GAELIC GAMES: GAVIN CUMMISKEYon how Dublin's manager will be looking for evidence of progress against Cork on Sunday
‘I WOULD actually see that as regression rather than progression.” Pat Gilroy is talking about beating Cork in the National Football League final on Sunday at the expense of missing out on, at the very least, contesting the All-Ireland decider next September.
That is where Dublin are at. Same as always so.
Gilroy equally relates to the public desire to capture a league title as much as any Dubliner who has made the lifetime pilgrimage up the concrete ridges of Hill 16.
“I was a Dublin supporter myself and I thought Dublin had to win the All-Ireland every year when I was one, so that’s totally understandable. That expectation is out there, you just have to get on with it. We really want to win this game. If we don’t we’ll have to find out why we didn’t and maybe there’s good lessons to be learned for later in the year.
“But if we want to make progress during the summer, Cork are going to be one of the big teams we’re going to have to out-perform.
“The only reason you play is to win things. I’ve personally not got involved in a team that I didn’t think we could win something.”
Shelving the big picture for a moment, is it of more importance for Dublin to win on Sunday than Cork?
“We believe we want to win it more than they do but we will see on Sunday,” said the Dublin manager. “I don’t thing it is a case of need to. When you are playing sport you want to go out and win no matter who you are putting yourself up against.
“The league, for us, has served its purpose. We hadn’t planned to try as many players as we had to try but we did try them and it worked out well for us and we have ended up in the final which is where you want to be at the start of it.”
Injuries have been a constant feature of the campaign – just as they have afflicted Cork – meaning several key figures involved in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat have yet to feature. Rory O’Carroll and David Henry will not reappear until the Leinster championship opener against Longford or Laois, on June 6th but former captain Paul Griffin could be used off the bench on Sunday.
However, Eoghan O’Gara, Ross McConnell, Cian O’Sullivan and Eamon Fennell are still recuperating while Alan Brogan is suspended. The other absentee from the 1-15 to 1-14 loss to Cork last August is Niall Corkery who has emigrated.
Despite the changes, on both sides, this match should mirror championship intensity and the sunshine will make it feel like high summer. For Dublin it will show whether they have digested the lessons of those haunting, ill-disciplined closing minutes last August against the eventual All-Ireland champions.
“We were a little bit naive in the last two games of the championship last year where we coughed up far too many frees in scoreable positions,” Gilroy admitted. “That’s something we have really concentrated on and something that has been quite good in every game.
“It is hard because it’s almost got to the stage where you can’t put your hand at all on a forward or else he’ll go down or grab your hand. It takes a lot of work and probably twice as much work to keep out the forward and not foul him.” The absence of O’Gara and the eldest Brogan sibling has provided Tomás Quinn with a starting role in the Dublin full-forward line after a peripheral role these past two years despite being well accustomed to Gilroy’s way as a St Vincent’s club mate. Quinn, in fairness, has been hampered by injury.
“The big challenge for me this year was trying to stay fit and I haven’t missed a session yet this year,” said Quinn. “It gave me an opportunity to prove I was able to play in the system and the style of play. No matter who you are I think Pat has proved that unless you are able to do what’s best for the team, then you’re not going to play. You can really see it now, if you’re not doing what’s required then you’re not going to play . . .”
Quite simply, it is the Gilroy way or no way at all. And that’s what has Dublin in a National League final this weekend.
