‘King Con judged to a higher standard’
CORMAC Costello believes Con O’Callaghan has been ‘harshly’ judged for the past couple of seasons because of the standards he has set for himself. O’Callaghan has been in sensational form this spring, racking up 3-29 in his last six games — 2-18 of that tally coming from play — and has been hailed for his return to form after a couple of under par seasons, interrupted by injury and a dip in performance levels. But Costello insists O’Callaghan’s critics have been off the mark: ‘I think it’s a little bit harsh. I know the last couple of years he might say he’s not been at his best but he still is. ‘I think his bar is so high that anything less than shooting the lights out and being man of the match isn’t acceptable or people think he didn’t perform well. ‘But I think even the games that we might perceive he didn’t play well you’d still see that he put in a good shift. His own bar is so high, that’s why he’s so good,’ insisted Costello who is in a race to be fit for Sunday’s Allianz League Division 1 final showdown with Derry. ‘I picked up a little calf injury before the Galway game, which has ruled me out for the last two games but hopefully I will be fit for the weekend,’ he declared. But in his 13th season as a Dublin player, Costello admits that the pressure to nail down a starting place is as fierce as ever. ‘It’s a daunting task when you have the jersey as well because there are lads ready to take advantage of one performance, or a bad training session, or a couple of sessions in a row, so there’s lads constantly trying to take that jersey off you. ‘Nothing really changes. you’re still trying to put your best foot forward in training, you’re still trying to impress. ‘No-one has a right to the jersey.’