THE SPORTING DIARY: Biggest problem is Dublin have four or five Michael Murphys

How do we stop them? Even before the All-Ireland final is played, the whole debate in the GAA world is how do we stop Dublin winning 10 in-a-row? It's simple, we have to build a team who play better than them.
The debate which took place on The Sunday Game on RTE on Sunday evening last was being a bit disrespectful to Mayo, who have gone closer than most to derailing the Dubs over the last decade.
Whether they can match them again on Saturday week in the All-Ireland final remains to be seen, but you can rest assured, they will put it up to Dublin.
Maybe it is time for all other counties to work out why Dublin are so good at the moment. And it is simple, they have the best group of players. And the county with the best group of players invariably win the All-Ireland.
We have been in that privileged position on two occasions. We are not that far away at the moment, but if you analyse the Donegal position over the last 10 years during which we reached nine Ulster finals, we have a few constants. Michael Murphy and Neil McGee have been ever-present, big strong men, who can also play.
We have a number of other big strong men in the present team who can also play, but if you want to be successful, you have to match what Dublin have.
You can name four or five Dublin players who are in the Michael Murphy category - James McCarthy, Brian Fenton, Ciaran Kilkenny and Con O'Callaghan are four of the top notch players in the country and they are the ones that are making Dublin tick, especially Fenton and Kilkenny.
Those latter pair of Fenton and Kilkenny are pivotal to the way this Dublin team operates. And you have to marvel at their performances, playing total football. Remember also Dublin are without Jack McCaffrey this year.
Apart from those mentioned, Dublin possess big strong players in all positions, maybe with the exception of Eoin Murchan. Every player has athletic ability as well as football skills. They have set the mark very high for other counties.
This week I was looking back at old programmes of meetings between Donegal and Dublin at various levels and it made for interesting reading. The likes of Johnny Cooper, James McCarthy and Dean Rock were on the U-21 team that met Donegal in the final in 2010. Of that team Donegal still have Michael Murphy, Paddy McGrath, Eamonn Doherty.
In the 2014 All-Ireland minor semi-final, Dublin had Eoin Murchan, Colm Basquel, Con O'Callaghan and Brian Howard, while Donegal had Ciaran Gillespie, Stephen McMenamin, Caolan McGonagle, Ethan O'Donnell and Jamie Brennan while Eoghan Ban Gallagher was injured for that game. You can add in Andrew McClean as an unused sub.
If you look at the senior semi-final from 2014 - the last time any team defeated Dublin - there have been major transformations on both teams. The only Dublin forward who started that day - Cormac Costello - is just a substitute now. Donegal have just Neil McGee, Paddy McGrath, Ryan McHugh and Patrick McBrearty involved. Hugh McFadden was in the subs.
So Donegal players have matched these Dublin players from a young age. Very few players have been lost along the way.
Yes, Dublin have many advantages, including population, facilities, less travelling, home advantage in Croke Park, etc. But the only one that needs addressing is the funding issue. They may have needed the boost 10-15 years ago, but they are well able to look after themselves now and the need is greater in other counties.
The bigger picture was painted by former Dublin manager, Pat Gilroy, on the Sunday Game debate, and that is what will the GAA look like in the year 2050?
Dublin will be bigger, but so also will the surrounding counties of Meath, Kildare, Wicklow, etc. The GAA needs to look at these issues. The population base of some counties will mean clubs going out of existence or amalgamating. Will the likes of Leitrim and Fermanagh be ever in a position to win a provincial title going forward? Should the best players in those counties be given an opportunity to play at the highest level?
These are questions that need debate. Hurling has been dominated by a small number of counties and even Dublin can't break that mould, despite getting the funds. Kilkenny will always be close, especially as they have no football at intercounty level.
Kerry were dominant in football in the late 1970s and 1980s because they had a fantastic bunch of players. Other teams like Dublin, Offaly, Meath and Cork stepped up. Then Ulster won four in-a-row with Down, Donegal, Derry and Down.
All teams need is a level playing field. All players want to play in Croke Park. The only issue at stake in the debate at the moment is funding, and that should be easily sorted.
But there is also a need to look at the bigger picture painted by Pat Gilroy and that should be part of the GAA strategy as well.

BIG LOSS
News of the death of Michael Crossan at the weekend came as a huge shock and days later there was great sadness to hear of the death of Hugo Duggan, two of the mainstays of Community Games in the county over a long period.
I first came in contact with Michael Crossan when I became Sports Editor of this paper and in the past 15 years or so, we had many conversations. If an example of what a PRO should be for any organisation, then Michael Crossan would be front and centre. His work was done in a quiet, efficient manner. We enjoyed some great weekends at awards presentations in places like Galway, Carlow, Mullingar and Cavan. We won awards which Michael took great pride in. But he had a way of making you feel that it was you who did the work, when all the time 99% of the presentations were supplied by him.
Along with his wife, Mary, Michael gave so much of his time willingly to Community Games. But then he had time for everyone, especially his family, of which he was also extremely proud.
Just a few short weeks ago we had his picture in this paper wearing the special Cavan/Donegal jersey before the Ulster final. While he was living in Donegal, he never forgot his Cavan roots.
Above all, Michael was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. Every time he submitted something for publication, there was a follow up 'phone call to thank you for doing so. There aren't many like that.
I never met Hugo Duggan, but I can recall his name being included on a weekly basis in the athletic column of this newspaper from the 1970s onwards. His passing this week was also mouned, especially in the athletic world. His speciality was the long jump and his domination of that discipline was supreme. I can only imagine that if he had received the coaching which is available today, that Hugo Duggan's name would have been much wider known.
He was an all-round sportsman with a great interest in all sports. And like Michael Crossan, he had a great interest in Community Games, bringing teams to Mosney on an annual basis, and also like Michael, was Co PRO for a period.
It has been a sad week for the county, losing two men who have made huge contributions in their field.
May they rest in peace.