DUBLIN GO INTO this year’s Leinster football championship as overwhelming favourites with the bookies as they bid to win five titles in a row.

They are a tiny 1/8 to claim another Delaney Cup and there are plenty of reasons to back up those short odds:

• Longford have four wins in the Leinster championship in the last 13 years. In that same time period, Dublin have won 10 Leinster titles.
• Dublin’s average winning margin in their last four Leinster finals has been 7.25 points per game.

Bernard Brogan has scored freely in Leinster in recent years. Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO

• Dublin are the only Leinster side to make it past the All-Ireland quarter-final since 2010.
• The Dubs have won 53 Leinster titles in their history. Meath have the second most with 21, and have only won one title in the last 13 years. 
• In the last three seasons Dublin have been the highest scorers, racking up a tally of 20-165 in nine provincial championship games. Meath are the second highest scorers with a score of 16-145 but they’ve played 10 games — and they did rack up 7-13 in one game against Carlow last year.
• Dublin have conceded only six goals in their last 12 championship games. Meath are the second meanest defence in the province and they let in the same amount in half the time.

Stephen Cluxton keeps his net safe. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

• In the last six years, Dublin have won 27 games in Division 1 of the National Football League whereas the combined total of wins in the same division between the rest of the Leinster teams is eight (Westmeath, Laois and Kildare have all had spells in the top tier.)
• At U21 level, Dublin have won five out of the last seven Leinster championships.
• At minor level, Dublin have won the Leinster title four times in the last six years.

Cormac Costello was a successful minor. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

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