Meath vs Dublin - 26/06/16

[Hound]

The match program today had a big piece on the 1991 saga.

How many of the current Meath team would get onto the 1991 team?
I think the answer might be zero, or very close to it.

Today wasn't much fun

In the other game I thought Kildare were a disgrace. Plenty of players with zero pride in the white jersey

[moysider]

The match program today had a big piece on the 1991 saga.

How many of the current Meath team would get onto the 1991 team?
I think the answer might be zero, or very close to it.

Today wasn't much fun

In the other game I thought Kildare were a disgrace. Plenty of players with zero pride in the white jersey

Maybe that's a bit rough on them. Maybe they are just not good enough footballers. Kildare's better teams used to have Cian O Neill has worked with teams that did a bit. He's no daw I suspect.

[seafoid]

Meath have to get rid of Boylan. I blame Banty.

[Ohtoohtobe]

Too easy to say the rest of Leinster is pathetic. Qualifier results don't back that up. It's just that none of us are near the same level as Dublin. That's true of at least 25 counties.

[Farrandeelin]

Time to regrade the 10 other Leinster teams to Junior like Kilkenny.
Let Dublin represent Leinster and enter the Qualifiers with the 4 Munster, 4 Connacht and 7 Ulster losers.

What about Longford beating Down?

[Ohtoohtobe]

I actually did a tot of those 10 Leinster counties' qualifier results against teams from the other provinces over the past five years.
They've won 26 and lost 29. So I'm not sure the standard is any worse than the rest of the country. Win more games against Connacht and Munster teams than we lose.
We just don't happen to be Kerry, Mayo or Donegal and therefore can't compete with Dublin. Doesn't mean the standard is as atrocious as people make out.

[Canalman]

The match program today had a big piece on the 1991 saga.

How many of the current Meath team would get onto the 1991 team?
I think the answer might be zero, or very close to it.

Today wasn't much fun

In the other game I thought Kildare were a disgrace. Plenty of players with zero pride in the white jersey

Graham Reilly would stroll onto the 1991 team or any team for that matter. An excellent footballer.
imo.

Trully awful game to be at and to be forgotten asap. 

[Rossfan]

Time to regrade the 10 other Leinster teams to Junior like Kilkenny.
Let Dublin represent Leinster and enter the Qualifiers with the 4 Munster, 4 Connacht and 7 Ulster losers.

What about Longford beating Down?

Abolish Down and amalgamate it with Antrim

[Jinxy]

We'll make bits of Derry for turning their back on our beloved european union.

[thejuice]

Using 2014 as a benchmark I was actually reasonably pleased with our performance and I do think we will beat Derry and a few other teams this year depending on the draw.

[Jinxy]

The most glaringly obvious take home message for me yesterday is that, as a team, we do not have the physical ability to push up on Dublin's kick-outs and defend in numbers as part of the same game-plan.
We ceded possession to Dublin and they were able to jog up to our 45m line at will with plenty of support runners.
I would hope that at underage development squad level we are taking a long hard look at the athletic potential of our young players.

[The Trap]

If the match was on again how many would go back to it? Was anyone entertained??

[Jinxy]

I actually think the attendance would have been a good bit lower if it wasn't for the soccer game being on earlier.
Plenty of people were going to head into town to watch it in the pub anyway so they were more likely to head to Croke Park afterwards.

[easytiger95]

Too easy to say the rest of Leinster is pathetic. Qualifier results don't back that up. It's just that none of us are near the same level as Dublin. That's true of at least 25 counties.

I was texting a meath lad I know last night - he was giving it socks (half seriously) about financial doping, to which I replied, financial doping has nothing whatsoever to do with Meath's inability to kick a free over the bar from twenty yards.
It is now a self fulfilling prophecy in Leinster - teams think they have no chance and then play as if they have no chance. Catch 22.

County boards in Meath (especially), Kildare, Laois and Offaly have a lot to answer for.

And on a related note - man buns!! On A MEATH team!! Good Christ.

[Dinny Breen]

I actually did a tot of those 10 Leinster counties' qualifier results against teams from the other provinces over the past five years.
They've won 26 and lost 29. So I'm not sure the standard is any worse than the rest of the country. Win more games against Connacht and Munster teams than we lose.
We just don't happen to be Kerry, Mayo or Donegal and therefore can't compete with Dublin. Doesn't mean the standard is as atrocious as people make out.

Take Dublin out of the province and you would have a vibrant competitive championship. Yes Meath and to a lesser extend Kildare would go well but Westmeath, Laois and Offaly would fancy their chances and Longford, Wexford and Louth would look at Leinster as a realistic target, now it might become like Connacht and Munster in the 70s and 80s but if any of those counties were getting continuous provincial success it wouldn't be long before an All-Ireland was forthcoming.

Dublin have always been a beast in Leinster and then what changed is Ulster got it's act together, massive investment went into development aided by grants from the UK. Armagh and Tyrone been the main visionaries and benefactors and they dominated but slowly Monaghan and Donegal started to follow this template and now you have a really competitive province that is driving standards within.

Dublin looked at this model of development, put a plan in place and got funding from the Government and funding from the GAA. Ally all this together including playing 2/3 games at home, a massive population and critically a football culture second only to Kerry and you have not just a beast but a monster. They have set standards beyond what is capable for a Meath or a Kildare, outside of this Donegal, Mayo and Kerry are spending millions to stay in touch, not surpass but stay in touch.

Transport Dublin to any other province where the same conditions apply, all games in Croke Park and they would swallow up that province as well and everyone in Leinster will patronise you and tell you to look at your own county raise your own standards, look for investment, follow Dublin's plan but you know what they won't give a shit because Dublin is not there problem.

And before I get pillared by the usual suspects this isn't a go at Dublin and maybe it is just cyclical but no where I can I see that cycle ending.