It is impossible to tell the story of Dublin’s unprecedented six-in-a-row accomplishment without returning to the snare that momentarily trapped a team that would eventually become the greatest in the history of the game.
Donegal’s victory over Dublin in the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final would be the only championship defeat during Jim Gavin’s seven-year reign. It also provided the moment of realisation that swashbuckling football alone would not be enough to get the job done. So, Dublin evolved.
The Dublin women’s footballers now find themselves in a similar quandary to what their male counterparts faced back then, trying to unlock fastidious defensive systems. Dublin were on the cusp of history in 2021 only to miss out on five-in-a-row, losing to Meath in the final that year.
Meath’s take on counterattacking football ripped up the template for how the women’s game was to be played. Eamonn Murray’s side honed a defensive system that was incredibly hard to break down, but it also had a fluidity that allowed them to break out at pace, where generational forwards like Vikki Wall and Emma Duggan were able to capitalise. Meath changed the game.
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If Dublin could be excused for being caught by Meath’s tactical set-up in the 2021 final, losing to Donegal in similar circumstances at the quarter-final stages this year was harder to take for all involved.
Mick Bohan, who was a skills coach for a period during Gavin’s spell as Dublin men’s manager, was reappointed on Tuesday night to remain in charge of the women’s side for 2023. There is a sense of unfinished business for Dublin to address.
“It was a strange day, we probably didn’t expect the blanket in that particular game,” Dublin defender Martha Byrne recalls of July’s quarter-final loss to Donegal.
“I think that’s something we have had to adapt to, the blanket being brought into ladies football, which I think personally is a shame because the game has come a long way in the last 10 years with the skill set and the speed of it. A blanket defence slows down the game and it isn’t as enjoyable for people to watch.
“So just as we’ve hit a peak in terms of viewership, the game isn’t as interesting to watch. But it’s effective, so you can see why people use it. We have the strategies to break it down, it’s just up to us to implement them more consistently.
“It’s not insurmountable. We beat Meath twice in 2022 against a blanket, it’s just breaking it down more consistently. But that’s up to us as players, to find ways to break it down, not for them to change their game strategy.”
Next year will be Bohan’s seventh consecutive season in charge, and he was also manager in 2003. During this second spell he has led Dublin to four All-Ireland senior football titles, four Leinster championships and two Division One league crowns. However, the Brendan Martin Cup has not resided in the capital since 2020.
“It was a shock to everybody [the Donegal game] and obviously it wasn’t what we had hoped for, but again it makes you reflect on kind of how we couldn’t implement our strategies and having to do better next year,” explains Dublin midfielder Jennifer Dunne.
“Teams will have been looking at Meath and seeing what they have been doing, Donegal as well and they have pushed on.
“But for us, I think we just want to be able to play football at a high standard and something that is worthy of people coming and watching and enjoying.”
Byrne says blanket defences have now become prevalent even in club football so it is up to opposing teams to find a way of overcoming such systems, not unlike what the Dublin men’s team managed from 2015 onwards under Gavin.
“I think the blanket comes in waves, people implement it for a while, other people know how to break it down, and then it drops off again,” adds Byrne. “It’s going to just come in waves, unfortunately it’s in the game at the moment so we’ll just have to deal with it.”
With Bohan’s return only confirmed on Tuesday night, it remains to be seen what players will be available to Dublin in 2023, but after two unsatisfactory seasons the Dubs are keen to make a return to the summit.
“Considering we do have a good core group there I think the majority of the girls will hope to come back to right the wrongs that have happened the last few years,” says Dunne.
“Everybody wants to try and do better and I think last year going out against Donegal, nobody was happy with that. We didn’t perform or live up to our standards. So if anything people will have more hunger and want to come back to do better.”
