Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Dublin's Niall Scully.Dan Sheridan/INPHO FreeBouncing Back Dublin's Niall Scully: 'You can’t just go on blindly and hope that you figure it out' The All-Ireland winner is determined that their group will learn from last Sunday’s loss to Meath. 10.31am, 1 May 2025 Share options NIALL SCULLY DIDN’T waste any time. After years of being a serial Leinster and All-Ireland winner, an early provincial championship exit last Sunday was a jolt to the system. But his video analysis routine of Dublin games didn’t alter because they were toppled by Meath in Portlaoise. “I would’ve went home and not watched it and then woke up on Monday and had a watch. You’re just trying to look for learnings. I’d be more than be happy to park it but I do think you have to address that and you can’t just go on blindly and hope that you figure it out. “Just throw it on and go through it. Now in fairness, I’d be more so looking at my own individual performance before I’d be looking elsewhere. “I don’t think, as a team and as a collective, you can’t have any complaints from the performances of both sides on the day. Meath are a good side. Advertisement “They came with a game plan and they executed it. Down the last 10 minutes, we’d a lot of unforced turnovers and our execution was off. Against Kerry down there (in the league), all them opportunities that we had came off and the execution was correct. It’s probably a fine balance between the two.” Scully was yesterday in Cork as SuperValu announced a five-year renewal of their All-Ireland football sponsorship announcement. He spoke in advance of the lunchtime group stage draw that revealed Dublin were drawn against the Connacht champions, the Ulster runner-up, and Derry. But the prospect of meeting highly-rated sides was never an issue. “You’re gonna have to play these teams eventually. That’s an exciting prospect. A provincial winner at home in their venue is quite exciting.” Still of the belief that Dublin have the capacity to win the All-Ireland this year? “Absolutely, yeah.” Meath’s Ciarán Caulfield and Niall Scully of Dublin.Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO That confidence is matched by an appreciation that they have areas to target for improvement. Possession retention from kickouts cropped up as a problem on Sunday. “Previously when we were playing Meath, you would know that you’re playing them. They were always a big, physical group, so I definitely felt that at the weekend and they obviously targeted our kickouts and got a good bit of joy out of it. “If you’re not winning your kickouts, you have less of the ball and less plays for us to attack. I think the rules do suit the way that we’re trying to play. But again, at the weekend, you’d a huge wind and us kicking against the wind and a press coming on…and we just couldn’t figure out how to get our hands on the ball. The kickouts are probably a lot more crucial to what they would have been previously. “And it’s no different, we go after everybody else’s kickouts no different to how somebody would come after ours.” Meath’s Shane Walsh and Seán Rafferty celebrate after last Sunday's game.Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Using injuries and the lack of a Croke Park advantage as reasons for their defeat, are batted away by Scully. “I’ve played a fair few seasons and we have gone through the Super 8s and the new system where you are playing games outside Croke Park and for us and the supporters it is a huge experience. “It is something that we kind of look forward to. I know my family love coming together and travelling to games like that. I don’t see that as something that we buy into, no. “I don’t think the injuries have been a fair reflection on why we lost – I have the belief that the squad that took to the pitch on the day is good enough to get over the line.” Related Reads The key talking points after All-Ireland senior football group stage draw Dublin pitted against Connacht champions, Ulster runners-up, and Derry in All-Ireland SFC draw Here's this week's GAA inter-county schedule and TV coverage Amidst the disappointment over their performance and the setback they suffered, there is a belief in Dublin’s ability to recover. “It’s more being disappointed in the performance knowing how we could have played But, the setbacks that we already had, we’ve been relegated to Division 2 and won an All-Ireland from Division 2. We’ll treat this no differently than we would have treated that. We need to regroup.” Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here Fintan O'Toole Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Dublin's Niall Scully: 'You can’t just go on blindly and hope that you figure it out'”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Dublin's Niall Scully: 'You can’t just go on blindly and hope that you figure it out'”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Bouncing Back Gaelic Football Niall Scully News in 60 seconds FreeThe Football Family 'Clubs are going to lose a massive amount of players' - The aligned football calendar debate 26 mins ago FreeMatch Officials Piardi, Amashukeli, and O’Keeffe to referee Lions Tests Lakers dumped out of playoffs by Wolves, while Rockets rout Warriors in Game 5 I never thought about AI much until it moved into football punditry. Is my job safe, Siri? AnalysisProlific This is how Dan Sheehan has scored 12 tries in nine games Murray Kinsella FreeGame Recognise Game Fin Smith and Sam Prendergast: Lions rivals but 'loosely in touch' since first meeting in 2022 Gavan Casey the best laid plans 'One of them dropped out' - Hallgrimsson's innovative May friendlies idea scuppered Dublin pitted against Connacht champions, Ulster runners-up, and Derry in All-Ireland SFC draw Louth celebrate first Leinster U20 title since 1981 after victory over Meath Munster record-breaker Stephen Archer to retire at end of season the best laid plans 'One of them dropped out' - Hallgrimsson's innovative May friendlies idea scuppered more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account