Dublin

[Zulu]

Ok, that's fair enough in a way but we shouldn't be throwing money at everybody in a 'lets be fair about it' way. Before a county gets extra funding they need to prove they'll use it to make a difference. Certain counties are underperforming and they could do a bit better through better organisation and coaching alone.

I just don't see the point in giving out about the Dubs when it's obvious that a county with over 1 million people will beat counties with around 100,000 more often than not if they have their act together. This is the system we have and it's brilliant in many ways but fair it isn't or ever was.

[Lar Naparka]

You're clutching at straws, J70. Dublin have sapped away any fight left in Leinster counties. And they're in the process of doing the same to everyone else. Can you really blame them when the deck is so heavily stacked in the favour of Dublin? It's a shell game, one or two upsets are no more than a passing distraction. Nonsense talk that it's even those counties' faults is just that. Very easy for the ivory tower dwellers to blame the poor feckers on the ground floor.

What the blue blazes does that mean? Dublin have a huge population and are now utilizing that so of course they'll dominate counties with less than 100,000 people. What do you suggest the GAA do?

I'd tell 'em to go and f**k off but I imagine Syf is more conciliatory type of chap than  I am.
But if he says that they should take the logical step of dividing the greater Dublin in four since it has been so divided into four separate local government areas. I mean Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Dublin City and South Dublin are now to all intents and purposes, separate and distinct counties. Since all other counties can only field one team, and many are finding it harder and harder to do even that, it's not fair that four counties can continue to play as a single unit.
Now if Syf doesn't intend to state the obvious and point out the glaring anomaly in the present system, I won't be able to agree with him, will I?
Won't stop me thinking that way although.

[Dinny Breen]

Dublin minor hurlers knocked Kilkenny out of the championship yesterday. Kilkenny really need to get their act together.

[Il Bomber Destro]

You're clutching at straws, J70. Dublin have sapped away any fight left in Leinster counties. And they're in the process of doing the same to everyone else. Can you really blame them when the deck is so heavily stacked in the favour of Dublin? It's a shell game, one or two upsets are no more than a passing distraction. Nonsense talk that it's even those counties' faults is just that. Very easy for the ivory tower dwellers to blame the poor feckers on the ground floor.

What is happening with Meath and Kildare now is embarrassing, irrespective of how close they are to Dublin, they should be at the very least competing seriously at the business end of the Championship. Kildare getting a 30 odd point hammering from Kerry last year was scary. I think both Meath and Kildare have the players to be top 10 teams at the minute, but there is something badly lacking in their approach and mentality to the game.

Martin McHugh may have had a point when he said the Celtic Tiger ruined Meath. Both Meath and Kildare would have double the gaelic football playing population of any Ulster county with the exception of Donegal.

[OgraAnDun]

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2016/0515/788523-longford-determined-despite/


I think Connerton's comments speak volumes really. When even the manager of a county in Leinster is saying there's nothing really to play for in terms of winning silverware, the province is f*cked.

[J70]

Ok, that's fair enough in a way but we shouldn't be throwing money at everybody in a 'lets be fair about it' way. Before a county gets extra funding they need to prove they'll use it to make a difference. Certain counties are underperforming and they could do a bit better through better organisation and coaching alone.

I just don't see the point in giving out about the Dubs when it's obvious that a county with over 1 million people will beat counties with around 100,000 more often than not if they have their act together. This is the system we have and it's brilliant in many ways but fair it isn't or ever was.

By your own logic, then surely the way to instill even a modicum of fairness would be to split Dublin?

But then again, that wouldn't do anything to help Leitrim or Fermanagh.

The population disparity effects are built into the GAA system at all levels, from the club up.

[Zulu]

I wouldn't say it's logical to split Dublin and, as you say, it wouldn't help most counties anyway but the GAA created a system that was never fair and never will be. Now that counties properly prepare and invest in development of players the bigger counties will rarely be beaten by smaller ones. The current system is going to be very uncompetitive from here on in.

[Rossfan]

We have Senior, Intermediate and Junior clubs.
Can we not have the same for Counties??

[Syferus]

I wouldn't say it's logical to split Dublin and, as you say, it wouldn't help most counties anyway but the GAA created a system that was never fair and never will be. Now that counties properly prepare and invest in development of players the bigger counties will rarely be beaten by smaller ones. The current system is going to be very uncompetitive from here on in.

Convenient.

[Jinxy]

Implement spending caps at county board level.
We regularly hear it costed X to prepare such and such team last year.
Now there would be ways around it, but if you stuck a cap on what a county could spend on an individual senior team, would that make it any better?
The county boards would love a rule like that.
Making it apply to each individual team would avoid the likes of KK getting a leg up on Cork, Dublin etc. who have to support competitive teams in both codes.
I'll start the ball rolling and say you cannot spend more than €500,000 preparing a team.
Now that's way more than most counties will spend, but you have to start somewhere and that will specifically target the top teams.

[Zulu]

I wouldn't say it's logical to split Dublin and, as you say, it wouldn't help most counties anyway but the GAA created a system that was never fair and never will be. Now that counties properly prepare and invest in development of players the bigger counties will rarely be beaten by smaller ones. The current system is going to be very uncompetitive from here on in.

Convenient.

Eh?

[Zulu]

Implement spending caps at county board level.
We regularly hear it costed X to prepare such and such team last year.
Now there would be ways around it, but if you stuck a cap on what a county could spend on an individual senior team, would that make it any better?
The county boards would love a rule like that.
Making it apply to each individual team would avoid the likes of KK getting a leg up on Cork, Dublin etc. who have to support competitive teams in both codes.
I'll start the ball rolling and say you cannot spend more than €500,000 preparing a team.
Now that's way more than most counties will spend, but you have to start somewhere and that will specifically target the top teams.

But you can't monitor that effectively, which you admit yourself, and why should we be looking at solutions that bring the best back into the pack rather than looking to improve the chasing pack?

[Jinxy]

You can monitor it effectively.
The way around it is all the external funding that bigger counties are able to bring in, that would allow them to bypass the 'transparent' funding pathways.
Your solution Zulu, is no solution.
The money is not there to bring most counties anywhere near to Dublins standard, although it's not purely a question of money.
By your rationale, if one of the Sheikhs decided to hand Kildare a blank cheque every year it would be up to everyone else to find some russian oligarch or chinese tycoon to bankroll them.
It's a race to the bottom and to be honest I find it immoral that counties would spend exorbitant amounts of money preparing one team.
That money could be put to much better use developing and supporting the game within their own county.

[Syferus]

Implement spending caps at county board level.
We regularly hear it costed X to prepare such and such team last year.
Now there would be ways around it, but if you stuck a cap on what a county could spend on an individual senior team, would that make it any better?
The county boards would love a rule like that.
Making it apply to each individual team would avoid the likes of KK getting a leg up on Cork, Dublin etc. who have to support competitive teams in both codes.
I'll start the ball rolling and say you cannot spend more than €500,000 preparing a team.
Now that's way more than most counties will spend, but you have to start somewhere and that will specifically target the top teams.

But you can't monitor that effectively, which you admit yourself, and why should we be looking at solutions that bring the best back into the pack rather than looking to improve the chasing pack?

The 'other sports' you referred to earlier do it already.

[Zulu]

You can monitor it effectively.
The way around it is all the external funding that bigger counties are able to bring in, that would allow them to bypass the 'transparent' funding pathways.
Your solution Zulu, is no solution.
The money is not there to bring most counties anywhere near to Dublins standard, although it's not purely a question of money.
By your rationale, if one of the Sheikhs decided to hand Kildare a blank cheque every year it would be up to everyone else to find some russian oligarch or chinese tycoon to bankroll them.
It's a race to the bottom and to be honest I find it immoral that counties would spend exorbitant amounts of money preparing one team.
That money could be put to much better use developing and supporting the game within their own county.

How do you expect the GAA to be able to enforce a €500,000 cap for all 32 counties and in both codes? It's impossible.

I'm also not saying we should be spending huge sums of money on IC but I don't see how capping spending so that we all can only invest X amount is a workable solution to anything.

Where should we force counties to cut down their spend - on S&C? On medical care? On travelling expenses? On gear or food for players?