Dublin are the best and richest team in the land. They boast the highest-quality substitutes, and they play 99.9 per cent of all their championship matches in their own backyard, at Croke Park. On top of that, a €12m GAA centre of excellence has just been launched and it looks like Dublin teams will be anchor tenants.
One wonders why other teams - especially in Leinster - even bother to get up in the morning, but Pat Flanagan, the Offaly manager, and his Kildare counterpart, Cian O’Neill, said that there is no point in criticising Dublin’s dominance. They simply feel the onus is on others to rein them in.
“Why blame Dublin? They put themselves in position to get extra resources because they play brilliantly and win so much
Since Jim Gavin took charge three years ago, he has won eight out of nine titles available. His side are on a 22-game unbeaten streak after securing a fourth successive league title with an emphatic 2-18 to 0-13 win over Kerry and are being hailed as better than the legendary 1970s Dublin side that won three All Irelands in four years between 1974 and 1977.
Yet, at the Leinster GAA championship launch yesterday, some were prepared to call Dublin out. “I think if you got them away from Croke Park, it would make a massive difference,” Donie Kingston, the Laois player, said.
“They are so used to playing there, they know the dimensions of the field so well, can get used to Croke Park’s differences, the size of the stadium, the crowds. Being there is like second nature to them. It’s a big thing to get them out of Croke Park.”
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Cian O’Neill, the Kildare manager, added: “They’re blazing a trail but it’s up to the other counties, ourselves included, really to focus on what we’re doing and hope we can get better at it. Sometimes I feel too many people worry about what Dublin have and what they don’t. Really, they should be focused about how they can improve their own shop and house.
“But, in each sport everything goes in cycles. People were talking about five-in-a-row with Dublin a couple of years ago before they got caught on the hop by Donegal, so it’s up to every other team to see if they can produce another performance like Donegal did that day.”
Kevin McManamon, the Dublin forward, said he is fed up of being told how dominant his team are, and quipped that it is very easy to fall into a trap of being clapped on the back.
Referring their 2014 All-Ireland semi-finals loss to Donegal, he said: “We have learned a lesson in that regard. What works for us is the real ‘truth’ in the dressing room rather than what the talk is on the outside. I think we will look back on our careers and hopefully feel that we did something good when we had the chance. The sheer competition for places in the squad is keeping all the players on their toes - not listening to the outside stuff.”
Flanagan was forthright in his view of how Dublin are so well resourced and so far ahead of the rest.
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“The simple truth is I would love the challenge every day of week to play against Dublin. I admire them greatly - they are definitely the benchmark and they play the best style of football,” he said.
“With that in mind, my aim is to get Offaly to the highest level as far as the league is concerned so that we can play the best teams on a more regular basis and get the players up to that level.
“So that’s down to us. Why blame Dublin? They put themselves in position to get extra resources because they play brilliantly and win so much. Sponsors don’t come knocking on the door, and throw money around for no reason.
“It’s up to the other counties to find reason to attract their own backers and to stop berating Dublin.”
Yet, Flanagan accepted that his own team would thrive with more financial backing.
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“There’s an onus on Croke Park as well to have a good serious look at closing the gap between Dublin and the rest. Every county board is under pressure and I’d love to be in a position to get a blank cheque and see how I could improve Offaly,” he said.
“We are given a budget at the start of year and let’s be honest here - the ones spending the most money are the ones at the top of table. I would pump money into gym equipment, how we train how the boys, how they perform, dietary requirements. Get all those things right and have all that financial backing to pay for it and you’re in a better position - players will improve a certain percentage.
“Now, I’m not going to get a blank cheque, but it would be an interesting project.”