GAA:SINCE THE latest jarring collapse by the Dublin footballers in April's National League final against Cork the mantra coming from within the camp has been one of exasperation, bordering on disgust, at their own repeated failings.

Those feelings have since manifested into an open willingness to kill games this summer, by any means necessary, to ensure victory.

“At the end of the day, it is all about results for us,” said manager Pat Gilroy at yesterday’s 8am team announcement to play Laois in the Leinster championship in Croke Park on Sunday. “We probably had a very exciting league final but wouldn’t have been too happy with it at all,” Gilroy continued.

“I think that game had 37 scores in it but it won’t be remembered for the 37 scores from our point of view, it will be remembered for a defeat. I’d be happy enough if there’s only 20 scores and we won. That’s just the reality of it when you’re involved in a team.

“I think, the way we’re trying to play, we try to do very positive stuff when we have the ball and just try to get it back when we don’t. It’s a very simplistic view of it, but we do really go at teams when we do have the ball.”

Dublin suffered from a seven-point swing against Cork on April 24th when footballer-of-the-year Bernard Brogan and captain Bryan Cullen were forced off injured in the second half. “We seem to like to learn lessons – I would be glad if this was the last one,” said Gilroy that day, while a few weeks later Alan Brogan, who missed the final through suspension, echoed the sentiment: “Hopefully one of these days we will learn something.”

Yesterday, Gilroy stated the league final performance had been examined in “minute detail” and while the obvious presumption is that without either Brogan they are denied scoring outlets, the manager shouldered substantial blame by citing his tactical decisions to send in young forwards instead of experienced defenders.

“Losing Bernard was a big factor but we definitely lost any grip we had around the middle third when Bryan went off. We lost all our shape. It was unfair putting in more immature guys, they were in great form, but in the context of where that game was at, we should have put in – even if they were defenders – more experienced guys for the game that it was. But it’s lessons learned for us all.”

There is an element of ruthlessness in the side Gilroy has picked to face Laois with the Brogan brothers returning to lead the attack but their younger sibling, Paul, loses out in defence to last season’s breakthrough fullback Rory O’Carroll, while James McCarthy will make his championship debut at right-half back.

Elsewhere, Diarmuid Connolly is trusted to live up to his undoubted potential at the expense of last year’s championship number 14 Eoghan O’Gara.

Former captain David Henry is primed to relieve either Paul Flynn or Cullen of their roaming duties not long after half-time with established midfielders Ross McConnell and Eamon Fennell, neither is fully fit yet, set to make a replacements bench that gives Gilroy significantly more quality alternatives than the league final.

However, Paul Griffin (having fluid drained from his knee), Cian O’Sullivan (hamstring) and, more worryingly, Ross O’Carroll (back) will not feature.

“For the type of game we play, and the type of game most teams are playing, you do need freshness, particularly around the middle of the field. That’s something that has failed us a little bit over the last while. We haven’t really been getting enough strength into the team but with all the fellas back we have more options.

“Not only do you think about your starting 15 you’re also thinking about the team that will finish. We’re demanding an awful lot from people around the middle third and it seems not too many of them can finish a game at that kind of intensity. Those options are important and we do have them now which will hopefully make a difference for us.”

Considering the equally defensive attitude of rookie Laois manager Justin McNulty, an Armagh school of hard knocks graduate who earned his coaching stripes with Dublin club St Brigid’s, an Ulster-grappling version of the Leinster championship could break out this Sunday.

“If one team goes behind early on they might have to chase the game and it could open up to be a great game but I suspect it could be a lot of defensive work happening,” admitted Gilroy. “They’ll be dangerous because they have a lot of good players . . . But if we perform as we can we should win.”

DUBLIN(SFC v Laois): S Cluxton; P McMahon, Rory O'Carroll, M Fitzsimons; J McCarthy, G Brennan, K Nolan; MD McAuley, B Cahill; P Flynn, K McManamon, B Cullen (capt); A Brogan, D Connolly, B Brogan.

Captain Cullen content with licence to roam as half forward

HAVING recovered from a chronic back problem that at one stage seemed destined to curtail his intercounty career, Bryan Cullen (right) will lead out the Dublin footballers at Croke Park on Sunday.

“It was very localised – left side of my back,” Cullen explained. “Any time I leaned forward it was causing me a lot of pain. Daily activities like tying my shoe laces caused me a lot of discomfort.”

Despite being seen as the natural heir in a long line of quality Dublin centre backs, Dublin manager Pat Gilroy continues to utilise Cullen as a roving half forward. “He gives us more as a wing forward in terms of what we’re trying to do, he’s able to do a multitude of things there,” said Gilroy. “He’s able to score but he’s also able to do an awful lot of the work and on his day there’s no one better than winning breaking ball than him – he tends to hang on to it – so he’s becoming a really important part of what we do. And he seems to be very comfortable with the captaincy.”

Cullen is content with the freedom to “pretty much go wherever I want on the pitch. It’s funny. People always think I’m being played out of position, but I’ve probably played more of my football at wing forward for Dublin than centre back. When I hang up my boots I will probably be more remembered as a forward than a back.”