Gaelic Games

Con O’Callaghan the ace in strong Dublin minor pack

Captain and free-scoring full-forward a big threat to Donegal’s hopes of a first All-Ireland minor final spot

Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan: the dual star has amassed 4-28 in five championship games this summer. Photo: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Dublin’s Con O’Callaghan: the dual star has amassed 4-28 in five championship games this summer. Photo: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Sat Aug 30 2014 - 01:00

If Dublin minor manager Cyril Kevlihan was taking his lead from the county's Blue Wave action plan, he could take a day off tomorrow and spare himself the tension.

Back in late 2011, capital officials released that document outlining various targets until 2017 and set themselves the goal of one minor All-Ireland minor title every three years.

Taking 2012 as their first season, and having won the All-Ireland that year under Dessie Farrell, they are ahead of schedule.

That, of course, is a notion Kevlihan quickly dismisses as he homes in on a third final place in four seasons with another exciting Dublin team.

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After early three-point wins over Longford and Meath, they have opened up with some stunning football, blasting 6-13 past Offaly and 3-16 beyond Kildare in the Leinster final.

They took out Cork with four points to spare in the All-Ireland quarter-finals and head into tomorrow’s semi-final as considerable favourites to join Kerry in the decider.

The great unknown, according to Kevlihan, is how his players will cope with the occasion in front of a bumper sell-out crowd at HQ.

“Nobody ever really knows how any player is going to cope with that, be it minors, seniors or whoever. It’s definitely a big challenge for young lads. But we’ll embrace it. It’s a great honour just to be there, to be part of it. We’ll try and work with them around it and have them ready. At the end of the day, what is it only a pitch?”

“I heard an American guy leading up the college game there talking about it being a ‘field’, it was all about ‘the field’ and, you know, he’s right. That’s really what it is.”

Captain Con O’Callaghan is a particular talent to emerge for Dublin. The full-forward has put up some big numbers so far in the championship, blasting tallies of 1-7, 0-1, 2-6, 1-6 and 0-8 in their five games, 4-28 in total.

“Con’s a fine lad, a mature lad with great ability in both hurling and football,” said Kevlihan.

Declan Bonner's Donegal, Ulster champions for the first time since 2006 and remarkably seeking a first ever final place stand in Dublin's path to the September 21 final.

“They’re a gifted group of young lads,” said Kevlihan of Donegal. “They’ve come up through the ranks together and Declan has managed to keep them together and they’ve been quite successful already this year.”