KIERAN DONAGHY
The Dubs will take your life to win a ball, Tyrone need to match them
I’M SURE most people would love to see the fairytale happen tomorrow – Mickey and his Tyrone boys landing back to Omagh with the greatest prize in Irish sport and ending the dream of one of the best teams of all time. Unfortunately, Dublin just don’t care, and they are dead right. They are in the business of being winners and serial heartbreakers. They know for this team that there won’t be another chance of a four-in-a-row, the time must be now.
In the distance, the Promised Land of an unprecedented five-in-a-row and the tag of the greatest team of all-time rests on this 70 minutes. That will bring added pressure, but these boys are able for it.
In my first six years involved with Kerry, the team made six All-Ireland finals in a row – I thought it was normal, but I know now it’s not. An All-Ireland final is just so special. When you rise early and open the curtains, you know it’s the day you’ve been dreaming about and the stomach starts to flutter. These are the days you must perform, for yourself, your teammates, your family, your club and your friends, because if you don’t it’s a long winter of ‘ifs and buts’.
1. STRENGTHS
I’ll start with where this Dublin team are strongest. The back six are the best around. They’re tough, tight, fast, a bit dirty and they are all good on the ball, the perfect combination for winning All-Irelands. In American football, they’ve a great saying: “Offense wins games but Defense wins championships.” This incdredible Dublin winning run is built around these boys.
When I started off with Kerry we had backs that had all of the above. Aidan O’Mahony, Tom Sullivan, Mike McCarthy, Marc and Tomás Ó Sé, Seamus Moynihan would mix it whatever way you want. The Tyrone boys of that era also had it in spades too. Conor Gormley, Ryan McMenamin, Philip Jordan, the McMahon brothers – Joe and Justin. All these lads knew exactly what it took to win, and not caring what people think of you has a lot to do with that.
Dublin are the exact same. They’ve a great understanding of what it takes to win. Mick Fitzsimons, Cian O’Sullivan, Jonny Cooper, John Small, Philly McMahon and James McCarthy would all take your life to win a ball; they will let you know that they are there and they’ll have you doing things on the pitch you don’t want to be doing.
The newest recruit, Eoin Murchan, has been brilliant this season but, at first glance, he doesn’t quite fit into the mould of the rest. He is the only one you would allow take your daughter out on a date and expect them to return home on time; the other boys would surely be late as they like to push the boundaries.
2. WEAKNESSES
Dublin don’t have too many weaknesses. The only slight worry I would have is this group won’t have played a bigger game without Connolly and Brogan. Bernard could make a late appearance, but I feel it will be late on. Diarmuid won’t play, we do know that. These boys have bailed this Dublin team out a few times down the years, and that could be big if Tyrone keep it close until the game hits winning time.
It shows the level of Dublin’s extraordinary strength-in-depth that they are able to let a player with Connolly’s ability jet off Stateside when history is beckoning, but that’s what they do; nothing gets in the way, nothing clouds judgement – it’s a straight line to glory. However, if this is in the melting pot late on and Tyrone manage to nick it, there will be fingers pointing and we know who they will be pointing at.
3. PREPARATION AND LEADERS
Preparation will be 100 per cent because that’s the era we are in. When a team loses, people say they were tired or overtrained, but it’s an easy excuse.
Leaders are crucial and Dublin have more with big-day experience. They have seen it all before. They stared down Mayo when the men from the west had them on the ropes, but they came out swinging.
This is a first final for a lot of the Tyrone boys. They will need their main players really taking the fight to Dublin and hope a few of the younger generation show up big.
Leaders are born on All-Ireland final day. Just look at Kyle Hayes and Cian Lynch from Limerick in the hurling final – born leaders in their early twenties who produced their best when their team needed it most.
4. THE MIND GAMES
I’m partial to some mind games. I think it’s a fundamental aspect of what you must bring to modern warfare. You must try and ruffle the feathers of the opposition, especially in a big game.
You do it by being physical, tight, letting the opposition know when you do something well, get them thinking; when they are thinking they are not concentrating. Will Tyrone be able to push some buttons that Kerry or Mayo couldn’t? I think they will but are they good enough to capitalise, I’m not so sure.
Dublin love to get inside your head but the one team that will be able to match the verbals will be Tyrone. It’s part of the game up there and that’s why they are so good at it. There weren’t too many mind games in last year’s semi-final when Tyrone were blown out of it early on. But if this is close, expect all the buttons to be pushed.
5. THE XĔFACTOR
How fit is Bernard Brogan? It’s some story to even have him togging out and shows the strength of the man and the hunger not to miss out on another medal.
The Dublin bench is the X-factor, we all know it, but Jim Gavin knows it best. The clock will tick to 50 minutes tomorrow and Kevin McManamon will be on, no matter what the score is. Then, fresh legs in the engine room will be the next order of business – Michael Darragh Macauley and Paul Flynn will come in, drive it on, and lift those around them.
The Dubs have plenty of cover at the back, and then you have the two who will come in for the final push. Bernard Brogan would be a huge lift in a tight game and Gavin could use him like Tyrone used Peter Canavan in 2005 – imagine the Dubs on the Hill erupting as Bernard strides onto the pitch. That lifts a team and a score from him would be worth two late on.
There is one man that will be flying in the last ten minutes, Cormac Costello. He has done it all year and has delivered the goods in previous finals. Simon Cowell may not agree with me, but Costello has the X-factor and can shine again on the big stage.