31 December 2017
Much more than just stats
"A must-have for Dubs, and a great asset for all Gaels."
This book is a labour of love and a work of great detail by Gerry Callan. It is much more than just statistics because, in its sweep across 130 years, it gives a real sense of Dublin football as a huge element within the national movement that is the GAA.
Incredibly, for such an otherwise efficient organisation, the GAA’s record-keeping of matches and scores has been patchy through much of its history and Gerry has had to mine deep to come up with the facts. He tells us that in the early years he even discovered newspapers that published different results for the same matches!
This book will settle some arguments about results and scores and players, both club and county, and no doubt it will start a few more. It is a pleasure to leaf through and discover, for example, if the Dubs did anything significant on the day you were born. In my own case on 8 March 1964 Dublin beat Roscommon 1-7 to 0-7 in St. Coman’s Park, Roscommon in the National League, which the Dubs went on to win that year.
The book covers the full record of the senior team in the Championship and National League, managers’ records, players’ pen pics, as well as Junior and Underage teams and Club Championships. The records of individual players are fascinating. Top man for appearances for the Dubs is John O’Leary who turned out 197 times for the County, followed by Stephen Cluxton with 187, while Jimmy Keaveny (492 points) beats Bernard Brogan (451) as top scorer.
I could go on, but buy the book and see for yourself. A must-have for Dubs, and a great asset for all Gaels.