Dublin boss Gavin ponders his options for semi-final showdown with Kildare

He’ll have had exactly four weeks and one day to think about it and Dublin football manager Jim Gavin is poised to shake up his team for the Leinster semi-final showdown against Kildare on Sunday week.

It helps, naturally, that Gavin boasts one of the strongest panels in the game: Tomás Brady is the only casualty since beating Westmeath back on June 1st, a torn knee ligament ruling him out for the season, but Kevin McManamon, who missed that game, is back in contention, while the likes of Eoghan O'Gara, Denis Bastick, and Dean Rock are all pressing for starting places, with Alan Brogan still eying a place further down the line.

Mix things up
"The four weeks, since the Westmeath game, certainly has that potential, to mix things up" said Gavin, speaking at the now customary 8am press conference.

“We’ve been consistently saying to the squad, that the guys who are performing on the training field get the slots. That didn’t change in the National League and won’t change for any of the championship games.

For Alan Brogan, however, the Kildare game will have come too soon on his long and slow recovery from a groin operation:

“He hasn’t done full (training) but he’s on the park, moving very well, but he won’t be available for selection for this game. He’s not in the training games yet, but he’s very close to that.

"But any of the players who are return-to-play, we do let them out to the clubs and there's no exception to that, really. Because the club games – be they either cup games or the adult league games – are competitive.

Competitive
"These guys need competitive games. For example, Eoghan O'Gara was put out to the club to play club football over recent weeks to get him match-time, so that is the process. Any of the players that are return-to-play, we do put them back to the clubs for some games so they can get game time."

Gavin sympathised with Brady, especially given his decision to focus solely on football this summer: “It’s unfortunate for the team because he was showing great form; his touch and his football skills have really increased over the last six weeks.

“Everyone else is good. We let the players back to the clubs last week to play club games on Wednesday and Saturday. A few little niggles, as you’d expect – those games are very competitive. One or two guys had to sit out training, but in the main it’s a good clean bill of health.”