Senan Connell: Dublin’s strength in depth their greatest asset

Such is the rising tide of talent within the Dublin football team that manager Jim Gavin is in danger of finishing with a stronger 15 than the 15 he starts. It wasn’t always this way, because former Dublin forward Senan Connell recalls a time not long ago when being in the starting 15 meant exactly that.

For Connell – now a GAA football analyst with Sky Sports – the seamless versatility of Gavin’s Dublin panel hasn’t come about by accident, because whatever players are named to face Wexford in Sunday’s Leinster semi-final at Croke Park only feel as strong as the players not named. That, says Connell, can only be achieved by the strictly collective way of thinking.

“I always thought the hardest thing for any manager was trying to keep players 16 to 30 happy,” says Connell. “Players 1 to 15 will always be happy, for obvious reasons. If you’re 16 to 30, pushing hard for a position, it’s easy to become a little disgruntled, or feel you’re going better than someone that is in the team. Especially for a player who’s been starting for the previous six or seven years, but now finds himself on the bench.

“All of that comes down to the management, and I really think Jim Gavin has it nailed. Firstly, the team he starts is all based on performances at training, and practice matches. Secondly, his mantra is that 21 players are going to be used.

“When I was finishing up with Dublin, in 2005, and 2006, when the first 15 was named, at the start of the championship, that was it, really.

“It was only really changed if someone got injured. I actually thought I was playing some of my best football in those years, and would have felt I was pushing very hard for a starting place. The management talked to me, said that depending on how the game was going, I was likely to get on. But for me, having been in the starting team for five or six years, it was difficult to find myself as a sub for my last two years.

New level

“Jim Gavin has taken all that to a new level. Jim is saying that to players who would get on any other team in the country, so of course they have to buy into it.

“Jim never singles out a player, either. It’s all about the collective. There really aren’t any individuals on that team anymore, going off on their solos. If they try that now they won’t play. Pat Gilroy, in fairness, brought that in too.”

Connell points to Dublin’s quarter-final win over Laois for further evidence of this: Gavin’s six substitutes scored 0-9 between them, and effectively swung the game in Dublin’s favour.

Balancing act

“But that doesn’t mean they’re going to get into the team for Sunday,” says Connell. “I think some other managers might be very tempted to start them. But for Jim, it’s all about performances at training. Even players who didn’t feature at all against Laois day could be shunted into the team, if they’re going well enough at training.

“Again it’s a balancing act, between having experienced players, and also that youthful exuberance, and the rejuvenation they bring. That’s crucial. And it’s very important that the experienced players, even if they’re sitting on the bench, buy into that. . . . Once the players know where they stand, everyone is happy.

“I’ve played under some managers where there is no communication. You literally don’t know where you stand. You could be the best player in the country, after having a great season, and all of a sudden, you don’t know where you stand. All of that impacts on confidence. And a player’s confidence is so important.

“Jim seems to do that communication thing very well, because you also see, whenever a Dublin player is taken off, Jim walks straight over to them, shakes their hand, and pats them on the back. It’s like one big happy family. . . .”

Whatever about Gavin finishing with a stronger team than the one he starts, Connell believes he can definitely finish with a team with greater strengths to defeat the opposition.

“Dublin can put out a very strong team, and finish with a very strong team, because they have the players. But more importantly Dublin have the players that can change with the dynamics of the game.

“Take Bryan Cullen. If Dublin need any extra bit of physicality in the game, someone who will put his head on the line, win the dirty ball, Bryan Cullen is on. Now, Bryan mightn’t be seen for two or three games. Then all of a sudden he’s on. Some people are saying, ‘I thought Bryan was done’. But what Jim can do is turn around, look at his bench, and say right, ‘you’re my man for this situation’.

“Likewise, does he need a couple more scores? Send in Dean Rock. Does he need a bit more dynamic up front? Send in Kevin McManamon. So what Jim does now is put out his best 15, and asks the opposition to give the best they have to match it. Then, if he’s presented with any problems, he can fix it. . . . Dublin have such a platoon of players now that there really is no difference between starting or coming off the bench.”