John Fogarty
CHEW on this. Barring an extraordinary event, Dublin will play just three times outside Croke Park for the remainder of this year.
They already had their feet under the table but their residency in Headquarters for their four home games in the National League will have them in slippers, sipping brandy and cutting cigars in smoking jackets. The whole kit and caboodle.
With a Leinster opener against Laois or Longford in Croke Park in June, the league trips to Armagh, Monaghan and Galway will more than likely be the only occasions the Blues venture away from Jones Road for competitive football this year.
But how much of an advantage is Croke Park to Dublin? It’s debatable. Were they also training there, it certainly would be a major plus but their familiarity with the place is already set in stone.
For Dublin the adage “the bigger the stage the bigger the fall” rings truest. It’s not that Parnell Park was a fortress but in others’ eyes Dublin are self-made kings who require dethroning. In Croke Park, those revolutionary tendencies become even more acute.
No, the move from Donnycarney to Drumcondra is more of a boost for the county board’s coffers than the county’s footballers.
So why is then that Dublin are best placed to win the Division One title for the first time since 1993?
Capability.
Like night follows day, Croke Park will generate hype but Dublin have substance because they finally have a system to complement the talent they have.
Admittedly, they have a couple of problem areas. Finding a partner for Michael Darragh McAuley in midfield is going to be difficult as long as Eamon Fennell’s club issues persist. The full-back spot won’t be solved until one of the O’Carrolls return to the fold.
But personnel-wise they have a lot going for them. Already a top four team, they now have a glut of ambitious All-Ireland winning under-21s looking to make the next step.
The pre-season competition has also offered up some promising displays. Darren Daly looks a fine addition at corner-back, something in the mould of Mick Deegan, while Dean Kelly has a motor only few footballers wouldn’t envy.
But what’s so good about Dublin right now is that Pat Gilroy has men who read from his script. Players who have bought into the philosophy that nobody is above reproach (Bernard Brogan discovered that from the outset) if they don’t work.
And boy do they have to work. The reason Cork won last year’s All-Ireland semi-final was partly because Dublin were more naive than their opponents but primarily because they were out on their feet. Had Ross McConnell even a morsel of energy he would never have made those ham-fisted attempts at tackles that handed Donncha O’Connor those vital scores.
Gilroy himself showed his inexperience in not calling McConnell ashore before he was sent off (he had one substitute left). Incidentally, the high-octane game Gilroy subscribes to will ensure the bench is always exhausted, which places a big demand on his panel resources.
But there’s little doubt how effective his style of football is. What’s even more impressive is how quickly he has transplanted it into his team. When he asked for - and was granted - two years at the end of 2009, he explained he needed last year to implement the system. It was going to be take time, he warned.
After the abysmal win against Wexford (they scored just two points in the first-half), those fears were realised. After coughing up five goals against Meath and a first Leinster defeat in six years, Hill 16 feared the party was over.
But via the qualifiers, Gilroy’s defensive brand of football was trialled and then fine-tuned. Get men behind the ball, soak up the pressure, spoil then counter-attack with kick-passes. Simple as.
No other team kick-passed the ball as much as Dublin last year. It should have but it didn’t translate into attractive football, especially with Bernard Brogan being landed with the majority of the finishing duties, but it worked. For the most part.
There’s still a concern in the capital that Dublin missed the boat last year. Cork’s confidence will surely soar after stammering their way to an All-Ireland title when they offer so much on paper but they can be discounted from retaining their Division One title. All-Ireland champions just don’t follow up with league titles (not since the late Eighties anyway!).
No, it’s a rejuvenated Kerry who will pose the biggest challengers to Dublin in this year’s league.
Speaking to TG4 after last Saturday’s O’Byrne Shield final win over Meath, Gilroy suggested the Division One title was a real consideration for the management before Kilmacud Crokes reached the All-Ireland semi-finals.
But what exactly is Crokes depriving Gilroy of? Rory O’Carroll was already marked absent for the league with his studies in France. Niall Corkery’s job in London has indefinitely postponed his inter-county career while Mark Davoren and Paul Griffin have been unavailable through injury for some time now.
Kevin Nolan is the only Crokes’ player who started last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Cork that is currently off limits to Gilroy because of their game against Crossmaglen at the end of the month.
Gilroy’s comments really were an attempt to stifle the expectation that will crank up over the next few weeks – and that is perfectly understandable.
The weekly press conferences Dublin have staged before each game since Gilroy took charge will become more frenzied. Sponsors Vodafone will rightly look to maximise the Croke Park factor as will National League backers Allianz.
At a conservative estimate, each of their four home games will dwarf every other Division One game by 600%.
They are virtually competing in another league - but most importantly they have the materials on the field and the sideline to justify it.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/E4NaIi6-IW0/post.aspx
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