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14th Mar 2017

Early-season camp suggests Dublin are taking 84-year-old record very, very seriously

Not just another game

SportsJOE

History could be made in Tralee.

Dublin are unbeaten in 33 league and championship matches following their 1-16 to 0-7 annihilation of Mayo at the beginning of March.

The All-Ireland champions will have the opportunity to equal the record of 34, which was set before WWII, when they travel to Austin Stack Park on Saturday. This Division 1 fixture has a little extra bite to it because their opponents, Kerry, set the record back in 1933.

That Kerry side in the 30s went on a run after losing to Tipperary on July 8th 1928 lasting 34 games.This came to an end when they were beaten in the league by Meath on March 19th 1933, meaning the record could be equaled one day shy of the 84-year anniversary of it ending. That defeat in Navan also ended their ambitions to claim five successive titles.

Interestingly, Kerry were also the last team to beat the Dubs, whose incredible run began just over two years ago following their 1-10 to 0-15 loss to the Kingdom in Killarney.

An indication that this isn’t just another game, Jim Gavin took his side to train at Carton House last Saturday, as The Irish Daily Mail reported. The top class facilities has hosted the likes of Real Madrid and has become a base for the Irish rugby team.

Extra motivation for Dublin will be their next tie being Roscommon in Croke Park at the end of the month. The league leaders will be confident of scoring a win against the bottom-of-the-table side, which would see them break the record if Saturday’s game goes their way.

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