Fitzsimons is keen to avoid old mistakes
DONEGAL’S defeat of Dublin in the 2014 All-Ireland semifinal was a footballing earthquake, the aftershocks of which are still being felt given that Jim Gavin’s side haven’t lost in the Championship since that August afternoon.
With the Ulster champions meeting the All-Ireland champions in their Super 8s opener in Croke Park on Saturday evening, it was natural that Dublin defender Mick Fitzsimons was asked about his memories of the day as the GAA launched the All-Ireland Championships in Inis Mór yesterday.
‘There was a lot of soul searching,’ Fitzsimons recalled. ‘People had to figure out where they went wrong individually, where we went wrong as a team, at what stages we could have addressed it and what we needed to bring into next year.
‘And 2015 was a great year. We addressed the flaws in our game and we got the result at the end of it. But it was definitely a tough end to the summer.’
That semi-final may be the reference point this week but as the Cuala man was quick to point out, the game has changed a lot in the past four years.
‘Football has changed a bit since then. And we have probably changed a bit since then, too. You’d always be wary of stuff like that, of the impact of long kickouts, of leaving space in certain areas. Each game, you try and learn after each win and each loss. But it’s easier to learn from the losses.’
A fair degree of controversy has attached itself to Dublin’s opening All-Ireland quarter-final with Donegal protesting that they had to play in Croke Park — and play their first two games away from home. However, Fitzsimons steered clear of all that yesterday.
‘I wouldn’t pay much attention to it. We don’t read the papers,’ said the Monkstown native. ‘And I don’t tend to try and analyse things from Donegal’s perspective. I’m just going out to play games and we leave all that aside.’
Fitzsimons didn’t budge when pushed on whether the fact that Dublin have played more than 90 per cent of their Championship games at Croke Park since 2011 was an advantage.
‘I wouldn’t pay any attention to it. It might sound ignorant but it’s out of our control. As a player, you find out where the game is and then you turn up and play. And that’s all I can do.’
‘I have no influence in this. I know it’s a sensitive subject so I don’t want to be speaking about it. It’s a build-up to the game. But from my point of view, I don’t pay attention to it. That’s Donegal’s corner to fight, as Kildare did.’
Dublin will definitely play one Championship game away from Croke Park in the coming weeks, as they must travel to Healy Park in Omagh for their second Super 8s game. It will be Dublin’s first Championship game in Ulster since a 2003 All-Ireland qualifier in Clones and it’s an experience that Fitzsimons is looking forward to.
‘It was great to play in Nowlan Park. It was once-in-a-lifetime to play there because Dublin don’t get much of a chance to play in Nowlan Park unless you’re playing hurling. It’s just a great stadium. It’s great to play somewhere you’ve seen on TV. And the same with Omagh. Dublin haven’t played many away matches up north.
‘But to go and play in Omagh is always a great opportunity. Going away there in the League, those northern stadiums and those northern teams, there’s always a great atmosphere. So, I can only imagine it will be doubled or trebled during the summer.’
Fitzsimons may have been detailed to handle Paddy McBrearty in Croker this Saturday but Donegal’s gifted inside-forward ruptured his cruciate knee ligament in the Ulster final win over Fermanagh. However, the Cuala man is still expecting a test this weekend.
‘They have scored some amount so far in each of their games. It is a pity for them that he is missing, he is a top forward. Such a threat from anywhere. Inside the 45 or outside it. But their forwards are still great, Jamie Brennan and those like.
‘They can throw any of their players out around the half-forward line into the inside line.’