Paul Galvin reckons that the decision by Dublin to go on holiday in the new year as opposed to their usual 'smart' move of holidaying pre-christmas may affect them going forward this year. He thinks it cost them the league final, being off the pace compared to Kerry.

Its an interesting take on things and has some credibility in my opinion, what do ye think?

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8589 - 15/05/2017 00:29:19    1986707

He absolutely right but players needed a break / rest

We sill had quite a successful league campaign (claimed the record and go to a 5th final on the bounce without playing anywhere near top level) but we were nowhere near as match fit as previous league campaigns

It was the quality of our squad that got us through games

Gavin and co have a plan and it's the fitness in August that counts, going for 3 in a row titles is a massive undertaking

Players needed to be rested/rotated and brought back in gradually

It was a pity to lose a final no doubt but the better team won and there's a far bigger prize available

3 in a row is very much achievable and now they have that extra bit of motivation to refocus the body and mind.

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 15/05/2017 10:46:41    1986741

He is right, but its not really an earth shattering revelation.

Dublin played a patch work team throughout the league and most of the lads playing in the final were playing their first game of the year in the league final after a couple of weeks training. Its always disappointing loosing when you get to a final, but on reflection you have to say it was a very successful campaign.

New players were blooded and will be added to the championship squad, we finished top of the pile again after all the head to head fixtures, the load on the players has been managed well and i expect a new freshness from Dublin come the nitty gritty, even at 60% of potential the final itself was very marginal.

Look Jim has a plan, we the most successful manager in the business and often in the vanguard of innovation, his plan here has to be trusted. Winning a league final this year would have thought Dublin nothing and a lot of fans would have the objective of managing the load on the players and bringing on youth in the league as opposed to winning it, i think that what we got.

To be honest i value the All U21 win over a successful league campaign, its been a great start to the year for Dublin GAA, with the U21's and Cuala, with three All Ireland's taking up residence in the home of the Jacks as we speak.

I wouldn't be pressing the nuclear bust yet. :)

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 15/05/2017 11:06:42    1986750

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 15/05/2017 11:37:32    1986761

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 15/05/2017 11:38:29    1986763

From a conditioning point of view it will have no impact on them come the business end of the championship. It is all about getting the head right and the appetite for another hard year into the squad. Maybe the idea is to get them coming back refreshed etc mad to go at it.

With up coming teams you often want to put them through the hard January slog more for mental toughness more so than actual conditioning i.e. look what you can achieve when you put your mind to it etc. Dublin don't need that. They don't lack confidence, Gavin just needs to get them back chomping at the bit.

I wouldn't read too much into Galvins comments. Dublin are at a different stage of their development and therefore the approach naturally needs to be tweaked.

Mayonman (Galway) - Posts: 1828 - 15/05/2017 11:47:43    1986765

No two years are a like , what worked in one doesn't mean its a certainty to work in another , who's to say if we had did it as in previous years we wouldn't have gotten a hiding from Kerry truth is no one knows , hindsight is not really a clever game , not going to go over what lads have said but agree we got from it what we wanted , some serious questions to be addressed some new lads have come through , as I've said a million times on here lads reputations go through the roof if they don't play in a defeat equally we lose automatically we must have done something wrong , come summer these lads will be ready and hungry and if their beaten so be it , but I would not be criticising Jim at this stage

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 15/05/2017 11:48:01    1986766

Bit ironic Paul galvin saying Dublin were off the pace, seen him playing on Saturday for plunketts and he was a mile off the pace, how he lasted till extra time is anyone's guess.
On a sidenote plunketts lined out with a forward line containing three former footballers of the year that must be a record for a club forward line.

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 15/05/2017 12:55:03    1986791

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 15/05/2017 14:10:54    1986818

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1604 - 15/05/2017 15:08:40    1986845

Apparently the feedback from the group to the management team after the championship last year was that the players felt that they peaked in terms of fitness and freshness in the semi final and that in the two additional games for the finals they lacked the same energy,

I suppose that was evident given the nature of both finals. The team had a lot of miles on the clock last year come October, when you consider the strength of the panel fielded in the league and then the semi final and final format that was binned this year. Ten months of high intensity competitive football last year.

It will be considerably less this year, given the team fielded in the league the only regulars that played a decent minutes are U24, Might be the freshest we have seen Dublin go into a championship this decade.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 15/05/2017 17:35:56    1986895

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 15/05/2017 17:48:56    1986903

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 15/05/2017 18:35:36    1986917

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 15/05/2017 18:57:51    1986921

I think this is the classic case of we don't see a whole lot of meaningful intercounty GAA until August so wtf do we write about in the meantime!

Let's read way too much into what has happened so far.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4217 - 15/05/2017 19:05:05    1986924

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 15/05/2017 23:40:47    1986991