
Sean Bugler insists Dublin still in All-Ireland reckoning despite ‘not being at our best' after shock Meath defeat
SEÁN BUGLER insists wounded Dublin can still win the All-Ireland.
The in-form attacker watched on in agony last Sunday as the
2
Sean Bugler believes Dublin can win the All-Ireland
Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile
2
Dublin lost to Meath in the Leinster SFC
Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Bugler missed out with an ankle injury and was a massive loss as
It was their third poor performance in a row having lost to
But Bugler said injuries had an impact and revealed that he should be back for their All-Ireland SFC group opener.
The
Sky
Blues will learn their opposition today when the
Read More on GAA
Dublin will be third seeds in the four-team groups but a bullish Bugler is adamant they will be happy to take on all comers.
Speaking at an event for
'After losing any game, you might question your confidence but I see the talent and everyone sees the talent within the group.
'We haven't performed to our best but look, the draw is going to be made and we'll be ready.
Most read in GAA Football
'You could get a tough group but we'll cherish it.
'If you want to win the All-Ireland, which we do, you're going to have to knock the big teams off their horse as well. So we'll look forward to it and we'll really go after it.'
Oisin McConville urges GAA to ditch big rule change mid-season after controversial ending to Championship clash
Dublin, Monaghan,
Bugler shrugged: 'Look, as I said, it's not ideal but we'll be looking forward to it. We'll be ready.
'We'll really prime ourselves, whoever we get, and we'll really put ourselves in a decent position to put our best foot forward on the day.
'You want to play the big teams, you want to really test yourself against the big teams. So that's what we're looking forward to doing.'
BACK FROM INJURY
A fit-again Bugler would be a big addition and the 27-year-old St Oliver Plunkett Eoghan Ruadh man revealed he should be back.
Bugler has been Dublin's player of the season so far, winning four man-of-the-match awards in the National League, before suffering an ankle injury.
He said: 'I picked up a niggle there last week and Sunday just probably came a bit too early for me.
'I'll be back on the pitch in the
next
few days.'
Bugler noted that Eoin Murchan, Seán MacMahon, Luke Breathnach, Cian Murphy and Lee Gannon missed the Meath game with injuries too.
He said: 'I think it's three or four weeks to the next game.
'For us, it's going to be about getting bodies back on the pitch, with the injuries we have, and take the learnings from the game on Sunday in terms of what we can do better, and chase after that.
'It doesn't matter who we get in the
Championship
, our goal hasn't changed.
'We still want to win the All-Ireland and in order to win the All-Ireland you have to beat the big teams.
'We will be ready to go in three or four weeks' time, or whatever it is, and we will look forward to it.'
Bugler watched Sunday's game from the stand at O'Moore Park in Portlaoise with a couple of other injured players who travelled down together.
And he was itching to take part having enjoyed a dream start to the year, scoring 2-23 in the league and adding two more points in the provincial quarter-final win over Wicklow.
His spike in form is timely because aside from the injuries, Dublin lost household names Brian Fenton, James McCarthy, Jack McCaffrey, Michael Fitzsimons and Paul Mannion to retirement.
Bugler said: 'We obviously lost a lot of players, a lot of experienced players and with that a lot of talent.
'I always knew that I had the potential and the talent to perform like that and it was just about showing it.
'And this year I really went after it in the off-season and really wanted to get better and show what I'm made of.
'Thankfully I have but there's still so many areas that I can improve.
'That will be my focus over the next couple of weeks.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
Ireland suffer defeat against world number one side Netherlands
IRELAND SUFFERED a narrow 2-0 defeat against the world number one side Netherlands in Amstelveen this evening. Mark Tumilty's men created several chances against the Olympic gold medallists, but were on the back foot early on when defender Lee Cole had to clear the ball off the line to prevent the opening goal. Ireland then had a period in the ascendancy, with Alistair Empey seeing his goalbound shot blocked. Goalkeeper Jaime Carr was then forced into a good save before Thierry Brinkman thought he had given the Dutch the lead with a reverse stick shot, but it was ruled out after Ireland immediately opted to refer for backstick, which the video umpire agreed with. Advertisement Ireland continued to defend well in the second quarter, and down the other end, Empey won the first penalty corner of the contest, before Luke Madeley's effort on goal was blocked. It was the Dutch who then took the lead through a penalty corner of their own, as Luke Dommershuijzen registered his first senior goal. Some strong Irish defending, including a vital block by Matthew Nelson, ensured their opponents could not double their advantage before half-time. Yet the Netherlands made no mistake with their first chance after the break, as Steijn van Heijningen expertly deflected the ball into the net with a deft touch. Ireland continued to threaten, with the Dutch again keeping them at bay following the concession of another penalty corner, though the Irish defence also had plenty of work to do to prevent their rivals from adding to the scoreline. In the final quarter, Empey won Ireland's third penalty corner of the game, but Cole's resulting effort was saved and cleared. The Dutch saw the game out convincingly and consequently extended their lead at the top of the FIH Pro League table to seven points. The two sides meet again at the same venue tomorrow. The contest gets underway at 7pm Irish time and is available to watch live on the TG4 Player.


The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘I'm a Mayo man' – John Joe Patrick opens up on roots and dream of more caps after Republic of Ireland debut
IRELAND fans are still getting to know John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa and even what to call him. Some fans call him Finn, others John Joe, while he is known at French club 2 John Joe Patrick Finn is honoured to play for Ireland as his late father was from Mayo 2 The Stade de Reims ace is excited to create a legacy with Ireland The back of his shirt when he came on for his Ireland debut against Advertisement So what does he prefer to be called? He said: 'I prefer John but there are a lot of Johns in the squad, it's more easy.' The 6ft 4in 21-year-old is a player that naturally excites fans when he bursts onto the international scene given his impressive CV that is like no other in the Ireland squad. Born in Madrid, his mother Odetta is French with Cameroon heritage while his late father - also John - hailed from Galway but had Mayo roots. Advertisement READ MORE ON GAA Spanish is his mother tongue and he told Luxembourgish journalists he did not feel comfortable being interviewed in French yet, but spoke happily to Irish journalists in English. The midfielder said: 'My dad is from Ireland, also my grandfather and when I was young every summer I went to Ballyhaunis. 'So I had that connection when I was young, it really mattered. I am a Mayo man. 'It was nice, growing up it was so different from Madrid, where I lived. Those summers were really great, with my family, we had a great time, great days.' Advertisement Most read in Football He actually played for Salthill Devon for a while though he was first noticed by Irish fans when he joined Real Madrid as a nine-year-old. It was at Getafe he made his breakthrough making ten La Liga appearances as a teenager even as he finished school and progressed into the Ireland Under-19 squad. He earned Ireland Under-21 call-ups too and was also eligible for Spain, France and Cameroon. But while that was a focus in Ireland and led Advertisement ALWAYS IRELAND He said: 'Cameroon no, France no, Spain no, always Ireland. It's always good that the coach makes the effort to go and see you, to speak with me.' His debut came in the last minute as a replacement for Jason Knight on Tuesday night, though the midfielder admitted that it was not quite the debut of his dreams. He said: 'I feel good, I am a bit disappointed with the result, it was not the way I wanted to make my debut but I will just keep working and continue on this way. 'I feel ok but the last minute, it's not the way that everybody wants to make their debut, it's high intensity, into the game and it's not easy.' Advertisement But the 21-year-old hopes that his debut can be the first of many caps having quickly got up to speed with what Hallgrímsson expects from his midfielders. He said: 'He just told me I had to get the tactics, how the team works and I think I am catching the way the team play. We still have a bit of work to do but I am happy. 'The experience was good, the group has a lot of quality, I think if we can continue this way we can do good things. 'We are hungry, we are conscious that we are in a top World Cup group but with the work we are doing we can do it.' Advertisement Ireland's next games come in September with the beginning of the World Cup qualification campaign at home to Hungary and away to Armenia. And the midfielder hopes that a good start to the season with Stade Reims, who were relegated last season, can keep him in Hallgrímsson's plans. He also believes that next year is a big year for him when he expects to play regularly for Reims after a difficult settling in period in France. He added: 'At the beginning it was not easy, I was alone, my family stayed in Madrid but in the end the club made things really easy so the time I adapted was quick and the culture is nice. Advertisement 'It was a difficult moment to end the season like this (with relegation), but to come here is a bit of a distraction from the club, I had great days, now I can rest a bit and come back.'


Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Tame friendly draws showed us why Ireland aren't expected to reach World Cup
Results throughout the 2020s clearly explain why the Republic of Ireland is ranked 60th in the world by Fifa . Sandwiched between Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the lowly position in the global game comes after non-starter campaigns to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024. An undeniable trend is evident. Ireland have lost their opening two matches in the previous four campaigns, having also crumbled at the start of the Nations League groups in 2022 and 2024. It leaves manager Heimir Hallgrimsson with an enormous task to get at least a draw with Hungary on September 6th in Dublin and a victory over Armenia in Yerevan three days later to have any chance of reaching a play-off to feature at the 2026 World Cup in North America. Portugal, the newly crowned Nations League champions, are expected to top Group F. READ MORE Another false dawn would place Hallgrimsson in the same category as his predecessor Stephen Kenny despite an unbeaten run so far in 2025. Two victories against Bulgaria in a Nations League relegation play-off in March were followed by underwhelming draws with Senegal and Luxembourg on Tuesday night . 'I cannot lie, we are obviously not happy with the performance and how we wanted to end this week,' Hallgrimsson explained. 'We took, maybe not a step backwards, but we didn't take the next step. It would have been nice to have a good performance [against Luxembourg on Tuesday].' Nathan Collins, the captain at Stade de Luxembourg, was also unable to hide his disappointment following the 0-0 draw. 'We were passive,' said Collins, 'but still dug out a clean sheet. We all know that was nowhere near our best. We have so much more to give.' Besides the encouraging creativity of Finn Azaz against Bulgaria and the club form of Troy Parrott in the Netherlands and Collins at Brentford, there is little evidence to suggest that Hungary, led by Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai, can be contained at the Aviva Stadium, never mind in Budapest in November. It was actually just boring, there was nothing happening — Heimir Hallgrimsson There are some positives to cling to. Hallgrimsson clearly has a plan to guide Ireland to their first major tournament since Euro 2016. He has bedded in a structure built around sling-shotting the 33-year-old Robbie Brady up and down the left wing. Eighteen minutes into Tuesday's scoreless affair, Brady's calf tightened. The veteran played 85 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Senegal the previous Friday. Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson with John Joe Patrick Finn after Tuesday's 0-0 draw in Luxembourg. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Ryan Manning filled the gap with enthusiasm. The Southampton fullback was decent against Senegal in the inside left midfield slot that the Ireland manager has earmarked for the currently injured Sammie Szmodics. There are no individual stars in a Hallgrimsson team. Not when he guided Iceland to Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, nor when he brought Jamaica to the 2024 Copa America. The system trumps the individual. Historically, that approach has suited Irish players. 'We were really disappointed with the first half,' the manager continued. 'It was actually just boring, there was nothing happening. We talked at half-time. It was not about tactics. It was not about formations. It was more about attitude. 'Are you willing to do the work that's necessary? The basics that are necessary in a football game? No matter who you play, no matter whether it's a competitive or a friendly game, you need to do the basics. You need to deliver all the work that's necessary. That was just missing, the basics. 'Credit to the players, that changed in the second half, there was more momentum, more power, more energy. Still, we were not happy but we didn't lose at least.' That about sums up the state of the senior men's team. At least they didn't lose to a country ranked 91st in the world. The FAI must be concerned about the dip in interest as several media outlets did not see the value of sending journalists to Luxembourg. The players that were made available in the post-match mixed-zone backed up that editorial decision. Even RTÉ, the broadcast right holders, did not send their commentary team nor was there a studio panel during the live coverage. So, 10 months into Hallgrimsson's 18-month contract, how is it going? 'You're maybe two hours too late to ask this question,' he replied late on Tuesday night. 'I would have answered it really positively two hours ago but now, again, I'm not going to take too much from this because we have had a steady growth. 'Probably tomorrow, when I look at it, I will be happier with many things. If we are going to qualify we need to do better than we did now. Four points would be ok [against Hungary and Armenia], a good start. Six is what we aim for.'