DUBLIN ARE NOT CHEATS
Gavin: we abide by rules... as best we can
JIM Gavin’s vision for Dublin has always extended beyond the whitewash. Right from the off, it was about creating a ‘culture’ to be proud of, just as much as it was about a winning legacy. It’s not just the AIG blue-chip sponsorship link that allows a line to be drawn between what he has created since taking charge for the 2013 season and the All Blacks brand.
It’s what has made him a soughtafter presence on any coaching conference circuit or for any corporate client seeking to establish a set of ground rules for success.
Of the 16 significant titles on offer since he took charge, his team has won 14. Five National Leagues from a possible six. Five from five in terms of Leinsters. Four from five All-Irelands, 2014 the honourable exception.
And playing a brand of football that has been for the most part irresistible and unstoppable.
It’s why when Dublin go off-message that it jars all the more. Last September’s All-Ireland final against Mayo was one of the great modern finals, an ode to all that is good about the modern game: breathless intensity, intricate foot-passing, high-fielding, angled lines of running and support play, thrilling end-to-end action. A contest both sides could proudly stand over.
Until the endgame provoked a conversation about a win-at-allcosts mentality on either side, Cormac Costello throwing away the kicking tee of Mayo goalkeeper David Clarke, Ciaran Kilkenny being black-carded for deliberately dragging his marker Lee Keegan to the ground and Keegan then firing a GPS unit at Dean Rock as he kicked what turned out to be the winning free. Kids, don’t try this at home. So what does Gavin make of those incidents and how they fit with the over-riding culture of a Dublin team that has rightly been hailed as one of the great teams in the history of Gaelic football? ‘You’re trying to play the game as best you can in the right way,’ he says. ‘Sometimes mistakes are made in games. We make mistakes as a management team. Mistakes are made in life. But you just get on with it. You try and learn from it and get on with it. That’s all I can say on that.’
Is it then a case of win at all costs or do management clearly want success to be achieved in a certain manner? ‘We’ve never mentioned that, win at all costs. If you’re winning at all costs then you’re going to be cheating. We certainly wouldn’t tolerate that. But the rules are there in the game. If a player doesn’t abide by the rules, he’ll probably be asked to leave the pitch, by either red, yellow or black cards. They are the rules so you abide by the rules as best you can.’
Just imagine if Keegan’s action with the GPS had put Rock off his kick and affected the final result, what kind of fallout it would have generated. ‘That’s in the past. The players
have spoken about it. Dean said it didn’t affect him. As I said, mistakes are made in the heat of the moment, at a flashpoint. Everybody has moved on from that.’
Gavin’s reign has witnessed an unprecedented level of success, though the motivation has always been broader and deeper. ‘We don’t count success, genuinely, about medals. My mandate and remit is to get those guys to be the very best. During our time with the [Under] 21s, we set out the exact same way. If you can imbue that culture to the guys, if they play to their very best, if you win along the way it’s great, if you lose — once you know they have given everything, that’s all we’ve ever asked them.
‘That’s what gives me the most satisfaction, walking off the pitch and reflecting on the game and going, “yeah, we did our best for them and they did their best for themselves in representing the county.” That’s the big drive. They have been doing that consistently the last number of seasons.’
Split Dublin? That is the call by some concerned by the all-conquering nature of Dublin’s exploits, particularly in Leinster
where the county is bidding for a record eighth consecutive provincial title and a 13th in 14 seasons. Meath All-Ireland winner turned analyst Colm O’Rourke has been particularly vocal in this respect.
So does Gavin ever envisage that happening?
‘No. I am coaching U10s with the local club and you are out there with the mums and dads, volunteering their time,’ Gavin adds. ‘That is the bedrock of the GAA, the really fun part of it. They will give him their opinions of what it is. You are talking to a county manager here. From a grassroots, volunteer level, there is only one Dublin. That is never going to change.’