‘Dubs have options just as good as McCaffrey’

Curran highlights talent at disposal of Farrell but fears knockout format makes retention of Sam Maguire more difficult for reigning champions

SOME will argue that Jack McCaffrey is the very last player Dublin could do without. Others will ponder the lack of like-for-like alternatives in defence.

Paul Curran instead accentuates the positive of the Dublin collective, a quality that has overcome major individual losses in the past – including that of McCaffrey in 2016.

Not that this former Dublin wingback Footballer of the Year (from 1995) is trying to downplay the intercounty departure of another (from 2015).

“If you look back at any of the great attacking half-backs,” says Curran, “all of them had different things but Jack has everything.”

But now, for the moment at least, Dessie Farrell must plan without him.

“He has options,” Curran maintains. “It definitely reduces the amount of talent he has in that part of the field – and you don’t like losing one of your best attacking defenders.

“But I think the pool of players that he has is strong enough to cope with even losing a fella like McCaffrey at this stage.

“And I think that will be the line that will come out from the county – that McCaffrey’s career is by no means over, he’ll be welcome back when or if he decides to come back, but for the moment we’ll be OK.”

Player availability apart, Curran can spy other challenges ahead for Dublin’s new manager, and his longtime team-mate, in this strangest of seasons. Starting with the revised format precipitated by Covid-19.

True, they need only win five matches – three of those in the killing fields of Leinster. But Curran warns: “I honestly believe that the knockout competition presents more uncertainties than the old format last year.

“The so-called weaker teams have become used to that second chance. So, if they’re drawn against one of the strong teams like Dublin, they’re nearly resigned to the fact that game is gone, that’s a write-off, and hoping for a decent (qualifier) draw then.

“Whereas pure knockout – I mean, it really focuses the mind.”

In this new scenario, he reckons certain counties possessing a hard core of talent, who may have previously done well in the qualifiers and were happy to go that route, could be a danger to some of the main contenders.

He namechecks Armagh, Kildare under Jack O’Connor and also Meath, “who have three or four years under