CRUMM OF COMFORT
Dublin skipper is totally at ease with new hurling set-up & it’s all systems go for Cats tie
LEINSTER hurling’s novel format is nothing new to Dublin’s Chris Crummey – who is intent on making Parnell Park a fortress in the coming weeks.
The Dubs are not fancied in the battle for the provincial title, or even to finish in the all-important top three for advancement to the All-ireland series.
It’s ex-football boss Pat Gilroy’s (right) first year in charge and, in Division
1B of the league, the
Blues lost to Offaly in their opener and only managed wins over
Antrim and Laois.
But Crummey, who captained the side in the spring and will also do so for Championship, feels that with their heavy training completed and four back-to-back All-ireland club winners from Cuala on board, it will be a different Dublin on show in Donnycarney.
It will have to be, as first up in the round-robin series is Kilkenny – the recently-crowned League champions.
“It’s all systems go for Kilkenny,” stated the
24-year-old. “All the hard slog is finished and it’s more focused on our touch.
“All the tough training is over lads want to be hurling at this time of year.”
Crummey dismisses the talk about the double sessions occurring on Gilroy’s watch, explaining that what the Dubs were doing was gym in the morning and on-field training in the evening.
“Those days can be tough, but it’s giving us a rest day on the next day,” he said.
The run facing Dublin – four games in five weeks – takes him back to five summers ago, in his first year on the senior county panel, when the Blues actually had to play five weeks in a row en route to an historic provincial title triumph.
Crummey never did come off the bench but remembers it was a special time as the Dubs beat Wexford and Kilkenny, requiring replays both times, before seeing off Galway in the Leinster final.
“That year just came from getting a few wins and the momentum, and it’s going to be no different this year,” he said.
“No one was complaining about injuries or lack of recovery. Lads were just dying to play the next game – that’s the way it hopefully will be this year with us.
“Teams are going to target the first few games to build momentum. If you get a win early it will breed confidence.
“If you ask any Dublin hurler, they love playing in Parnell Park. They’re so familiar with it in terms of playing club matches there.
“We’re focusing on bringing a massive performance - and I have 100 per cent confidence that if you bring that, there’s belief and enough talent in our squad to get the right result.”