Brian Fenton, left, and Ciarán Kilkenny of Dublin celebrate with the cup following the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final Replay match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

Across Saturday, and far away from the hysteria and history, 16 counties containing just shy of three million people were waiting to see what format would be introduced for them come 2020.

The GAA had whittled it down to a couple of two-tier proposals and were supposed to rule on it.

The move of course was in response to one-sided games, most of which were because of Dublin's quality, although it won't solve that.

After all, this summer, seven of their nine games were against would-be top-tier counties with an average winning margin of over 10 points across them. In essence it is like turning down the thermostat because the house has gone up in flames.

All in all this was the latest smokescreen thrown up by an association desperate to maintain this status quo and desperate to continue with their Manchester City-fication of a once wonderful game.

We get it.

We aren't supposed to talk about these things now as we're all supposed to pander and bask in Dublin's greatness with questions left outside the door.

Much like the Dallas Cowboys, more and more the GAA narrative has become about this being a people's team we all must worship and fawn over and accept they are genetically superior.

Expand Close Dublin's Philly McMahon and captain Stephen Cluxton celebrate after beating Kerry to win their fifth successive All-Ireland SFC title at Croke Park on Satuirday evening. Photo: Ray McManus/Sportsfile SPORTSFILE / Facebook

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Whatsapp Dublin's Philly McMahon and captain Stephen Cluxton celebrate after beating Kerry to win their fifth successive All-Ireland SFC title at Croke Park on Satuirday evening. Photo: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

But no thanks, for when critiquing, emotion should not get in the way of logic; and, when analysing fairly, entertainment should not get in the way of the cold and the hard facts.

Indeed if anything, it was fitting that Kerry ran out of legs in the last quarter as Dublin kicked on with their much better conditioning as if pros against amateurs. So many refuse to accept the idea that a large chunk of this is a hollow purchase, yet that was telling.

Make no mistake, for this isn't the beginning of the end. It's merely the end of the beginning. Dublin haven't grown stale, all that has is the forced rhetoric that it'll eventually come to an end.

But when?

And why?

This isn't some organic cycle. It's a very unnatural machine in operation.

Right now Brian Fenton is among the best to ever play the sport, as Paul Flynn was right before him. Con O'Callaghan is unmarkable, as Bernard Brogan was for many years.

Jack McCaffrey even on an off-day prematurely ended by injury is a genius, as Diarmuid Connolly was when he was at the height of his powers a little while back. Like replaced by like. Brilliance with brilliance.

Expand Close Con O'Callaghan, left, and Eoin Murchan of Dublin celebrate following the All-Ireland SFC final replay at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile SPORTSFILE / Facebook

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Whatsapp Con O'Callaghan, left, and Eoin Murchan of Dublin celebrate following the All-Ireland SFC final replay at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

This conveyor belt shouldn't slow for that would be a massive indictment of a county with their resources but they need not worry. Fenton is merely 26, McCaffrey 25, O'Callaghan 23.

Already they are leaders with room to grow and in time they'll be joined by the leaders of the next generation. We're already seeing it via the likes of new kids on the block like Brian Howard and Eoin Murchan whose performance at the weekend was massive beyond his swashbuckling goal.

The most common propaganda pushed in order for this charade to go on that bit longer relates to underage disparity. For instance there are those Kerry minors who themselves won five in-a-row, but while many are turning into serious operators, that doesn't guarantee success at senior.

After all, only three of the Dublin side that played both the draw and the replay actually won at under-18, meanwhile arguably their finest minor side in 2011 couldn't go all the way.

It was then that Fenton didn't even make that panel. Fenton recalled in a radio interview: "I remember having a frank discussion with Dessie Farrell, one of my heroes, and he told me 'listen, this isn't going to happen for you'."

The correlation therefore isn't that strong. It's little wonder as so much can change, with under-20/21 for obvious reasons a far better, if still imperfect, barometer.

It's at that level that 10 of their starters in this latest win have also reached the top. Tellingly and troubling for the rest and the sport, it's there Dublin have won five of last six Leinsters as well as four All-Irelands this decade and might well have added a fifth having gone close this campaign.

Therefore already they've the best players at a crucial age, entering the best financed and best run senior set-up going. And there are those who think this will all suddenly stop? No chance.

Besides, they only need to add one or two pieces of magic per year to stay way out in front.

It's going to get worse. It may never, ever get better.

It's not solely their highly-funded work either, but the effect that work is having on others that is growing the gap.

With much excitement, Jack O'Connor took over in Kildare and in his first interview he noted that he'd have to get their top players actually committed.

In recent years that hasn't always been the case and, while some say that's a losing mentality, maybe it's a more intelligent use of their time. Are you not wiser in a rigged casino simply giving your chips to the croupier and saving the rest of your day, since you'll inevitably lose in a slow bleed anyway?

It's not just teams at that level either for even Kerry, who outside of Dublin are considered wealthy, are being forced into cutbacks having tried to keep pace.

They'll never go fully away due to tradition but, for others, in the medium term, they lack the big days and the heroic names to inspire the next batch The game is being lost to them. They can't keep up.

Thus the GAA need Kerry badly, even if it's merely a sticking plaster on an amputated limb.

For so long the game was a vital part of their identity, but now they are vital far beyond their borders and provide the rouse that one good game a year should enthrall us all and maintain our custom.

The GAA want to point to an hour of a challenge to Dublin a season and say it's working, while the nation has to buy into the rehashed and flogged county-v-city, Micko-v-Heffo, Yerra-v-Howaya, Up-For-The-Match-style gombeenism.

It's not working though and while this version of the association justify so much from the Sky deal to Dublin's funding itself by pushing itself as a business, let's look at it through that lens.

What salvaged this year in terms of crowds and therefore cash were two match-ups.

Firstly, an All Ireland final replay, as that game will always sell out such is the modern nature of events. Secondly, Mayo still believed and thus brought the madness and the numbers. But with the latter now fading, what are we left with?

Leinster games half empty when not long ago there was difficulty in getting tickets? A pathetic 33,848 showing up for the other semi-final?

The GAA's attitude has been the market dictates but the next time you're on a plane that's 60 per cent empty in peak season, we'll show you an airline that's about to go bust.

Predictably there'll be all the lazy buzzwords such as bitterness and begrudgery, shunted in front of the truth that doesn't suit.

It'll also be noted that it's trying to take away from a special bunch of sportsmen when that truth and their quality can co-exist.

None of this is arguing against Stephen Cluxton's importance (quite literally his only mistake across Saturday was not thanking the GAA enough in his speech) Jonny Cooper's tigerishness, Michael Fitzsimons' stickiness, Ciarán Kilkenny's intelligence, or Dean Rock's steeliness. That's all true and is to be admired.

But no matter the quality that comes about as the effect, it cannot and must not mean we ignore the brutal cause.

The inevitable drive for five is finally over.

The fix for six, anyone?

Online Editors