So realistically who would you put as the top team to wrestle Sam away from the Dubs in 2019 and put a halt to the historic drive for 5 convoy.

Just a few of my own opinions below.

Tyrone have progressed and they gave Dublin plenty to think about up in Omagh. They are capable of hurting Dublin if Dublin drop their intensity, but the same old problems are still evident. Poor wides, lack of forward options and currently just not adventurous enough to beat Dublin. MH needs to overhaul his approach, They still have room to improve and perhaps learned a thing or two this year but it still looks very difficult for them to progress enough in time to stop Dublin. Although I fully expect to see Tyrone beating most teams in 2019. Out of all the top sides they'd be right up there as having the best chance but still a big ask.

Galway were off the pace when it really mattered, a very poor performance at home against Monaghan and they couldn't live with Dublin in HQ over 70+ minutes. I can't see them progressing enough and they may just have a revitalized Mayo side to cause them plenty of trouble on their way. There's still the chance of progressing further in 2019 but I don't see them getting to the place where they can beat Dublin.

Kerry with Keane now in place have lots of scope to improve after what was a poor 2018 for them. They still look very light at the back, overly reliant on DC up front in 2018 and Keane wants to play football and play to Kerry's strengths but that could leave them even further exposed back there. It's now a very young panel and out of all the top counties the least experienced. They've had a number of stabilizing and influential retirements and for me they are still a few more seasons away. I'd question just how good Kerry's minor teams were considering the complete lack of success outside of the minor grade for those Kerry teams (even with a top manager such as JOC in place) I think the top counties were targeting development to peak at U21/U20 making life much harder for Kerry as those same players found out. Still plenty of questions left to answer for Kerry and if I'm honest I'd be confident in Dublin beating them. It would be a truly great achievement for Keane to progress that young team to a point where they could beat Dublin (probably twice in the one Championship season) to halt Dublin's historic achievement.

Monaghan had a good and bad 2018, very poor performances against Fermanagh (a game that a team with AI hopes shouldn't be losing) and a baffling tactical naivety against Tyrone for large parts left me really questioning their credentials in order to be good enough to beat Dublin, still room to improve but the gap is too wide for me to witness Monaghan being the team to stop Dublin. I still expect them to have a solid 2019 and no top team will relish the opportunity of playing Monaghan.

Mayo now with Horan back opens up a few questions. Will Horan try and get the best out of an aging panel and go for one more big push or does he have a longterm plan in mind to get Mayo back to the very top table. Mayo for me currently have a shallow panel, a couple of injuries to key men was hugely detrimental in 2018. Parsons injury in particular was just a brutal moment and there's no guarantees he'll even play much ball next season. Horan needs to strengthen their options. It will be interesting to see but as it stands I'd probably give Mayo an outside chance to stop Dublin but even at that it will take a monumental one last push effort, Horan had some of the best Mayo players of all time in their prime when he first had them back in 2011. A lot of mileage since then.

All in all..

If Dublin can remain as hungry and committed history is there to be made. I think there's room for improvement within the current Dubs panel and from a playing personnel stand point I can see Dublin being a better version compared to 2018.

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 05/11/2018 11:47:31    2149622

Ahem!

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9116 - 05/11/2018 12:46:00    2149637

Probably only Dublin can stop Dublin from winning 5 in a row...a drop in intensity or getting carried away with the hype that is going to surround the drive for 5...sadly for the test of us this Dublin team don't seem to get phased by hype which is all down to Jim Gavin in my opinion. Even injuries and they have players that can seemlessly slot in...it's a machine that shows no sign of stopping soon.

I believe Next year will be too soon for Kerry but they could take over from Dublin as the dominant team eventually.

As for Mayo....we live in hope....the bandwagon will be in full swing again next year but I wouldn't put money on us.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 05/11/2018 12:55:46    2149641

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 05/11/2018 13:08:19    2149644

Graham Reilly's Meath.

gaelicgab (USA) - Posts: 878 - 05/11/2018 13:09:16    2149645

Dublin can be beaten by Kerry, Galway or Tyrone but they would need to be on an off day and the opposition would need to be taking goal chances.

In All Ire Semi Galway could should have 3 goals scored in that spell around the missed penalty, Comers miss and Comers goal. You cannot miss these chances against Dublin. Dublin may still have won (comfortable) but goals rock teams, ask questions, draw teams out of shape.

For all the talk about S&C of the Dublin team their skill level and accuracy when shooting is unbelievable.

From our (Galway) point of view, we need to unearth a few new players this season to push on. We have Silke and Mcdaid returning from their travels and they are serious players. Hopefully one or two young lads will make the jump. There are 4 or 5 that have huge potential but John Daly, Dylan Wall, Evan Murphy and Mulkerrins. Can any of them make the step up. You never really know until they do it.

Mayonman (Galway) - Posts: 1826 - 05/11/2018 13:22:43    2149650

No team!

shoulderghost (Limerick) - Posts: 863 - 05/11/2018 13:42:55    2149654

A string of teams could beat Dublin, Galway, Mayo, Donegal, Tyrone, Kildare, Monhaghan, Kerry.

Some of those teams will have a fresh approach next year under new management, some have supreme youth that will be augmented and added to.

Galway: will build on an exceptional year of getting to a league final and only drawing Dublin in the semi they would have likely contested a final. McDaid and Silke are returning and are seriously players, while Galway have good underage coming through.

Mayo: will be a different animal next year all the experience, rested, a new open expansive philosophy under Horan and the freshness that goes with that. The hipoe will be unearthing some new talent also.

Donegal: very underrated in my opinion, some of the best players in Ireland in Murphy, McHugh, EBG, Thompson and Murphey and McBrearty. More then put it up to Dublin in games last year and were very unlucky in the draw for the S8's.

Tyrone: All Ireland finalists, there or there abouts every year, if they can perfect their new system they will be a threat.

Kildare: Still maintain they are a top outfit, they utterly dominated the U20 championship this year making light work of almost everyone. Have an absolute super star in Hyland coming through in addition to other players on that team to add to an already capable All Ireland quarterfinal squad.

Monaghan, when are they not capable, will hope to build on a superb 2018.

Kerry: have one foot in the S8's already coming out of Munster so will always be confident. Have a dream forward line and a couple of players in Clifford and O Shea making most inter county teams. New manager so will be hopeful, they need a defensive system and a couple of midfielders in my opinion but always a threat. I think the GAA will try and push the Dublin Vs Kerry narrative next year its hugely marketable.

The thing about the above is its all a moving a target and we are judging things on how they were in 2018. In reality if you stand still you are left behind.

Dublin evolve every year and will bring something different next year, in tactics and set up if you watched the game Vs he underdogs Dublin never made more then two hand passes, i think they are well into preparation for the new rule. Dublin gave 7 championship debuts last year, i expect some of those lads to kick on through the league. I would also be confident of a field of potential 8 new players being in contention through the O Byrne cup, aiming for league mins and breaking the panel. As Scully, Murch, Howard and a few others have proven in recent years if you can prove yourself through this pathway you can crack the squad and team. Hopefully Bernard and Diarmuid Connolly can be added to the panel this year as well.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 05/11/2018 14:02:23    2149661

Who can stop Dublin ? Well, in my opinion, there are four teams capable and they are Mayo, Kerry, Tyrone and Donegal (in that order). The rest …….. No hopers.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 05/11/2018 14:52:38    2149668

It's hard to see Dublin being beaten at this stage but then again Kerry were nailed on to win the 5 in a row back in 82 and you could say the same about Kilkenny in 2010 (although Tipperary were a serious threat and them winning was no real shock).

Thing is any team, no matter how great, can have an off day and Dublin are no different, there's no certainties in sport.

Anyway it'll probably be Meath who stops the Dubs, after all it was us who put them on the path to success in 2010, we're still waiting for that thank you card btw!

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 05/11/2018 15:29:26    2149679

Tyrone definitely have the quality to beat Dublin, but I am not sure if Mickey Heart is the right man anymore to do that

allfermanagh (Fermanagh) - Posts: 77 - 05/11/2018 15:44:43    2149682

Difficult to say. The best of the rest were a good way off this year and Dublin cruised to the title, it could well be the same next year.

An off day, an early sending off or a couple of injuries to key players could see them beaten. They will lose some day, and when it happens it will be a shock.

Mayo, Galway, Tyrone, Kerry, Donegal and Monaghan and possibly Kildare with further improvement should all go in to a game v Dublin with hope of beating them. They would need to improve on 2018 obviously.

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 05/11/2018 16:02:27    2149686

The_DOC (Galway) - Posts: 705 - 05/11/2018 16:20:26    2149687

Nobody will get near Dublin in 2019 with the way things are structured at the moment.

What I think may well happen after winning five in a row is that both Jim Gavin & Stephen Cluxton will call it a day & then things will get interesting as both Jim & Stephen are the heart, soul & brains of the present setup & their going will inevitabley take some getting used to.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 05/11/2018 16:38:31    2149691

greysoil (Monaghan) - Posts: 965 - 05/11/2018 16:47:03    2149694

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 05/11/2018 17:42:27    2149707

Inaroundehouse (Cavan) - Posts: 975 - 05/11/2018 18:06:18    2149710

Thing is, dublin can have an off day (even 2) at any stage before semi final and it won't harm them, i can't see them having 2 off days and this team only gets better as the season goes on so imo the 5 in a row is a cert!

achara (Monaghan) - Posts: 561 - 05/11/2018 19:09:37    2149716

@Jimbo on your point in relation to Kerry minor teams it's worth noting that only the 2014 & 2016 teams have competed at U21 and U20 level respectively and on both occasions were missing some really elite and irreplaceable talent for various reasons, so I wouldn't be too worried about the lack of success beyond minor.

I think next year for Kerry is about rebuilding the panel and finding an identity but they could potentially improve rapidly after that, especially if they can find a successor for David Moran around the middle.

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 05/11/2018 19:18:58    2149720

I'd agree with most sentiments on here there teams well capable of doing it in once off game , being capable and executing it are different things , a few teams need to happen , opposition need to truly believe that they can and will win , they would need to score at least 90% of chances probably needing at least two goals , every team
Needs a slice of luck now and then which is always in the lap of the gods

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 05/11/2018 19:54:23    2149726