Whelan has Dublin minors on a roll

Forty years ago this month, Mickey Whelan was walking up the Hogan stand steps behind the great Des Foley to collect an All-Ireland medal after Dublin had put Galway to the sword. On Sunday, he returns to the same cauldron as coach of the Dublin minors.

Ideally he would prefer to return as senior manager but his period in that hot seat doesn't spark many fond memories. However, his focus now is on this gifted young minor team who are attempting to bridge a 19-year drought in the capital.

"I was involved at a different level at that stage (in 1984). A good few of them went on and won senior championships and basically that's all I am trying to do; make these better players so that three or four of them will feed, very soon, to under-21. Some, I believe, would make it now if we weren't in an All-Ireland final."

Dublin beat Sunday's opponents, Laois, in the Leinster final back in July when a combination of strength in defence and some flashes of genius in attack saw them through. Things have changed since with Laois dispensing of both the Ulster (Tyrone) and Munster (Kerry) champions.

"The Laois team will be favourites," said Whelan. "They felt they didn't perform the day we beat them by two points. They'd be confident that they're going to come on and do the job.

"I saw the other games and basically they have moved in better players. They're a very bright team and they move the ball and look for spaces for the forwards to run on to. But, I suppose, we handled them once and we would be hoping that we'd be able to do it again, but with young people you just never know."

Despite the unpredictable nature of the minor level there is undoubted talent within the ranks of this young Dublin team. All the forwards know where the posts are and all seem to be coming to the boil nicely.

Two prime examples are Aidan Relihan and John Coughlan, both survivors of last year's side who were surprised by Longford in the Leinster championship.

Corner forward Relihan was quietly contributing to the scoring stakes throughout the run to the semi-final, but his 1-4 contribution against Cork ensured a safe passage to the final.

His club-mate at St Sylvester's, Coughlan, is a towering presence at midfield but a stray elbow in the Louth match ensured he missed out on the Leinster final with a fractured cheekbone.

Such is the strength in depth of this current crop, they survived without him. Brendan Phelan merely upped his work-rate while minor hurling captain Ger O'Mara filled the void in the centre.

Many talented Dublin minor teams have shown the potential to emulate their 1984 counterparts but have failed to reclaim the ultimate prize. Yet, Whelan is impressed with this side's temperament.

"The only area you'd have to be very concerned about when you are in a final is complacency. That's an area were we have to keep working on them, but they are a winning group and their feet are on the ground.

"They have matured greatly in the last year, their parents will even tell you that. We put them under pressure, made them live with the pressure, made them take responsibility. They've handled it very well."