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

[haranguerer]

Spot on Canalman, how anyone can accuse Dublin of playing defensively in that game is beyond me.

Calm down, theres nothing wrong with playing defensively...

The orthodox way is for defenders to mark their men, would you both not agree? When their men retreated, the question would have been asked - follow? Clearly it was answered (probably before the game started) - 'No, sit back', i.e. play defensively.

[Fuzzman]

Packed Dublin Defence with only two Donegal forwards in sight


http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2011/0828/284073-donegal_dublin/
Fourteen-man Dublin squeezed past Donegal in a dour, defensive struggle at Croke Park to qualify for their first All-Ireland football final since 1995.
Both sides packed their defence, with Donegal adopting a particularly cautious approach, which looked as if it would pay off when they eased into a three points lead early in the second half.
A low-scoring encounter finally went Dublin's way, strangely after they lost full forward Diarmuid Connolly to a straight red card on 57 minutes.
The Dubs managed just two points from play, but they just got over the line, and deservedly so, to set up a clash with Kerry in the decider.
The game was almost nine minutes old when Colm McFadden treated a heaving crowd of 81,436 to the first score, from a free.
But it was McFadden's careless pass which gave Bernard Brogan the opportunity to go one-on-one with 'keeper Paul Durcan, but the Dublin attacker sent his shot zipping wide at the far post.
The Dublin attackers were never allowed an inch of space by a Donegal defence which suffocated its opponents with strength of numbers and intense pressure on the man in possession.
Donegal also found it difficult to make progress against a packed Dublin defence, but when forced to shoot from distance, eased in front with a long range effort from Ryan Bradley.
That was in the 24th minute, and was only the game's third score, a feature which had already drawn jeers from an increasingly frustrated attendance.
Bernard Brogan converted his second free to bring the sides level, but that was to be the Metropolitans' lot in the first half.
And Donegal finished with a couple of excellent points from play, a long distance Kevin Cassidy special and a delightful McFadden slice.
It was 0-4 to 0-2 in favour of the Ulster champions at the interval, and they had a glorious goal chance immediately after the restart when McFadden broke clear, but he blazed his shot over the bar.
Goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton landed a Dublin free, his ninth score of the championship, but McFadden restored the Ulster champions' three points advantage with another superb effort from play.
Defences were still very much on top, but the introduction of Kevin McManamon was a major plus for Dublin, his strong running exposing some weaknesses in a Donegal rearguard unit which had lost key man Karl Lacey through injury.
A Cluxton '45 had just narrowed the gap to a point when Connolly was sent off for striking out at Marty Boyle, but that setback appeared to lift Pat Gilroy's side.
They pushed on and scored the final three points of the game, McManamon bringing his side level, before Bryan Cullen and Brogan hammered home the final nails.
Dublin: S Cluxton (0-2, 1f, 1 '45), C O'Sullivan, R O'Carroll, M Fitzsimons, J McCarthy, G Brennan, K Nolan, D Bastick, MD Macauley, P Flynn, B Cahill, B Cullen (0-1), A Brogan, D Connolly, B Brogan (0-4, 4f).
Subs: P McMahon for O'Carroll, K McManamon (0-1) for Cahill, E O'Gara for McCarthy, E Fennell for Bastick, Ross McCarroll for Flyhbnn
Donegal: P Durcan, E McGee, N McGee, F McGlynn, A Thompson, K Lacey, K Cassidy (0-1), R Kavanagh, N Gallagher, M McHugh, D Walsh, R Bradley (0-1), C Toye, M Murphy, C McFadden (0-4, 2f).
Subs: M Hegarty for Toye, M Boyle for Lacey, M McElhinney for Hegarty, P McBrearty for Walsh
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2011/0828/284053-gaatracker/

[AZOffaly]

Wait there. If the 'packed' Dublin defence was simply because they left the Donegal forwards alone when they went into the blanket formation, then that is not a defensive tactic. If Dublin were withdrawing their own forwards, then that would have been a defensive tactic.

Actually I was at a game when this blanket defense stuff was getting going, and it was painful. Offaly v Westmeath in O'Connor Park in the Championship. Both teams played with withdrawn half forward lines and a two man inside forward line. It was putrid stuff. Formations were 1-3-5-3-1-2. It was like looking at rugby league without the tackling. Waves breaking on a rocky shore.

[Canalman]

Packed Dublin Defence with only two Donegal forwards in sight


http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2011/0828/284073-donegal_dublin/
Fourteen-man Dublin squeezed past Donegal in a dour, defensive struggle at Croke Park to qualify for their first All-Ireland football final since 1995.
Both sides packed their defence, with Donegal adopting a particularly cautious approach, which looked as if it would pay off when they eased into a three points lead early in the second half.
A low-scoring encounter finally went Dublin's way, strangely after they lost full forward Diarmuid Connolly to a straight red card on 57 minutes.
The Dubs managed just two points from play, but they just got over the line, and deservedly so, to set up a clash with Kerry in the decider.
The game was almost nine minutes old when Colm McFadden treated a heaving crowd of 81,436 to the first score, from a free.
But it was McFadden's careless pass which gave Bernard Brogan the opportunity to go one-on-one with 'keeper Paul Durcan, but the Dublin attacker sent his shot zipping wide at the far post.
The Dublin attackers were never allowed an inch of space by a Donegal defence which suffocated its opponents with strength of numbers and intense pressure on the man in possession.
Donegal also found it difficult to make progress against a packed Dublin defence, but when forced to shoot from distance, eased in front with a long range effort from Ryan Bradley.
That was in the 24th minute, and was only the game's third score, a feature which had already drawn jeers from an increasingly frustrated attendance.
Bernard Brogan converted his second free to bring the sides level, but that was to be the Metropolitans' lot in the first half.
And Donegal finished with a couple of excellent points from play, a long distance Kevin Cassidy special and a delightful McFadden slice.
It was 0-4 to 0-2 in favour of the Ulster champions at the interval, and they had a glorious goal chance immediately after the restart when McFadden broke clear, but he blazed his shot over the bar.
Goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton landed a Dublin free, his ninth score of the championship, but McFadden restored the Ulster champions' three points advantage with another superb effort from play.
Defences were still very much on top, but the introduction of Kevin McManamon was a major plus for Dublin, his strong running exposing some weaknesses in a Donegal rearguard unit which had lost key man Karl Lacey through injury.
A Cluxton '45 had just narrowed the gap to a point when Connolly was sent off for striking out at Marty Boyle, but that setback appeared to lift Pat Gilroy's side.
They pushed on and scored the final three points of the game, McManamon bringing his side level, before Bryan Cullen and Brogan hammered home the final nails.
Dublin: S Cluxton (0-2, 1f, 1 '45), C O'Sullivan, R O'Carroll, M Fitzsimons, J McCarthy, G Brennan, K Nolan, D Bastick, MD Macauley, P Flynn, B Cahill, B Cullen (0-1), A Brogan, D Connolly, B Brogan (0-4, 4f).
Subs: P McMahon for O'Carroll, K McManamon (0-1) for Cahill, E O'Gara for McCarthy, E Fennell for Bastick, Ross McCarroll for Flyhbnn
Donegal: P Durcan, E McGee, N McGee, F McGlynn, A Thompson, K Lacey, K Cassidy (0-1), R Kavanagh, N Gallagher, M McHugh, D Walsh, R Bradley (0-1), C Toye, M Murphy, C McFadden (0-4, 2f).
Subs: M Hegarty for Toye, M Boyle for Lacey, M McElhinney for Hegarty, P McBrearty for Walsh
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2011/0828/284053-gaatracker/

Call me a traditionalist or what but I prefer to base my opinions on what I actually saw at the game as opposed to a newspaper article.
My point is rightly or wrongly Dublin backs didn't follow their opponents and defended the space in front of their  own goals in an orthodox manner.

[The Aristocrat]

A heroic effort from Laois against the professionals. Didn't deserve to lose by 11 but considering the huge gulf in resources/population etc it was about a 30 point victory for Laois.
Dubl$n will go on to win the Leinster and All Ireland. Yet more titles added to the list that will have an asterisk placed beside it but also more titles that will guarantee the splitting of Dubl$n!

Poor auld Jack McCaffery, he doesn't know he's a professional, someone tell him to stop studying medicine in UCD quick and someone tell Cluxton to stop teaching in Coolock too, someone tell Jim Gavin he doesn't need to fly planes anymore.

Enjoy the backdoor Don't matter, sleep well. 

[The Aristocrat]

Yeah Fair Play indeed
Ye should all do the same and lie down and roll over
Just accept yer gonna lose anyway so no point doing a Donegal on it and spoiling an entertaining game of football.

As Brolly says it will be interesting to see if Donegal do get themselves back on track and how would Dublin manage playing such a style of football. At the moment playing Dublin at open man to man football is suicide but sure at least it's sporting.

That's exactly it, play the game the way it should, fast paced attacking football, try and outscore them rather than destroy the game of football as we know it, an argument for another day.

Nothing would give us more pleasure as to get Donegal in any round this year, it would be an epic battle.

And I am not denying Dublin 2012 were defensive.

Molly Malone there over the tannoy at FT to a half empty stadium.

Yeah what the fcuk was that about?
Anything to keep the drunks on the Hill happy I suppose.
I'm sure the lovely Trudi Lalor would have got an airing if Laois won..... 

Predictable result but a scoreline that maybe flattered Dublin.
Was delighted to see a Laois team go out and play and gave it their all. I honestly don't mind them losing when you know they gave it a proper go but were just beaten by a far superior team. Nothing worse than seeing them not giving a fcuk and throwing in the towel early on as has happened often with Laois. I thought we scored some superb points today as well, and a wonderful goalkeeping performance from young Brody as well.

They ran out of steam in the second half and the clusterfuck for the second goal finished them and the game.Dublin had another few gears they could have gone up if they really needed to.

Perhaps the song was played to wake up the drug abusers down from Laois, all a few hundred of them, as per recent reports, Laois has the highest level of drug abuse in the country. Oh sorry am I tarring all with the same brush.

They usually play a song for the winning team, sometimes its the boys are back in town, when Mayo beat Dublin in 2013 they played the saw doctors or some crap like that.

As for the game, Dublin only in strolling mode. Training game. Bigger fish to fry later in the year.

F*ck I must have been really drunk, I thought it was the other way round.

Championes, championes!

2012 :0

Fair play to Laois, gave us a good game and didn't do a Donegal on it, played it the way it should.

Short memories, there were two teams playing defensively that day.

The sooner people realise that scores dont automatically equal excitement, nor make a good game, the better.

Do you prefer the Donegal way or the Dublin way, say last year v Kerry or Donegal v Derry this year, which type of football you like?

[johnneycool]

A heroic effort from Laois against the professionals. Didn't deserve to lose by 11 but considering the huge gulf in resources/population etc it was about a 30 point victory for Laois.
Dubl$n will go on to win the Leinster and All Ireland. Yet more titles added to the list that will have an asterisk placed beside it but also more titles that will guarantee the splitting of Dubl$n!

Poor auld Jack McCaffery, he doesn't know he's a professional, someone tell him to stop studying medicine in UCD quick and someone tell Cluxton to stop teaching in Coolock too, someone tell Jim Gavin he doesn't need to fly planes anymore.

Enjoy the backdoor Don't matter, sleep well.

Any joiners or plasterers on that panel?

[The Aristocrat]

A heroic effort from Laois against the professionals. Didn't deserve to lose by 11 but considering the huge gulf in resources/population etc it was about a 30 point victory for Laois.
Dubl$n will go on to win the Leinster and All Ireland. Yet more titles added to the list that will have an asterisk placed beside it but also more titles that will guarantee the splitting of Dubl$n!

Poor auld Jack McCaffery, he doesn't know he's a professional, someone tell him to stop studying medicine in UCD quick and someone tell Cluxton to stop teaching in Coolock too, someone tell Jim Gavin he doesn't need to fly planes anymore.

Enjoy the backdoor Don't matter, sleep well.

Any joiners or plasterers on that panel?

Not sure, Duirmo used to be a sparks, not now though, not sure. 

[haranguerer]

Yeah Fair Play indeed
Ye should all do the same and lie down and roll over
Just accept yer gonna lose anyway so no point doing a Donegal on it and spoiling an entertaining game of football.

As Brolly says it will be interesting to see if Donegal do get themselves back on track and how would Dublin manage playing such a style of football. At the moment playing Dublin at open man to man football is suicide but sure at least it's sporting.

That's exactly it, play the game the way it should, fast paced attacking football, try and outscore them rather than destroy the game of football as we know it, an argument for another day.

Nothing would give us more pleasure as to get Donegal in any round this year, it would be an epic battle.

And I am not denying Dublin 2012 were defensive.

Molly Malone there over the tannoy at FT to a half empty stadium.

Yeah what the fcuk was that about?
Anything to keep the drunks on the Hill happy I suppose.
I'm sure the lovely Trudi Lalor would have got an airing if Laois won..... 

Predictable result but a scoreline that maybe flattered Dublin.
Was delighted to see a Laois team go out and play and gave it their all. I honestly don't mind them losing when you know they gave it a proper go but were just beaten by a far superior team. Nothing worse than seeing them not giving a fcuk and throwing in the towel early on as has happened often with Laois. I thought we scored some superb points today as well, and a wonderful goalkeeping performance from young Brody as well.

They ran out of steam in the second half and the clusterfuck for the second goal finished them and the game.Dublin had another few gears they could have gone up if they really needed to.

Perhaps the song was played to wake up the drug abusers down from Laois, all a few hundred of them, as per recent reports, Laois has the highest level of drug abuse in the country. Oh sorry am I tarring all with the same brush.

They usually play a song for the winning team, sometimes its the boys are back in town, when Mayo beat Dublin in 2013 they played the saw doctors or some crap like that.

As for the game, Dublin only in strolling mode. Training game. Bigger fish to fry later in the year.

F*ck I must have been really drunk, I thought it was the other way round.

Championes, championes!

2012 :0

Fair play to Laois, gave us a good game and didn't do a Donegal on it, played it the way it should.

Short memories, there were two teams playing defensively that day.

The sooner people realise that scores dont automatically equal excitement, nor make a good game, the better.

Do you prefer the Donegal way or the Dublin way, say last year v Kerry or Donegal v Derry this year, which type of football you like?

Well of course you can pick out a good high scoring game, and contrast it to a bad low scoring game, but the point is that there are also good low scoring games, and bad high scoring games. The scoring isnt an indicator of how good the game was, and a good defence isnt something to be mocked.

Kerry Dublin was a great game last year, the best game I've seen in a long time, but its still behind the best one I've ever seen, Tyrone Armagh when both were at their peak, I'm pretty sure it was in the AI semi in 2005. The first was a high scoring game, the second wasn't.

For me, the key factor in enjoyment is competitiveness. I've no interest in watching lads sauntering through unmarked and putting up cricket scores.

I think you're wrong re Donegal this year too by the way. Imo Dublin can only be beat by themselves, and they'll not lose focus for donegal if they get that far.

[J70]

Molly Malone there over the tannoy at FT to a half empty stadium.

Yeah what the fcuk was that about?
Anything to keep the drunks on the Hill happy I suppose.
I'm sure the lovely Trudi Lalor would have got an airing if Laois won..... 

Predictable result but a scoreline that maybe flattered Dublin.
Was delighted to see a Laois team go out and play and gave it their all. I honestly don't mind them losing when you know they gave it a proper go but were just beaten by a far superior team. Nothing worse than seeing them not giving a fcuk and throwing in the towel early on as has happened often with Laois. I thought we scored some superb points today as well, and a wonderful goalkeeping performance from young Brody as well.

They ran out of steam in the second half and the clusterfuck for the second goal finished them and the game.Dublin had another few gears they could have gone up if they really needed to.

Perhaps the song was played to wake up the drug abusers down from Laois, all a few hundred of them, as per recent reports, Laois has the highest level of drug abuse in the country. Oh sorry am I tarring all with the same brush.

They usually play a song for the winning team, sometimes its the boys are back in town, when Mayo beat Dublin in 2013 they played the saw doctors or some crap like that.

As for the game, Dublin only in strolling mode. Training game. Bigger fish to fry later in the year.

F*ck I must have been really drunk, I thought it was the other way round.

Championes, championes!

2012 :0

Fair play to Laois, gave us a good game and didn't do a Donegal on it, played it the way it should.

Short memories, there were two teams playing defensively that day.

The sooner people realise that scores dont automatically equal excitement, nor make a good game, the better.

No there wasn't. Donegal drew forwards back towards their own goals and Dublin  played the orthodox way leaving them heavily outnumbering the remnants of the Donegal forward line facing them.

So Donegal men were NOT also running into waves of Dublin players when Donegal attacked in that game? Dublin forwards maintained their "orthodox" formation even when Donegal attacked?

[thejuice]

Is that a picture of the Hill or the Dublin defence? I'm really not sure.

[laoislad]

There should really be a NSFW Caption on that picture.

[AZOffaly]

Wait, that's Dublin? I thought they were the Orcs from LOTR!

[Dont Matter]

Poor auld Jack McCaffery, he doesn't know he's a professional, someone tell him to stop studying medicine in UCD quick and someone tell Cluxton to stop teaching in Coolock too, someone tell Jim Gavin he doesn't need to fly planes anymore.

Enjoy the backdoor Don't matter, sleep well.

Enjoy your titles won through foul means, each one is a step closer to split time. 

[The Aristocrat]

Poor auld Jack McCaffery, he doesn't know he's a professional, someone tell him to stop studying medicine in UCD quick and someone tell Cluxton to stop teaching in Coolock too, someone tell Jim Gavin he doesn't need to fly planes anymore.

Enjoy the backdoor Don't matter, sleep well.

Enjoy your titles won through foul means, each one is a step closer to split time. 

We will enjoy it, and we will enjoy a lot lot lot more so get use to it. The split will never happen, well not in the next 50 years anyway, the fans, players and the GAA in Dublin wont stand for it, it will be more a case of the amalgamation of weaker counties like Laois to try and compete at the high level set out by Dublin.

Dublin = total football, a new breed of player and style, enjoy watching us.