pony
Senior Member
Posts: 385
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Post by pony on Nov 25, 2020 14:25:30 GMT
The only way to properly assess the impact of money being spent in Dublin is to do a survey of all 8 to 16 year olds in the country who are playing GAA. If the young players in Dublin are shown to have far greater access to top level coaching, directly as a result of GAA funding, then it can be seen as an unfair advantage. If they are not then we just have to shut up and work at making ourselves better, not worry about money etc in Dublin. Whatever money Dublin get from AIG etc is nobodies business but their own. I would wager that we in Kerry do very very well from Kerry Group and other associations with sponsors etc. Your point on the sponsorship monies is fair enough, and also that Kerry do well from Kerry Group. But that money from Kerry Group, does it go solely to the Kerry senior panel? Or does it go to travel expenses, Currans, Fitzgerald Stadium etc. I'd wager a good chunk of the AIG money goes directly to their senior teams, and that is just AIG money, Connellan pointed out various other sponsors giving huge amounts.
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pony
Senior Member
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Post by pony on Nov 25, 2020 14:26:43 GMT
We are only fooling ourselves regards money & access to facilities; Bryan Cullen is High Performance Manager of Dublin’s “ academy” and has modelled his team on exactly what Leinster rugby have in place having learnt the ropes there for in excess of 4 years. Dublin have a veritable army of paid /trained personnel reporting to & supporting Cullen - 19/20 year olds are not considered for the senior set up until they have achieved specific targets as laid down by the academy. No player makes it into the senior panel until physically ready - hence the seamless transition of McDaid /Bugler into senior ranks. It is highly unlikely that were say Diarmuid O’Connor in the Dublin set up that he would have played senior inter county championship yet - he would have to bide his time with the U-20s and reach certain KPIs - access to money opens up all the benefits professional elite athletes enjoy - this is borne out with Dublin having access to DCU, oxygen chambers for recovery etc - they also can call upon the expertise of professional S & C coaches, physios etc - you name it, they have it - their back room team is comprised of over 30 people all experts in their chosen areas - sprint coaches, specialists in all disciplines. These guys may have been coached by GDAs but their ongoing development is akin to that of professional sports men. Dublin have dominated Leinster to the point that prompted John Connellen’s letter - this domination of the All Ireland championship by Dublin will soon follow their path in Leinster with them reaching double figures in terms of winning All Ireland’s - it will be 6 in a row this year, who is to say by 2025 it won’t be 11 in a row??? God, that's a depressing picture you paint We all just need to "volunteer better"
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Post by greengold35 on Nov 25, 2020 14:36:03 GMT
We are only fooling ourselves regards money & access to facilities; Bryan Cullen is High Performance Manager of Dublin’s “ academy” and has modelled his team on exactly what Leinster rugby have in place having learnt the ropes there for in excess of 4 years. Dublin have a veritable army of paid /trained personnel reporting to & supporting Cullen - 19/20 year olds are not considered for the senior set up until they have achieved specific targets as laid down by the academy. No player makes it into the senior panel until physically ready - hence the seamless transition of McDaid /Bugler into senior ranks. It is highly unlikely that were say Diarmuid O’Connor in the Dublin set up that he would have played senior inter county championship yet - he would have to bide his time with the U-20s and reach certain KPIs - access to money opens up all the benefits professional elite athletes enjoy - this is borne out with Dublin having access to DCU, oxygen chambers for recovery etc - they also can call upon the expertise of professional S & C coaches, physios etc - you name it, they have it - their back room team is comprised of over 30 people all experts in their chosen areas - sprint coaches, specialists in all disciplines. These guys may have been coached by GDAs but their ongoing development is akin to that of professional sports men. Dublin have dominated Leinster to the point that prompted John Connellen’s letter - this domination of the All Ireland championship by Dublin will soon follow their path in Leinster with them reaching double figures in terms of winning All Ireland’s - it will be 6 in a row this year, who is to say by 2025 it won’t be 11 in a row??? God, that's a depressing picture you paint We all just need to "volunteer better" It is indeed depressing but we are no longer on a level playing field in the race for Sam Maguire.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Nov 25, 2020 14:53:28 GMT
There is no such thing as a level playing field.
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 25, 2020 15:57:31 GMT
Imagine using your own money to more or less kill off competition in your own games? Must be the only organisation to ever do so 😄😄 Anytime i need a laugh i will just pull up this post.
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Post by kerry97 on Nov 25, 2020 17:55:50 GMT
Sure they play nearly every match at home in Croke Park.
They are streets ahead for a number of structural reasons that other counties can't emulate. Playing pool , size of the county, level of employment , available facilities and the money to support all of this .Demographics , the structure of the economy ( the dominance of services) and increased urbanisation are against everybody else , save for maybe Cork.
How will Dublin be beaten or stopped ? Easy , professionalism , that's it. Transfers, pay for play , the lot. When we finally get there, and we will get there the real question will be is the County system fit for purpose , will super clubs be the way forward ?......There may be the cash and desire for two teams in Dublin and their maybe no "moneyman" for all the counties with sparse populations that generate little interest.
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Post by john4 on Nov 25, 2020 18:31:39 GMT
What confuses me about Dublin is, with all their professional preparation for championship matches like the Leinster final Saturday evening, that someone in the team organisation cannot see that by absolutely murdering Meath all the way to the final whistle is bringing this conversation about the advantages Dublin right back to the forefront again.
If Dublin pulled up slightly and aim for a winning margin of 5 or 6 points, and made it appear as though the competition is real they'd get away with this for a long time. Consistently beating all other Leinster teams out the gate is not in their long term best interests.
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Post by kerrybhoy06 on Nov 25, 2020 20:34:35 GMT
Anytime i need a laugh i will just pull up this post. Elaborate Michael
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Post by Kerryman Randy Savage on Nov 25, 2020 21:51:13 GMT
What confuses me about Dublin is, with all their professional preparation for championship matches like the Leinster final Saturday evening, that someone in the team organisation cannot see that by absolutely murdering Meath all the way to the final whistle is bringing this conversation about the advantages Dublin right back to the forefront again. If Dublin pulled up slightly and aim for a winning margin of 5 or 6 points, and made it appear as though the competition is real they'd get away with this for a long time. Consistently beating all other Leinster teams out the gate is not in their long term best interests. I was thinking the same myself. Keep about 9 points ahead and that way it doesn't raise as much suspicion. More competitive score but no chance of being sucker punched. Maybe they realise that the GAA, in funding Dublin to monopolise the competition, are hardly going to change anything. When you are getting away with it for so long, you become complacent. It's not Dublin GAA's fault. They took advantage of a mechanism with no oversight, every county board would do the same. This is 100% the GAA HQ balls up.
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 25, 2020 21:58:28 GMT
Anytime i need a laugh i will just pull up this post. Elaborate Michael You made me laugh. Hope thats still allowed in 2020.
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Post by kerrybhoy06 on Nov 25, 2020 22:01:56 GMT
You made me laugh. Hope thats still allowed in 2020. It is, I was more asking whether you disagreed with what I was saying?
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 25, 2020 22:04:55 GMT
You made me laugh. Hope thats still allowed in 2020. It is, I was more asking whether you disagreed with what I was saying? I did
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Post by kerrybhoy06 on Nov 25, 2020 22:19:57 GMT
It is, I was more asking whether you disagreed with what I was saying? I did Do you don’t think the GAA has killed competition in the Leinster championship & more or less in the All Ireland championship by pumping loads of money into Dublin? The amount of money pumped in, relative to other counties, and the results would disagree
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Post by Ard Mhacha on Nov 25, 2020 22:52:41 GMT
Why dont the other counties grow a pair and simply refuse to play Dublin. Look at how quickly the GAA rolled over when they realised Newbridgeornowhere was actually serious. Yes, but they then put protocols in place to make sure that sort of thing never happens again.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2020 23:11:41 GMT
Do you don’t think the GAA has killed competition in the Leinster championship & more or less in the All Ireland championship by pumping loads of money into Dublin? The amount of money pumped in, relative to other counties, and the results would disagree Mick has been raising the issue of Dublin finance in this forum for years so doubt he thinks that somehow
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 25, 2020 23:24:35 GMT
It is, I was more asking whether you disagreed with what I was saying? I did Typo above. Sorry. I don't disagree with what kerrybhoy06 was saying. I thought his pithy summing up of the situation, reproduced below was spot on and hilarious actually. Imagine using your own money to more or less kill off competition in your own games? Must be the only organisation to ever do so
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Post by kerrybhoy06 on Nov 26, 2020 8:33:51 GMT
Typo above. Sorry. I don't disagree with what kerrybhoy06 was saying. I thought his pithy summing up of the situation, reproduced below was spot on and hilarious actually. Imagine using your own money to more or less kill off competition in your own games? Must be the only organisation to ever do soI was wondering, because my memory was also that you had been regularly pointing out the inequity with Gaa funding
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Post by jackiel on Nov 26, 2020 21:29:23 GMT
Having sat through many of Dublin's hammerings of teams over the past 8 years, my feeling on Saturday was that they actually did let the gas off against Meath. They could have beaten them by as much again if they were really pushing themselves.
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 26, 2020 22:08:00 GMT
Consent
GAA
Dublin scheme victim of its own success Former GAA president O'Neill explains how helping out capital in hour of need has created new problem
Conor McKeon
November 24 2020 02:30 AM Liam O'Neill remembers at time when Dublin posed a problem of a different kind for Croke Park.
"The thing that was being thrown at us then was that we were letting Dublin slip off the radar," the former GAA President recalls of his time as Leinster Council's games development chairperson, just after the turn of the century.
"It was said that the GAA needed a strong Dublin. We were lambasted because Dublin were slipping off the map. And we addressed it.
"But," he goes on, "the difficulty with development at any level in any organisation is: you plug one gap and another one opens.
"So if we hadn't been successful in helping Dublin, if we hadn't backed them and they slipped further, we would have been absolutely lambasted for that.
"Now the GAA are being criticised because of their success. And it's an amazing turn of events.
Solved
"There was a problem. It was addressed. It was solved. Now it's too successful. And now it's seen as a different kind of problem."
Sunday may have been a soothing balm for Saturday's sores as far as the viability of the provincial championships are concerned, but the scars will take time to heal.
Even in a pandemic, with no crowds and minimal income, the Leinster football championship seems like Croke Park's biggest problem.
A 21-point hammering of Meath, a Division 1 team this spring, in the Leinster final suggests the issue of Dublin's imperial dominance over the province isn't simply going to work itself out.
Not when the average age of the Dublin team on the night, minus Stephen Cluxton, was just over 26 and a half years.
"People want knee-jerk solutions to everything," O'Neill points out.
"And if this was easy to solve, it would have been solved before now. And if money could solve our problems in the GAA, we'd have solved them long ago."
The issue of money is a recurring one. Dublin's ability to generate commercial revenue far outstrips any of their rival counties, but it's the allocation of development funding from Croke Park that draws greatest scrutiny.
"You can use statistics any way you like," O'Neill says.
"But you don't need the same number of coaching people in Laois or Carlow as you do in Dublin. You just don't know.
"The numbers don't stack up."
In 2016, O'Neill was put in charge of the 'East Leinster Project' which saw an extra €1.5m for an initial three years for coaching and games development projects in the main commuter counties outside Dublin.
The additional funding from central level was agreed for Louth, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow to put more coaches on the ground in an effort to cater for the rapid population growth in those areas.
"In some ways, it was a victim of its own success," O'Neill explains.
"We got great people in. But what happens then is other people come looking for them. So there was a turnover.
"So the fact that idea was good mitigated against it being more successful in the long run. That's the way things are with development."
It should be noted in any debate about the state of football in Leinster that only three of the other 10 teams in Leinster actually have to play Dublin in a given year.
And the collective records of Leinster counties in the qualifiers is poor.
It's now over a decade since another Leinster team has appeared in an All-Ireland semi-final, Kieran McGeeney's Kildare in 2010.
And other than Kildare in 2013, '14 and '18, only Laois, Westmeath and Meath have spent any time in Division 1 of the league in the past decade and even then, for only a single season apiece.
"What happens in every walk of life is because things are going OK, people get numbed into this sense that things will always be OK. You have to change. You have to try new things," O'Neill stresses.
"What we have to do - and this is something our politicians failed to do and the Catholic church failed to do - we must ask our membership.
"We need more people to start a debate," he adds.
"I think there is an appetite in the province now to address it.
"And there are a lot of things being done. But at the moment, that gap doesn't seem fillable."
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 26, 2020 22:14:19 GMT
When you hear ex president calling for a debate about Dublin, how long will it take, to misquote Brendan Behan, for "the split" to be on the Agenda.
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Post by Ballyfireside on Nov 27, 2020 1:44:34 GMT
Having sat through many of Dublin's hammerings of teams over the past 8 years, my feeling on Saturday was that they actually did let the gas off against Meath. They could have beaten them by as much again if they were really pushing themselves. Don't know if you were there but from TV I thought Dublin look to have come on more in physicality this year than after other lay offs - peak physicality, will Cavan give them the chance to prove it; they might prove something else?
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dart
Senior Member
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Post by dart on Nov 27, 2020 8:33:28 GMT
When you hear ex president calling for a debate about Dublin, how long will it take, to misquote Brendan Behan, for "the split" to be on the Agenda. Dublin is big enough to be a fifth province.
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Post by jackiel on Nov 27, 2020 10:19:32 GMT
Having sat through many of Dublin's hammerings of teams over the past 8 years, my feeling on Saturday was that they actually did let the gas off against Meath. They could have beaten them by as much again if they were really pushing themselves. Don't know if you were there but from TV I thought Dublin look to have come on more in physicality this year than after other lay offs - peak physicality, will Cavan give them the chance to prove it; they might prove something else? Not a sniff of getting near Croke Park this year unfortunately. I think you're right, they were all keeping busy and training away during the shutdown, when they got back with clubs they enjoyed it more than other years by all accounts. They were part of the club setup from the start of the resumed season rather than coming back after winning an AI as in other years. Not sure that the "Dessie" factor means a lot, the raw material is there regardless of who's in charge.
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kerryexile
Fanatical Member
Whether you believe that you can, or that you can't, you are right anyway.
Posts: 1,108
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Post by kerryexile on Nov 27, 2020 11:34:53 GMT
I am not giving an opinion here, just shining a light on the bigger picture.
The GAA has to take the macro perspective. In Dublin they are competing with Soccer and Rugby and a myriad of other sports and activities. GAA and Rugby are thriving and living in harmony. Soccer is at a low ebb. The international team is in free fall and in spite of all the huffing and puffing about an odd teams scraping a result in Europe, Irish clubs are boxing away below their weight. Countries like Israel, Cyprus, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Slovenia regularly get teams into the group stages of the Champions League. Ireland never has.
We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We don't want a scenario in ten years time where Dublin North and Dublin South are both beaten in the first round of Leinster while Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus are regular visitors to a packed Lansdowne Road. Two can live in harmony, three might prove to be a crowd.
Which training camp would a 10 year old want to go to in such a scenario?
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kot
Fanatical Member
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Post by kot on Nov 27, 2020 12:02:36 GMT
I am not giving an opinion here, just shining a light on the bigger picture. The GAA has to take the macro perspective. In Dublin they are competing with Soccer and Rugby and a myriad of other sports and activities. GAA and Rugby are thriving and living in harmony. Soccer is at a low ebb. The international team is in free fall and in spite of all the huffing and puffing about an odd teams scraping a result in Europe, Irish clubs are boxing away below their weight. Countries like Israel, Cyprus, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Slovenia regularly get teams into the group stages of the Champions League. Ireland never has. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We don't want a scenario in ten years time where Dublin North and Dublin South are both beaten in the first round of Leinster while Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus are regular visitors to a packed Lansdowne Road. Two can live in harmony, three might prove to be a crowd. Which training camp would a 10 year old want to go to in such a scenario? I don't buy that. Dublin has always, ALWAYS been competing with those sports. And no more than Cork / Limerick / Galway have but with a much larger pool of population. Dublin have full time CEOs, managing directors, coaches you name it. Aside from the questionable logic that it was deemed they needed saving because they went 6 years without a provincial title, they were saved. And some. Why on earth have the GAA top brass who deemed the need to act so quickly back then buried their heads in the sand and not even acknowledged there is a problem now that has got away from them? Cue Jarlath Burns making some comparison between Dublin & Some Armagh Junior C Hurling team that had some success to justify and explain the widening chasm over the last 10 years. You could freeze all central funding from the GAA to Dublin tomorrow for the next 10 years and distribute to the other counties, it would barely make a start on closing the gap. Dublin, wit their marketing & internal fundraising, would still mean operate more in the black than all other counties. And they would still be winning All-Irelands. And the game would still be thriving up there. The formative years after minor when young boys become men is where their advantages in terms of a professional full time set up comes to bear fruit. Other counties just don't have it, so can compete with them up until they become adults and then they have all the facilities to become the David Beckham's & Cristiano Ronaldo's of Gaelic Football where the rest become of the counties are littered with Mark Kennedy's. (Sorry Mark!)
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 27, 2020 12:08:31 GMT
There was an article last winter in the paper where teams from North Dublin and South Dublin were picked. Darren Daly with his 7 All Ireland medals wasnt in the first 15 on the North Dublin team.
Maybe that why he retired!
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Post by Ballyfireside on Nov 27, 2020 18:30:15 GMT
I am not giving an opinion here, just shining a light on the bigger picture. The GAA has to take the macro perspective. In Dublin they are competing with Soccer and Rugby and a myriad of other sports and activities. GAA and Rugby are thriving and living in harmony. Soccer is at a low ebb. The international team is in free fall and in spite of all the huffing and puffing about an odd teams scraping a result in Europe, Irish clubs are boxing away below their weight. Countries like Israel, Cyprus, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Slovenia regularly get teams into the group stages of the Champions League. Ireland never has. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We don't want a scenario in ten years time where Dublin North and Dublin South are both beaten in the first round of Leinster while Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus are regular visitors to a packed Lansdowne Road. Two can live in harmony, three might prove to be a crowd. Which training camp would a 10 year old want to go to in such a scenario? That's a good standpoint and add in other city county too, Dublin would need to be split into about 4 I think for the parts to be the size of the next biggest city county, and if there is any splitting that's what should be done, but then everyone will and rightfully want equality of population - and which is why it will never start. And yes, any splitting would mean that there would be years when all Dublin split teams would be knocked out in the first round. In fact all age levels of Dublin teams would be split so you can imagine the uproar, camogie, ladies, hurlers - 1/2 of the GAA population would be our marching. Looking at my own plan again I think it is the best of the imperfect options open.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Nov 27, 2020 19:06:58 GMT
I'm blue from saying this but Dublin don't even field a Junior team.
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 28, 2020 10:12:49 GMT
Consent
Gaelic Football
Premium
Leinster's 10 'sick children' need real help not empty lectures about working harder
Tomás Ó Se
Expert View
November 28 2020 02:30 AM "Oh my God, we are all wrecked here. We kicked every ball. We will never forget the fun we've had inside in the house today, screaming, shouting and kicking. It was like a battlefield in the living-room!"
That's the gist of a message I got back last Sunday night having texted my congratulations on their Ulster final win to a member of a fanatical GAA family in Arvagh, Co Cavan.
It left me smiling in how it encapsulated so perfectly just how blessed we have been to have a championship that survived Covid. For a neutral, I doubt there's ever been a more memorable GAA day in our lives. It was a day that flew beyond the normal energies we associate with winners and losers.
For that, we should give thanks to the footballers of Tipperary and Cavan. They reminded us that there is still life in the underdog if they choose audacity over caution.
Remember, Donegal were 1/14 with the bookies to win that Ulster final and, hand on heart, I didn't know what to make of Cavan going into that game.
Blood
How the hell could you hold out hope for a team that had gone 10 points behind against Down? "We smelt blood in the second half," Mickey Graham said after that win.
And I couldn't help myself on The Sunday Game but ask: "Well, I'd love to know what the hell they were smelling in the first half!"
I sent Mickey a text on Sunday night, congratulating him on the win. And his response was: "Tomás, it's unbelievable what you can achieve when players leave everything on the pitch."
He's right too, but only to a point.
Like I honestly don't know if it's down to the fact that this has been a championship without a safety net, but the straight knockout structure seems to have emboldened the underdog.
So Sunday was just a phenomenal day and driving out of Páirc Uí Chaoimh - our broadcast over - I felt only a sense of privilege at being witness to two remarkable stories.
But is it suddenly a compelling argument for retaining the provincial championships? No, categorically it isn't. One win in 85 years for Tipperary and two in 51 years for Cavan? No, sorry, what we've witnessed here is just a disruption of the natural order.
And let's be brutally honest here.
Yes, Tipp are worthy Munster champions. Yes, Cork deservedly beat Kerry. But, hand on heart, we all know that Kerry are still the best team in Munster.
That isn't sour grapes. Kerry made a mess of this championship and, quite rightly, paid the price. And the so-called 'animals' in Kerry are left wondering why Peter Keane dispensed with the only proven coach of senior inter-county experience that he had at his disposal. But the Kingdom have won nine of the last 10 Munster titles and any bookie putting up odds for 2021 would have them strong favourites to win again next year.
Which brings us to the elephant in the room. Otherwise known as Leinster.
That open letter to the GAA written by ex-Westmeath footballer John Connellan was one of the most powerful things I've read in a long time. And its power came from its clarity.
Alan Farrell of Laois. Photo: Sportsfile 5 Alan Farrell of Laois. Photo: Sportsfile
This wasn't some angry rant from a man bristling with resentments. It was factual, unemotional and, most importantly, respectful of Dublin's success over the last 10 years especially. But it directed an almost surgical light too on the glaring financial and human inequities now shaping a Leinster Championship that is plainly no longer fit for purpose.
Dublin were the 'sick child' of the GAA back in '03 when a committee was established to "rescue" GAA in the city. And the success of that committee has left us with the runaway train that is Dublin football today.
Yes, you can argue that some of these Dublin players are once-in-a-generation players. Men like Stephen Cluxton, Brian Fenton, James McCarthy and Ciarán Kilkenny specifically. I've also argued that they've managed a perfect storm in terms of leadership, through the phenomenal management skills of Pat Gilroy, Jim Gavin and, now, Dessie Farrell.
But Dublin have their house in order today to the extent that it's become increasingly clear that they have left behind 10 "sick children" in the province.
For that, they deserve enormous credit, but one statistic jumped out to me from Connellan's letter.
It was the one identifying central funding figures received for coaching and development in each county per club registered player between 2010 and 2014. Tyrone received €21 per player. Kerry? €19. Mayo? Just over €22. And Dublin? €270.70 per player.
Think about that.
I read a suggestion last week that Kerry had an open tap to big money of their own and I can see where that misconception rises. I was part of a massive night in New York maybe six or seven years ago which raised a million euro.
But nothing remotely comparable has happened since and, let's be honest, that occasion was essentially to help fund the new centre of excellence in Currans. A magnificent facility that now requires major funding for simple maintenance.
Meanwhile, Dublin have more than 70 games development officers while there are six in the whole of county Cork. That imbalance is indefensible.
Let me be clear on something here. The current Dublin senior team is the one I like most to watch in the game today. I admire everything about them, their work-rate, their humility, their desire to constantly improve.
But their 10th successive Leinster title came on the back of a 21-point annihilation of a team that was playing Division 1 football in the league. And it looked as if they barely had to leave second gear to secure it.
Now this isn't an issue they are deaf to in Croke Park. Former president Liam O'Neill made that crystal clear in his comments to Tuesday's Irish Independent.
It's four years since O'Neill was put in charge of the 'East Leinster Project', an additional investment of €1.5 million for an initial three years into the main commuter counties outside Dublin, essentially to put more coaches on the ground in Louth, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
"If this was easy to solve, it would have been solved before now," O'Neill observed. And I don't doubt that he is right.
Before we even get to central funding, Dublin's ability to generate commercial revenue (€8 million over the last decade) probably outpaces the 10 other Leinster counties combined. So, contrary to what some imply, Croke Park are intensely aware that this is an issue in need of addressing.
The tricky question is how?
I genuinely think Connellan's open letter might just prove a tipping point now.
It is incredibly powerful in its depiction of the groaning imbalance in Leinster, specifically the idea of him and his Westmeath colleagues willingly handing over €35 to buy O'Neill's leisure shorts before the 2016 provincial final at a time their opponents were being courted by other gear manufacturers to become their official suppliers.
Connellan articulates a simmering frustration that, I suspect, is about to become more audible now that he's put his head above the parapet.
Sentiment
This isn't an anti-Dublin sentiment and Connellan's letter makes that crystal clear. It's a plea for players from the 10 other Leinster counties to have some kind of meaningful shot at success, rather than face empty lectures about needing to "train harder and believe more".
Connellan uses the line about "sending hugely committed and talented footballers out to run in a race in which they are starting 200 metres behind the eventual winner". And that, I imagine, sums up perfectly how so many Leinster footballers feel.
The truth is that even Dublin look a little embarrassed now when winning Leinster titles. The presentation feels joyless. I wouldn't say they look embarrassed, but it's not far away from seeming that way.
On a separate issue, this championship has surely called into question the need for what has become an almost obligatory eight-month physical preparation for inter-county championship.
It has also, hopefully, highlighted the folly of teams becoming lost so deep in systems they all but forget to go out and play.
The stories of Tipp and Cavan surely prove that you've got to come out with an ambition to win as distinct from a commitment not to be taken apart.
In both cases, their attitude was refreshing.
But, let's be honest, we know who will win the All-Ireland now. I can't see anyone coming within eight or nine points of the Dubs, but it's up to Cavan and either Mayo or Tipperary to prove me wrong on that.
As for Leinster?
Meath scored seven goals against Wicklow, yet lost the Leinster final by the equivalent of seven goals. What message does that send to Wicklow's players for 2021?
As to the upcoming semi-finals, I can see the argument that these games should, ordinarily, get the respect of being played in Croke Park. But the point I was making last week is that the venue then puts Dublin's opponents at a significant disadvantage. And in this unique year - with no requirement to facilitate a huge attendance - is it not accordingly a unique opportunity to redress that balance?
Personally, I always loved playing in Croke Park. Someone told me recently that I played 37 championship games there and that figure genuinely surprised me. But I never considered the venue an advantage to Dublin when we played them, albeit - back then - they weren't as dominant a force.
Today, I suspect so many teams are already beaten before they even leave the dressing-room when they play Dublin in Croke Park. There's almost a psychological timidity to how they face the challenge.
And, to some degree, you can almost see why. Dublin have such a sense of ownership around the place the way they always get to warm-up in front of the Hill and use the same dressing-room.
If it's not meant to give them home advantage, why should they have that privilege?
Look, I can see how this is beginning to sound like an anti-Dublin column and, honestly, that's not my intention. I just feel that their dominance is the sub-plot to last weekend's romance. The cold sense of certainty about what's coming now.
As Connellan puts it, "They deserve nothing other than enormous credit" for their success. But, right now, it's beginning to feel as if they exist in a parallel world to the rest of Leinster.
And that's no good for anyone.
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 28, 2020 10:47:01 GMT
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Jim McGuinness about an hour ago 1
In 2015 on these pages, I outlined my idea for an alternative All-Ireland championship, based on national rankings, which I believe would allow all county teams in the country to perform on a fair playing field. It was a modest proposal and in the seasons since, nothing has changed except that the Leinster championship is in ruins and the gap between Dublin and all other teams would appear to be widening at an alarming rate.
Within the context of last weekend’s Leinster final, it was a complete performance by Dublin against Meath. We were looking for a chink in the armour or a hangover. None of that is in plain sight. If anything, they look more streamlined and efficient and ruthless in every aspect of play. They work like dogs and are ravenous for the ball. There are very few areas where they don’t have absolute control over the game plan. They have refreshed the team with younger players whom Dessie Farrell knows and their bench is, once again, stacked with menace and experience and, lets be frank, brilliance.
And it is self perpetuating. Within the city, the Dublin team has become a cultural force. The jersey is trendy and family friendly and their popularity is huge. If Donegal, post their Ulster final performance are in an uncertain place and Kerry also have questions to answer, then we must ask if there is even a true competition out there right now? Or are we deluding ourselves?
I believe for the first time there is genuine concern in Kerry that their old rivals might be moving out of their reach. That the gap is getting bigger and may be there to stay. Behind Kerry are teams who have known big successes, like Tyrone and Galway and Mayo and Donegal. And they, too, to my mind, can see the writing on the wall.
It is almost incredible, therefore, to think that in 2003 there was a committee established under Seán Kelly’s presidency to ‘rescue’ Dublin football. The idea seems laughable now. The question arises: what did it need rescuing from? It was only eight years since their previous All-Ireland title and they had won three of the previous 10 Leinster titles too. Did it need to be rescued from the spectre of Meath and Offaly and Westmeath winning provincial titles? If so, the mission was a success; 15 out of 16 of the last Leinster championships have gone to Dublin. Was it rescued from its own under achievement or was it from the threat presented by the burgeoning popularity of rugby and soccer?
Many people read the open letter this week from the Westmeath player John Connellan. I hope its substance is under serious consideration from those within the GAA. I think it is poignant because it came from a player and one who has been on the receiving end of this Dublin juggernaut. It forces people to at least sit up and listen and, hopefully to provide an answer – which hasn’t been the case up to now.
John is saying that players within Leinster are being robbed of meaningful intercounty careers. That is a very strong statement, to my mind. But look at Leinster and then compare it to the other provinces. Games in Ulster or Connacht are meaningful, whether you win or lose. But Leinster is meaningless because the ultimate outcome has now become inevitable.
So his conclusion is that Leinster football is not only dying, it is already dead: He is calling for equal funding and significant changes, which he doesn’t believe will happen. And in that case, he is calling for county boards to boycott the competition. It is a hugely significant stance. The numbers he cites do not lie: Dublin received central funding of €16.6 million from 2007-2017. Not to mention the added €8 million from AIG over the past decade – and other official sponsorship deals. Per registered player the funding to Mayo was €21 and Kerry €19 while in Dublin the figure is €270. That leads to an obvious question: why is a Dublin player valued at a multiple of 13 or 14 to players from other counties?
It has come full circle. The Leinster championship now needs rescuing from Dublin.
I want to make it clear that Dublin have done nothing wrong. Nothing. They have simply got their house in order. All the Dubs see is that they train their socks off, compete hard and win. So it is impossible for them to see the unfairness of this. But the disparity is huge.
It comes down to player development and overall fairness. It doesn’t matter whether you are 12 years old today in Westmeath or Dublin: you should have the same opportunity to develop as a footballer. You must have the same exposure to high performance processes. So a high performance national standard must be set by the GAA and then rolled out. There should be a high performance director in each county. Whether it is Dublin or Leitrim, the child should have the exact same experience.
You can’t have the areas with the highest populations enjoying all the resources and amenities and funding as well as the pick of kids. It simply won’t work. There is a reason why St Mirren aren’t favourites to win the Scottish Premiership every year. And why Celtic and Rangers are. Its because they are the biggest clubs with the most money. John Connellan didn’t sit down to pen a letter out of sour grapes. It’s because in 15 years time he knows that Dublin will have won 29 out of 30 Leinster titles. And by shining a light on Leinster, you are projecting what will happen on the national stage. Go back to Scotland. Who has won the Premiership outside the big two? No club since Aberdeen 36 years ago- and there is nothing to suggest that is going to change.
It won’t be simple or easy to turn this around. This is going to take a radical intervention and we may have to wait five plus years to see any change. Like, the Dublin project is only beginning to function on a streamlined level now. They still have Stephen Cluxton who can remember what it is like to be hammered in Croke Park. One day soon, no Dublin player will know that experience.
It is vital that all counties have access to those same high performance standards for development and that will require serious financial investment by the GAA in ALL other counties. There can’t be a difference. Otherwise the competition is not fair.
In the meantime, the GAA has the power to reimagine its competitions and breathe new life into them – and therefore restore hope within counties. Players, teams and coaches need to feel as if they are working towards something. At the minute, you play the national league as a preparation for the championship. You play the provincial championship and you, in most cases, get knocked out. And fundamentally, that is it. The oxygen is gone and you limp out of the qualifiers.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. I firmly believe that the competition structure outlined on these pages can completely revolutionise the championship experience for all counties. Ultimately, it would mean diverging into two All-Ireland competitions: the traditional Sam Maguire competition featuring the top 16 ranked teams and a distinct competition featuring county teams ranked 17 to 32.
I would call these the All-Ireland playoffs and rather than ‘tiers’ which denotes decreasing scales of importance, I would call them ‘brackets’. And the playoffs featuring teams ranked 17-32 must be given the same prominence, with all games taking place before Sam Maguire games. This includes games scheduled for Croke Park and both All-Irelands take place as one national occasion.
Top 16 rankings are based on league placing plus the four provincial championship winners. So you retain the provincial titles – and this winter has proven beyond doubt that it would be crazy to do away with those competitions. But even those counties who are in the lower ranks of the league and get knocked out of their provincial championship get to play in a real competition.
The GAA must insist on serious sponsorship, on televised games and, crucially, in playing those games on the same ticket as Sam Maguire games. In each bracket, team one would play team 16, team two play 15 and so on. And teams could toss for home venue. So you could have a scenario where Dublin, ranked number one, draws maybe a team like Armagh, loses the home toss and has to go to the Athletic Grounds. They may get caught. But so what? Isn’t that the beauty of it?
But I have no worries about the Sam Maguire contest. The real importance, if the GAA is serious about making the All-Ireland fair, lies in the promotion and investment of time and purpose in the other bracket. It’s crucial that the county teams who have been also-rans for a century are made to feel as if they matter.
Don’t tell me that counties playing in Croke Park in an All-Ireland final in front of 80,000 people won’t buy into that concept. And if there is a row over tickets: tough. And watch the competitiveness surge. Watch the brilliant games. Watch the standard improve.
Why this doesn’t make common sense to the powers that be is beyond me. Look at Galway, who did really well in the league this year. Under this system, they would earn a high seeding. Equally Cavan were relegated to Division 3 but because they won the Ulster title, they would be back in the Sam Maguire playoff competition.
So it gives teams hope. It connects all competitions and allows the second bracket teams to try and win what would be a real All-Ireland championship- and cement their place in the Sam Maguire bracket the following year.
So rolling out a proper national coaching and strength and conditioning plan is an absolute if this cherished intercounty game is to thrive going forward. But let’s show a bit of boldness and imagination and breathe new life and opportunity into this.
What’s seldom is wonderful and one of the reasons why the Tipperary story is so emotive is that they have to go back to 1935 to their last big day in Munster. They shouldn’t have to wait as long again for their next. The GAA needs to radically rethink the direction of Gaelic football if they want to be able to look people in the eye and say that it’s a game for everyone.
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