimons, Scully, Rock, John Small, Philly McMahon, McAuley, Paddy Andrews

Dublin are going to lose about 10 key panel members in the next two years - Cluxton, McCarthy, Rock, Fitzsimons, Cooper, McAuley, O'Sullivan, McManamon, Andrews, McMahon

And by then Fenton, Kilkenny, McCaffrey, Small and Mannion will be 30 or thereabouts and probably not as good

If Dublin have brought through six or seven top tier all time greats by 2025 or 26 get back to me, but I bet they won't

the only ones Dublin may even miss there are Cluxton, McCarthy and maybe Rock. The rest won't even be noticed or have already been phased out. Given how little they have missed McCaffrey who is one of the best players I've ever seen, they may not even miss those 3.

Mayo not that awful far away, haven't seen stats but seemed to do better than expected on kickouts. Durcan a huge loss so early on. there's definitely an AI in that Mayo team.

With such a short turnaround to the next championsip its unlikely Dublin will suffer many retirements or any noticeable dip in form. Should the challengers be looking at an 18 month project now to be ready for 2022 (while obviously looking to win if possible). Cluxton, Fitzsimmons, Cooper,  McCarthy and Rock could be retired by then

Some of the older players might go. MDMA made the bench tonight for the 1st time in the championship this year. O'Sullivan, Kevin Mac and Philly could go as well. While they might not get much game time that's alot of experience and leadership to lose from the squad

I highly doubt any of the lads you've named will be missed

On a separate note, how Brian Howard was on the bench is scandalous. He was the best player on the pitch when he came on.

He'd be be a star man on any other team

What is Gooch Cooper talking about the big shoulder on Lee Keegan- he forgot to mention that it was shoulder to chest - full on. Dangerous and deliberate.

fair hit. keegan is done

That was nowhere close to being a fair hit

Keegan 5 years ago would have ran on and buried that.

What is Gooch Cooper talking about the big shoulder on Lee Keegan- he forgot to mention that it was shoulder to chest - full on. Dangerous and deliberate.

fair hit. keegan is done

What would Tyrone not have given to have had a COC the past 7 years. Someone you could rely on for frees.

4 of the last 7.

He's been a bang average free taker since 2016.

Still better than anything Tyrone have!

It is a ridiculous rule and anyone who has ever played the game will know this. Any defender will do their best to stop the forward winning clean possession, but a lot of the time it doesnt work, that shouldnt result in a free shot for the forward. They should still have to take the defender on/ lay the ball off.

Always remember him tapping over the free in the 2013 final with the last kick of the game, when they needed a goal.  That was shocking.

Yeah that was unbelievable. AFAIK the allocated injury time was already played. Absolutely baffling decision

He 100% spoke to the ref beforehand

I take it all the wee West Brits condemning the tweet don't commemorate 1916 either? It's the same fight, just because most of ye give up and abandoned the North. 

It's very very hard to make a credible case for Mayo even coming close here.

Last year, we did brilliantly for the first half, retained possession well, slowed the game down (with a view to staying fresh for the last 10 mins) and went in ahead. Dublin came out and blew us away in the first 10 mins of the second half. We'll have 7 changes from that team the next day, mostly in the forwards.

Looking at the match-ups at the back for us:

Mullin on Small?
Barrett on Callaghan
Keegan on KK?
Durcan on Bugler
Coen on Rock?
McLaughlin (assuming he's fit) on Scully

Keegan usually picks up KK but if you bring him out there, you need to put Coen back into the FB line which leaves the centre of the defense very open. Barrett is 32/33 and Keegan is 31 so where they were close to their peak back in 2017, they're getting on now - KK and Callaghan on the other hand are 27 and 24 now so they're right in their prime. Hard to see us winning one, never mind both of those duels. Say Mullin and Durcan win their match ups, Mannion and Howard will be coming off the bench as replacements.

Then you look at MF and you have Ruane v Fenton and Loftus v McCarthy and it doesn't get much better for us. Will Horan have a plan for when Dublin press up on our kickouts? We need to have something because otherwise it'll be a hammering.

You'd put Durcan on whichever of COC or KK plays out the field I'd imagine. Winning their own kickout is gonna be an issue I'd imagine.