Dublin GAA Thread

[Donny B.]

Anyone but Dublin..

Hon the Royals!!!!!

Your support is the kiss of death once again.

Meath were poor today but Dublin kept letting them back in the match with a very scratchy performance.

Sad day for sport in Leinster, Ireland, Europe.....and the world!

Glory, glory.......

[cormac]

Perfect win for management today.......well on top and then let them back into it....loads to work on before the next game to guard against complacency. Oh....and Kerry & Donegal fans losing the run of themselves already......steady as she goes there lads...steady as she goes.

That's a very positive spin on things. I'd be more fearful that they've reverted to their old default setting of racing into leads and then downing tools thinking they have the game won. They did it twice yesterday. That combination of laziness and arrogance cost us dear in the past and could cost us again when we come up against a decent team. Also, I thought some of Gilroy's substitutions were a bit odd yesterday.

The standard of opposition has been poor enough so far and I'm hoping it's a case of pacing themselves to peak in Aug/Sep. They were similarly scratchy in the Leinster championship last year but improved when it got down to the ko stages. They can't play Cork or Donegal until the final and they look the two classiest teams left in the Championship. If those two get Kerry on their side of the draw, it could leave Dublin with a reasonably handy path to he final.

[Donny B.]

The standard of opposition has been poor enough so far and I'm hoping it's a case of pacing themselves to peak in Aug/Sep. They were similarly scratchy in the Leinster championship last year but improved when it got down to the ko stages. They can't play Cork or Donegal until the final and they look the two classiest teams left in the Championship. If those two get Kerry on their side of the draw, it could leave Dublin with a reasonably handy path to he final.

True enough. They've learnt from the past that there's no point peaking in July. Draw will be interesting alright.

[nelly the elephant]

Perfect win for management today.......well on top and then let them back into it....loads to work on before the next game to guard against complacency. Oh....and Kerry & Donegal fans losing the run of themselves already......steady as she goes there lads...steady as she goes.

That's a very positive spin on things. I'd be more fearful that they've reverted to their old default setting of racing into leads and then downing tools thinking they have the game won. They did it twice yesterday. That combination of laziness and arrogance cost us dear in the past and could cost us again when we come up against a decent team. Also, I thought some of Gilroy's substitutions were a bit odd yesterday.

Don't get me wrong.....the falloff in the last 20 was scary and needs to be addressed,ergo I'm happy that we won but that there's ZERO chance of complacency from Gilroy and the management team. Re the substitutions, Alan Brogan was a huge loss but it was injury enforced...he took an almighty clatter as he scored a point and received lengthy treatment. He tried to continue but obviously couldn't and was hauled ashore. Bryan Cullen was purely to do with him being bollixed I'd imagine....he was exceptional yesterday, got through a MOUNTAIN of work. Andrews was very poor I'll agree when he came on, Paul Brogan not much better.

[cormac]

What's the story with Ger Brennan? Hauled off before half-time against Wexford and didn't even get a run off the bench yesterday. Is he injured?

[Donny B.]

. Re the substitutions, Alan Brogan was a huge loss but it was injury enforced...he took an almighty clatter as he scored a point and received lengthy treatment. He tried to continue but obviously couldn't and was hauled ashore. Bryan Cullen was purely to do with him being bollixed I'd imagine....he was exceptional yesterday, got through a MOUNTAIN of work. Andrews was very poor I'll agree when he came on, Paul Brogan not much better.

Yeah Brogan was injured and I was delighted with how O'Gara went when he came on, I would have started him in fact. Dias for Cullen was fine but bringing on guys like Paul Brogan and Andrews while leaving Ciaran Kilkenny and Brennan on the bench were odd calls.

[sid]

Meath were hopeless, how did Dublin not win by 10?

On a somewhat related note, I didn't like the IT using "blue magic" in relation to that game. That's a Leinster Rugby slogan, thanks.

[Donny B.]

Meath were hopeless, how did Dublin not win by 10?

They did. If the game was 60 minutes long, which Dublin often believe it is.

[Mickado]

Cork -v- Kildare
Dublin -v- Laois
Down -v- Mayo
Kerry -v- Donegal

That's a good draw for Dublin!

[Donny B.]

Eoghan O'Gara has been drafted into the Dublin starting XV to face Laois in Saturday's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final at Croke Park.

The Templeogue Synge Street clubman is named at left corner forward in place of Kevin Manamon, who was substituted during last month's Leinster final win over Meath. O'Gara scored 1-5 in a man of the match performance against Laois in the Allianz League earlier this year and Dublin fans will be hoping for more of the same against the O'Moore's this weekend.

Current Footballer of the Year Alan Brogan, who was forced to retire after half an hour of the Leinster final with a groin problem and was replaced by O'Gara, has regained full fitness and lines out at centre forward.

Dublin (SF v Laois): Stephen Cluxton; Michael Fitzsimons, Rory O'Carroll, Philly McMahon; James McCarthy, Kevin Nolan, Cian O'Sullivan; Eamonn Fennell, Denis Bastick; Paul Flynn, Alan Brogan, Bryan Cullen; Bernard Brogan, Michael Darragh Macauley, Eoghan O'Gara.

Curious stuff again.

Happy that O'Gara is in, think he's been excellent this season, but wish it had been at the expense of Fennell instead of McManamon, who was cr@p against Meath, but surely has enough in the bank from the games earlier in the season.

[Donny B.]

Laois unchanged from last week.

[nelly the elephant]

Laois unchanged from last week.

We could seriously struggle against them at midfield....I've a feeling MD McAuley will be featuring more around the middle than last time out.

[Donny B.]

Dubs look determined to retain their title with performances that get steadily worse.

The forwards were so disjointed without Al Brogan that they looked like they never met each other before.

Some of Gilroy's subs were odd calls again. Kilkenny is a great prospect but bringing him on before McManamon? And why was Bastick taken off when he was one of the few players playing well, with Fennell anonymous once again.

At this stage they're very lucky Moran will probably be out for Mayo, but even then the Westerners will fancy their chances.

[nelly the elephant]

Dubs look determined to retain their title with performances that get steadily worse.

The forwards were so disjointed without Al Brogan that they looked like they never met each other before.

Some of Gilroy's subs were odd calls again. Kilkenny is a great prospect but bringing him on before McManamon? And why was Bastick taken off when he was one of the few players playing well, with Fennell anonymous once again.

At this stage they're very lucky Moran will probably be out for Mayo, but even then the Westerners will fancy their chances.

I agree with most of that...especially about Brogan senior. He makes us tick and from the off today we were all over the shop. Pure workrate and application got us through,that and some strong performances from our defenders.

The fact we were so bad and Mayo hammered Down will be a blessing hopefully as they may be over confident-their fans certainly are. Big groups of them beside us in the Cusack were singing "BRING on those boys in Blue" long before the end of their game.

[Cianostays]

Mayo were brilliantly clinical in the first half today and, for that alone, deserved to win. I just wished they'd been punished more for cynical fouling at the end. It's terrible to see a player kill the momentum of a potentially game changing moment and get at most a yellow card.

It's a problem in all close Football or Hurling matches though and the GAA should look at tougher punishments to stamp it out.

Mayo vs Donegal should be a great final though

[nelly the elephant]

Mayo were brilliantly clinical in the first half today and, for that alone, deserved to win. I just wished they'd been punished more for cynical fouling at the end. It's terrible to see a player kill the momentum of a potentially game changing moment and get at most a yellow card.

It's a problem in all close Football or Hurling matches though and the GAA should look at tougher punishments to stamp it out.

Mayo vs Donegal should be a great final though

You said it all there Ciano.....the better team won.....but all I got from my 16 year old in the car on the way home was how cynical they were...it's a shame because Mayo were quite brilliant at times today.....and that's the memory he should be taking home. The ten minutes either side of half time they were awesome.....

[sid]

Thought Mayo were really good until Dublin got momentum when O'Gara and McM came on. Once Dublin clicked they looked very dangerous, though whether that was more due to Mayo running out of steam or experiencing a mini capitulation I'm not sure.

How Bernard Brogan managed not to score that goal is beyond me, but equally Mayo had some amazing screwups at the other end. Any of the goal chances would have won the game for either side.

I don't think Dublin fans can have any complaints about Mayo's fouling though. Dublin do it plenty themselves just like most experienced teams. While I only watched it on telly so may not have had as good a view as those of you at the match, I'd have to say some of the stuff from Dublin in the first half was rather unsavoury and in one instance downright thuggish. I'd agree that the ref should have punished Mayo more, but I think he should also have punished Dublin a lot more too.

[Mackman15]

Hate saying it but Gilroy must accept blame, in part, for today's result.
To put a patently unfit Alan Brogan on was a criminal mistake. He would have been just as unfit last night or this morning as he was this afternoon when the call should have been made. To see how Kevin Mc and indeed O'Gara played when the game broke up leads me to the Ibvious conclusion that the 18 minutes where AB was on, were the wasted minutes that could have made all the difference.

I shall say nothing on the subject of the mid field. Mayo did their work well and snuffed them out.

[olaf the fat]

On a plus MDC was brillant today. Mcmen & ogara spiced things up but failed to take handy points at the end.

SAMs going to the northwest this year! Donegal won't take 60 min to start playing

[Donny B.]

Pat Gilroy has apparently resigned as the Dublin Manager.

He made some mistakes this year but overall he made a massive impact in his four years in charge and got us an All Ireland.

Thanks Pat.