Defiant Dublin defend Blue Wave

DUBLIN secretary John Costello has slammed the critics of the county’s ‘Blue Wave’ strategic review plan.

In a defiant convention report, Costello said the county board remain “unflinchingly committed” to the targets set out in the document. Two of those goals are winning a Sam Maguire Cup every three years — an aim already dismissed as unpractical by manager Pat Gilroy — and a Liam MacCarthy Cup every five years.

Leinster secretary Michael Delaney has also rubbished the idea of Dublin attaining provincial status funding-wise and on the GAA’s management committee.

However, Costello stands by the Blue Wave’s objectives and admonished those who found fault with the initiative.

“It is perhaps unsurprising that the publication of our strategic plan was met with a degree of hostility and suspicion in some quarters — there will always be a cohort that tries to belittle ambition and approaches such issues with a closed mind,” wrote Costello.

“Not alone is this country financially bankrupt but culturally it’s on its knees also, so when a unit of the Association puts its chest out and shows some self-belief, you can expect a stampede headed in your direction.

“You sometimes have to remind yourself what the national games of this country are, as it seems now to be de rigeur to utter such phrases as ‘we beat them in their place’ when talking about some Premiership team defeating another one.”

In what could be deemed a response to Gilroy’s claim the objective to win an All-Ireland SFC title every three years was unpractical, Costello said: “The targets for our county teams contained in the strategy were set long before the season commenced.

“However, aiming to be as successful as Kerry in football and Kilkenny in hurling cannot be considered unrealistic for a county of our scale.”

Costello also became the latest county board official to call for an overhaul of the All-Ireland championship format at provincial level, advocating a four divisional system made up of eight teams.

“Perhaps we have played hostage to the constraints of geography and history for too long and I believe there is now a mood for change,” Costello stated. “As the championship currently exists, some counties face long gaps between games and there is a total imbalance between the potential number of games counties would play if they went on a winning streak from opening round to All-Ireland Sunday.”

To combat the wave of non-Dublin inter-county footballers joining clubs in the capital, Costello suggested devising a bye-law to ensure all those transferring must declare for the county. He also took exception to Kevin Nolan being named the only Dublin defender in the All Star back-line while Donegal had three. “It is perhaps more than a little unusual that a team which Dublin had beaten on their way to All-Ireland glory that had come in for such criticism by the media (who pick All Stars) and who operated a less successful and far more crude defensive system that Dublin’s, was rewarded with more defenders in the All Stars team.”