DUBLIN’S SUMMER ALREADY ON THE LINE...
After running Cats close, Gilroy’s side head to Wexford desperate to pass second big Leinster test
‘The talent within Dublin hurling has never been in question’
AND now for their next trick… After their valiant effort to blow the hurling championship wide open last weekend, Dublin’s hurlers must slow the Wexford bandwagon to a crawl before it builds up a head of steam.
The wonderful thing about last Sunday’s thriller in Parnell Park was how unexpected it was.
The script for the game had it that the hosts would match Kilkenny blow-for-blow for 35 or 40 minutes but eventually TJ Reid would build the platform for a comfortable Cats victory.
But Reid was barely involved in open play, thanks to the hard work of Eoghan O’Donnell and Sean Moran.
For most of the match, Kilkenny were nullified in their key areas and only an unfortunate injury to Conal Keaney and a push in the back on Paddy Smyth that was missed by referee Diarmuid Kirwan denied Pat Gilroy’s side a result that would have ignited the hurling summer with fireworks.
It hardly seems fair that after their most competitive display against a top side in years, Dublin head on the strawberry trail this weekend, knowing a defeat will likely end any chance of making the top three in Leinster.
So, there is a lot on the line at Innovate Wexford Park, so much that one has to question the wisdom of RTÉ broadcasting both Munster matches live when there is a team fighting for their whole summer in the sunny south-east.
The performance in Parnell Park didn’t appear from thin air.
Gilroy’s team had impressed on the challenge game circuit, according to the bush telegraph in the city. They had beaten Limerick and went toe-to-toe with Waterford. The League was never going to give an accurate reading on Gilroy’s project.
The Cuala contingent were missing. Liam Rushe, so impressive against Kilkenny, only made a couple of brief appearances as a substitute. Gilroy and Anthony Cunningham got to see 36 players over their six League games. The Dublin manager was clearly casting his net as wide as he could.
Rushe aside, just think of others who impressed last week. Alan Nolan, who made a magnificent save from Ger Aylward in the first half, Conal Keaney and Paul Ryan. They had all left the stage under Ger Cunningham’s difficult threeyear spell in charge. Taking over from Anthony Daly was always likely to be a poisoned chalice but rumours of personality clashes and player unrest dominated the Corkman’s tenure. The likes of Nolan, Keaney and Danny Sutcliffe still had plenty to offer Dublin hurling, as they proved last week. Gilroy stepped into a messy situation but Dublin always had the raw materials to be contenders. Sean Moran’s wonderful performance as sweeper last Sunday was simply a continuation of the form he displayed as Cuala claimed a second All-Ireland club title in a row.
Few players will dominate the Kilkenny half-forward line this summer like Chris Crummey did.
While football will always win the hearts and minds of the best dual players in the capital, such as Con O’Callaghan and Ciarán Kilkenny, Gilroy has enough talent to set the foundations for a bright future.
The talent within Dublin hurling has never been in question. What Gilroy needed to do was to reconnect the team to their small band of passionate supporters.
Their disenchantment surfaced during Cunningham’s time, reaching its nadir when Tipperary hit six goals past Dublin at Semple Stadium last July.
Whatever is going to happen under Gilroy, it is difficult to see a side managed by him conceding six goals. But it is going to be a long process.
While Dublin did so much right against Kilkenny, they were still out-scored by the Cats 1-5 to 0-1 in the final 10 minutes.
This was partially down to Keaney, who will be missing at Wexford Park, leaving the fray with injury but it was also down to the Kilkenny way — their ability to play until the final whistle, which is how they grow up in the Marble County. From the moment they first puck a ball, they are told to stick to the same process until the final whistle. As Brian Cody said, the only score that matters is the one at the final whistle. That’s their mantra. It was also a philosophy of Gilroy’s football side, one he will be hoping to embed in the