Dr Crokes the ideal case study for football’s great debates

There are times watching Dr Crokes turn talent from the programme page to the pitch that makes one wonders how they ever lose a game.

They do, though. And like a tabloid celebrity expose, they frequently get played out and dissected in the full glare of a national audience. Three All-Ireland club semi-finals in a row from 2012 they came up short against Crossmaglen, Ballymun, and Castlebar, and while the latter may be remembered for the dreadful knee injury suffered by Colm Cooper, there is a good reason they lost all three. They didn’t produce when it mattered most.

Harsh? Not really, accepts forward and captain Dáithí Casey.