With Cluxton, McMahon, McCauley, Bastick,Flynn,Andrews, Connolly,
Brogan, OGara all 30+ in 2017
will the Dublin squad start to weaken

centerfield (Mayo) - Posts: 360 - 29/01/2017 16:16:27    1949769

Possibly
But still this lot aint to bad
1. Molloy (22)
2. Byrne (22)
3. Cooper (26)
4. Clayton (21)
5. McCarthy (26)
6. Small (23)
7. Mccaffrey (23)
8. Fenton (23)
9. Emmett (23)
10. Basquel (20)
11. Kilkenny (23)
12. Costello (22)
13. Mannion (24)
14. Rock (26)
15. O Callaghan (20)

superbluedub (Dublin) - Posts: 2837 - 29/01/2017 16:42:43    1949786

I think they will. Most of these guys mentioned only have 3/4 years left on the panel never mind a starting role. They have great young players in the team at the minute (Kilkenny, Small, McCaffery, Fenton, Byrne, Mannion, Costello) but the question is who will step up and join them because their underage success hasn't been the best in the last few years.

It is going to have to start with Leinster but I think in 2/3 years Kildare, Meath, Laois, Westmeath and Louth will be a lot better than they are now and in them 2/3 years if Dublin don't replace the old guard then it might make for a more of an even playing field.

Jackos_Wacko (Kerry) - Posts: 417 - 29/01/2017 16:50:36    1949792

Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 29/01/2017 17:04:57    1949804

Dublin dont need great underage teams. Beacuse of the volume of players they will get 1 or 2 top players each year

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4624 - 29/01/2017 17:16:59    1949807

Will always be strong but if posters think Dublin will win Sam every year then they'd be right.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 29/01/2017 17:37:45    1949812

They already have weakened in my opinion. Yes they did the two in a row but they were far from convincing last year.

They are still very strong and will remain so into the future though. I can't see them dropping out of contention for the foreseeable future, especially while all the other usually strong counties are in the doldrums.

I'll be interested to see how some of their fringe players do as starters next year and what impact that has on their bench, which has been a huge asset in recent years.

GeniusGerry (Kerry) - Posts: 2105 - 29/01/2017 18:55:04    1949848

The team is never static, if you look at 11,13,15,16 they are all different teams. Last year we were without Rory O C, Jack McCaffery and Alan Brogan, not a mention of it all year, despite it supposed to being a huge issue. Every year three new players are brought in, I believe it's the same again this year. Jim is on record about evolving the team again and some real talents are coming through.

Denis is going again, Bernard will be managed the same as Alan and the depth just gets stronger, the bench just wins so many games. The only worry is Cluxton but thankfully apparently he says himself hes going to stay close to his 40s and why not.

I'm really looking forward to the underage Kerry team coming through, there should be some ding dong games if some of those lads can fulfil there potential.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 29/01/2017 18:55:12    1949849

I'm gonna say that in the next five years Kerry and Dublin will share All-Irelands.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 29/01/2017 19:30:27    1949859

in terms of pure talent and quality, no. They are awesome and when they choose to play they are a joy to watch.

Since the Donegal anomaly in 2014, where the stars aligned for Donegal, where Dublin kicked wide after wide, Jimmy McGuinness had his Magnus opus in terms of game plan and Donegal hit them for 3 goals, Gavin has a bit of a habit of going into his shell in big games. They should have destroyed Mayo this year but we're so negative and defensive they nearly conspired to loose. This habit of retreating when they think a team might have their number, even though that team is vastly inferior to them, may give another team a chance to smash and grab them. Unlikely, yes, but the only chance.

Daith (Kildare) - Posts: 1171 - 29/01/2017 20:13:16    1949871

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 29/01/2017 20:47:24    1949902

No there are a lorryload of players coming through

The 3rd string just won OBC pulling up

BlueGolconda (Dublin) - Posts: 39 - 29/01/2017 21:05:48    1949908

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4210 - 29/01/2017 22:14:47    1949936

Jackos_Wacko (Kerry) - Posts: 417 - 29/01/2017 23:58:33    1949959

Dublin may be beginning to plateau with this current team BUT they are still a best team in Ireland and too good for everyone bar Kerry, Mayo and possibly Tyrone if they can get Dublin on an off day.

From our own view, I m hoping we can nick in and get one before our current team start to go downhill.

By the way, talk of Kerry minor's coming through it no guarantee to success. Kerry will have success like they always do but it won't rest on these super minor teams coming through. Kerry will always produce enough senior teams to challenge and win All Ireland's.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 30/01/2017 10:00:38    1949998

I think Dublin will weaken. In fact I think in 2016 we were weaker than we were in 2015.

The likes of Cluxton, McMahon, Flynn, Connolly, Brogan are amongst the very best players to have ever played for Dublin. There are still a few years in them, particularly Connolly and McMahon, but it remains to be seen if the generation coming behind them is as good as them.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13705 - 30/01/2017 10:29:09    1950015

There were five players playing in the O'Byrne cup yesterday with U21 All Ireland Medals, trying to get on the league squad, i wouldnt worry about players breaking through or the availability of talent. Thats before you talk about the likes of Con O' Callaghan.

The crux of the team is there for another 10 years and 75% of the team is under 26 when you think about it how many players have left the team from 2011 onwards succession planning has been seamless.

There are more standards int he modern game to hit, beyond just being a good young player, their is a huge expectation on the Kerry and Mayo u21s and that is a lot of pressure to carry in the heat of August.

Its funny with this period of dominance and the great players that have come through, Dublin havent done well at Minor level for a long time but have churned out All Irelands, there is definitely a critical period of development from minor even to U21 and a lot can happen. Senior is another step all together especially coming into a team that has had a barren spell for a while.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 4445 - 30/01/2017 10:41:45    1950025

Thank God we beat them in 2014 or the 5 in a row would have been on this year! Scary!

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9116 - 30/01/2017 11:03:08    1950041

Its possible.

There is every chance that Dublin could take out a few of the old guard and bring in new fellas and be just as good as they are now, but if the opposition improve and get the better of us, Does that mean weve weakened or that the competition has just gotten stronger ?

The OBC served its purpose for us in 2017, We saw a lot of lads given a chance in an experimental side, And it looks promising.

What I will say however is that promise in the OBC or underage is not a great barometer to judge lads by. Ive been impressed by the likes of Con O'Callaghan (in his sub appearances last year) Conor McHugh, Jack Smith, Ross Hazley, Ross McGowan, Paul Hudson etc but the real test will come if/when they get a consistent run of games against teams of a similar standard to Dublin in a truly competitive environment. Nothing is guaranteed in life, Nothing is guaranteed in sport, All I can say is that the potential for Dublin to improve in the next few years is there.

Will we fulfil that potential, Who knows. There are also a lot of other counties who feel they have potential and scope to improve to knock Dublin off their perch, and while there is an expectation that Dublin will just spit out these ridiculously talented young lads to replace the old guard over the next few years, Its also just as likely that the promise will not be fulfilled by the young lads or that other teams step up to the plate,

The question is asked, will we weaken ? Its very difficult to say with certainty cause nobody can tell the future, What I will say is it is unfair to be writing a list of players who could be Dublins future based on a few OBC games and u21 grade, It puts unneeded expectation on young lads shoulders, Just let them enjoy their football without the pressure of being the next big thing. If They are good enough they will break through and hopefully make this Dublin team stronger or at least keep the team on a par with where they are now, And if that's good enough to win Leinsters and All Irelands will remain to be seen as everyone else will also be improving or aiming to do so.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 30/01/2017 11:49:22    1950055

Short term I think they might weaken slightly. Long term I think Dublin get stronger. Which is terrible for the sport.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 30/01/2017 12:34:19    1950076