ALAN BROGAN HAS warned Gaelic football fans may stop attending games if one-sided encounters continue.
The Dublin forward helped his side claim their latest emphatic victory last Sunday at the expense of Fermanagh in Croke Park.
After previously cruising to another Leinster title, Dublin are entering the last four All-Ireland stage without receiving a serious championship test to date this summer.
I don’t think it’s a good thing to see teams coming to Croke Park and losing by 20 or 25 points.
“People will stop coming. I’m not sure if I’d be too interested to go and watch matches where Dublin win by 25 points, or somebody else is winning by 25 points.
“So certainly it’s something that has to be looked at – and I would imagine probably sooner rather than later, because the guys in these counties just won’t want to put in that effort that needs to be put in to really compete at the top level.
“I haven’t given much thought to how I’d structure a second-tier competition or whether it’s worthwhile having a second competition.”
Competition
Brogan is an exception in the current Dublin squad as his career has encompassed a period of huge competition within Leinster football.
“It hasn’t always been like this. Five or six years ago – and I even mentioned it to some of the lads at the weekend – when we used to play in the Leinster championship against the likes of Laois and Westmeath, we had some great battles.
In ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08, around those times, and obviously Meath beat us in ’10.
“Maybe it’s a case that as the stronger teams are getting stronger, the so-called weaker teams maybe don’t want to put in the same effort because they’re not getting rewards out of it.
“But it’s hard for me to say because I’m on this side of the fence, I don’t understand or know what’s going on in these other counties.”
Underage
Dublin’s underage renaissance has been central to the stranglehold they have exerted in the Leinster.
“Maybe it’s a product of Dublin being so well organised at underage level,” says Brogan.
“I know Stephen O’Shaughnessy of the county board put a huge amount of work into the development squads.
He’s gone out to ex-players, he’s got them back involved.
“Jason Sherlock is involved with under-13s, Ciaran Whelan is involved with the 14s of 15s, so there’s a huge amount of work gone into that.
“And maybe we’re seeing the fruits of that.”
He doesn’t think people are interested in going to Coke Park to see Dublin winning by 20 points? Maybe they should try a game away from Coke Park then
And Kerry should stay at home? #flawedLogic.
Zzzzzzz
To be honest I think it’s gotten to the stage with Leinster that when teams face the dubs they don’t approach the game as one they feel they have a chance of winning anyway. They don’t look to be at peak condition and seem to be preparing for the next day out. Every team this year that has played dubs in Leinster were looking just to get that game out of the way and move onto the qualifiers where they could hope to get a decent run going. Kildare were a great example, weren’t that interested against Dublin but then put in a good effort, beat cork and still got to an all Ireland 1/4 final albeit they were well and truly beaten by Kerry. Fermanagh were the only team that have actually given it a proper go against Dublin but the difference of quality showed in the end.
Gap is widening because some counties are putting in the effort across all age groups and most others are not. Kids in Dublin and Kerry are not Genetically born to be better footballers. Its because structures are in place to develop them through various age groups. Either put in the required effort to compete or shut up. Sick of this whingeing by weaker counties. No one to blame but your county board.
One reason the gap is widening between Dublin and probably 29 counties is that
Dublin get 63% of the total GAA development funds . Maybe a fairer distribution
of the GAA development funds would bring Dublin back to just the same level as
every other county .
Another thing , is maybe the wonderful Dublin supporters in the cheap seats
could behave like regular GAA supporters and not like moronic EPL supporters
Yes and I’ll admit that Tyrone are years ahead of Donegal too – reflected in the number of all Ireland’s at minor and u21s in recent years.
Success breeds success, however there needs to be a level playing pitch – it’s crazy that each province can set up its own rules – e.g. having seeding.
Ignoring provincial competitiveness, it’s crazy that a team that loses in one province gets a head-start in the qualifiers over a team that loses in another province.
& celts is off again, give it up ya broken record ya!
lol even youre own players are saying it Marky.
peters back lads
the cheap seats is a reference to the hill which is standing.
today Dublin had no challenge kerry had one for a change.
I didn’t argue against that. I think that’s the point…he saying what many gaa folk feel including myself. comp needs a revamp in some shape or form and good look at grass roots in most counties. We in the second weekend of Agist and its only now I feel its properly gonna kick off. After this we are in the semis.
@09 celts I’m curious where you got that 63 % figure from. Somebody else using a pseudonym said the same thing on here a few days ago. The other guy also said dublin have 10 thousand minor players right now. I find both assertions difficult to believe. Any article link you can post to back up this 63% thing?
09celts, show me the success that money has brought. Dublin might be better funded but that 63% (if a genuine figure) doesn’t tell the whole story. Dublinhas more people and more players and employsbits own coaches.
Of course the money given to us is unfair but it’s hasn’t really done anything has it? Hurling is stuck where it is, camogie is languishing, ladies football is struggling and men’s football is underachieving.
We need honest discussion about the game by those running the GAA.
Either there’s a problem with the gap between teams or the format is wrong and those teams shouldn’t be meeting each other at later stages.
Can’t be neither.
It’s probably both. But solving the format like the GPA solution would give other counties incentives to improve.