Dublin - Are the Rare Auld Times coming back?

[PAULD123]

Fitness is a joke debate. Every top county's players are 100% fit. Only injury and lay-offs stop that. It is a long time since players only trained when collected together, or had an off-season. Every player has his own training schedule and access to gym facilities. Most of the Down players have their own gym facilities at home. Every player trains all year round.

However what will make a big difference is the condition of the pitch. Later in the year the pitches will be harder and then the best teams will be able to use their superior fitness, and most importantly faster players, to their advantage. The question fro Dublin fans is do your players suit a soft pitch and physical battle better or a dry hard pitch and a contest of skill and speed?

Down clearly suit the later which is why people say we often come from nowhere to do well in a championship. It isn't true, it's just that in the league we never perform to our best where we have small fast players getting bogged down in the winter mud but in summer they can run away from their heavier slower markers.

So which is it then Dubs? Better in the mud or the sun?

[GrandMasterFlash]

Wait till the Drumlin men get at them this weekend in the NFL.. That'll larn them..

[Canalman]

Time will tell. However, I am confident enough to say that imho that the next 6 years or so will be very good for Dublin GAA and the footballers in particular. There is now some serious talent coming through from the underage setup and the development squad system has been tweeked so I am told to develop a certain type of footballer. Of course I could be completely wrong (as in the past).

Reports of the bidaily training have been exaggerated and pounced on by the usual sneerers in  the media. If (calm down lads I said "if") we win Sam this year it will become the norm except where geographically impossible. If we fail abysmally again, it will be used as a pilory post (cf the "Manual" some years ago) against us.

Personally, am happy with our current style of play and that's enough for me at the moment.

Personally, can see Kildare winning Leinster and Kerry winning it out. Despite beating them last week, on the night they were by far and away the best team and lost only as a result of defensive sloppiness that won't be there in August or September/

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Lets see what happens when other teams catch up fitness wise.

I love that old chestnut.

Sure every other county is doing a couple of laps, followed by a few pints and twenty major after three rounds of the league.

No, they are only after starting their endurance work and had concentrated on strength and conditioning whereas Dublin were at their fitness work much earlier.

The other 31 counties??

32 (- Kilkenny + London & New York)

[Jinxy]

Time will tell. However, I am confident enough to say that imho that the next 6 years or so will be very good for Dublin GAA and the footballers in particular. There is now some serious talent coming through from the underage setup and the development squad system has been tweeked so I am told to develop a certain type of footballer. Of course I could be completely wrong (as in the past).

Reports of the bidaily training have been exaggerated and pounced on by the usual sneerers in  the media. If (calm down lads I said "if") we win Sam this year it will become the norm except where geographically impossible. If we fail abysmally again, it will be used as a pilory post (cf the "Manual" some years ago) against us.

Personally, am happy with our current style of play and that's enough for me at the moment.

Personally, can see Kildare winning Leinster and Kerry winning it out. Despite beating them last week, on the night they were by far and away the best team and lost only as a result of defensive sloppiness that won't be there in August or September/

Laois will have something to say about that.

[Pangurban]

The Rare Oul Timesusually meant massive hype pre a humiliating fall, would not like to see this happen again, but,it is only March and already the expectations are ridiculous. A Dublin v Down AI final would be nice to contemplate, but neither of us should be over-rating our chances at this early stage of season, we have more sense than the Dublin media

[highorlow]

I think they should bring back Ciaran Whealan. I hear he is playing great stuff for Raheny.

If they don't win it this year with that panel they will never win it.

Very impressive so far this year apart from 1 or 2 average forwards, but even with that they have some great lads on the bench.

[Hound]

I think they should bring back Ciaran Whealan. I hear he is playing great stuff for Raheny.

If they don't win it this year with that panel they will never win it.

Very impressive so far this year apart from 1 or 2 average forwards, but even with that they have some great lads on the bench.

Raheny are down in Division 2 now in Dublin. They've only played two games this year, and won one of them. So I'd take with a pinch of salt that he's playing great stuff! He played feck all last year because of injury and work committments, so my guess is he'd be quite a way off the pace at this stage. Although, if he was fit and well, he'd probably be still one of the best two midfielders in the county alright.

In my opinion, we definitely have the best set of forwards that we've had since the early 90s. We have a decent half back line, and a super keeper. But I'd be a bit worried about the full back line and midfield.

[laoislad]

Time will tell. However, I am confident enough to say that imho that the next 6 years or so will be very good for Dublin GAA and the footballers in particular. There is now some serious talent coming through from the underage setup and the development squad system has been tweeked so I am told to develop a certain type of footballer. Of course I could be completely wrong (as in the past).

Reports of the bidaily training have been exaggerated and pounced on by the usual sneerers in  the media. If (calm down lads I said "if") we win Sam this year it will become the norm except where geographically impossible. If we fail abysmally again, it will be used as a pilory post (cf the "Manual" some years ago) against us.

Personally, am happy with our current style of play and that's enough for me at the moment.

Personally, can see Kildare winning Leinster and Kerry winning it out. Despite beating them last week, on the night they were by far and away the best team and lost only as a result of defensive sloppiness that won't be there in August or September/

Laois will have something to say about that.

I didn't know Martin Deegan was reffing the Leinster Final this year...

[Croí na hÉireann]

It's Maurice you flute 

[Orangemac]

I think they should bring back Ciaran Whealan. I hear he is playing great stuff for Raheny.

If they don't win it this year with that panel they will never win it.

Very impressive so far this year apart from 1 or 2 average forwards, but even with that they have some great lads on the bench.

Would Dias of Crokes be worth a shout in the half forwards? I know he was playing midfield v Cross but he has great athletism which may better suited as a wing forward?

[heffo]

I think they should bring back Ciaran Whealan. I hear he is playing great stuff for Raheny.

If they don't win it this year with that panel they will never win it.

Very impressive so far this year apart from 1 or 2 average forwards, but even with that they have some great lads on the bench.

Would Dias of Crokes be worth a shout in the half forwards? I know he was playing midfield v Cross but he has great athletism which may better suited as a wing forward?

He's been called into the panel - very early days yet but don't see him playing much of a part in championship this year - one for the future.

[laoislad]

It's Maurice you flute 

Meh simple mistake,not as bad as you not knowing the offside rule 

[ONeill]

Dubs on song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=awwu2JQkRQw

[Bud Wiser]

1) Pat Gilroy - Many thought he was on a hiding to nothing when he took over after a couple of years of humiliating defeats but few could argue he has done a great job. From last years league when they started with ultra defensive tactics to the changes he made throughout last years championship he has done a remarkable job with a reasonably low amount of new players.

2) Bernard Brogan - along with the Gooch the best player in Ireland at present.Unmarkeable last year and seems to be more of a team player this year.

My view is that Gilroy cost Dublin an All-Ireland last year with his impact sub theory. Given the pool of players he has to draw from and the Vodafone Sponsorship to back him I think he is in fact useless because if he wasn't he would acknowledge the glaring mistakes he made last year before expecting the players to do the same.