Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
STILL A CUT ABOVE
Dubs get job Don but axe hangs over Gavin’s misfiring forward line
JIM GAVIN could exhibit a ruthlessness this week that has been missing in his Allireland champions’ this summer.
Gavin (left) will consider a shake up his forward line for the latest Battle of Omagh next Saturday after another wasteful performance in front of goal.
Prior to Saturday’s opening Super 8 win over Donegal, Gavin had started six forwards in Dublin’s three wins in Leinster – Niall Scully, Ciaran Kilkenny, Con O’callaghan, Dean Rock, Paul Mannion and Paddy Andrews.
Brian Howard had also played in the three Leinster games, albeit in the half-back line, though he looked the part when he reverted to a more familiar half-forward role on Saturday.
But Andrews felt the sharp end of Gavin’s axe before Saturday’s game, and there could be more to follow as the worry lines creased the Dublin boss’ forehead after watching his side waste goal chance after goal chance.
Cormac Costello, Paul Flynn and Kevin Mcmanamon will all come into the selection picture as Gavin looks for more to deal with the threat that free-scoring Tyrone will pose.
“We are satisfied and happy we got two points,” he said. “It gives us a foundation in the group.”
Then came the twist of the knife, however.
“The display won’t be good enough going forward no matter who we play, be it Roscommon or Tyrone. So that gives us a lot to reflect upon,” admitted Gavin.
“It was just one of those days. I suppose the positive you can take is we kept our composure and kept trying to work a score.
“That’s all you can expect from them and we created a lot of chances in the game, just up in Omagh we have to try to convert them.”
As you’d expect, Dublin have created chances all summer. But their conversion rate hasn’t been what you’d expect from a forward line of that quality.
O’callaghan was the kid with the midas touch last year and that has given him the confidence to continue to go for goal.
But he hasn’t been ruthless enough and that was highlighted again on Saturday, when he saw two great chances go abegging.
Perhaps his confidence has taken a hit, as he also tapped one easy chance for a point into Shaun Patton’s hands.
Paul Mannion, too, was off the boil. Only Niall Scully and
Howard really looked dialled in for the challenge of facing Ulster champions Donegal, and had Scully not scored two goals then it might have been a different end result.
Gavin felt Dublin were always in control in a game he described as a “great test”.
The Dublin boss acknowledged: “You could see why Donegal are Ulster champions, they are a quality side. If they took a few more scoring opportunities it might have been a different game going down the stretch.”
Tellingly, what most pleased Gavin was the way Dublin controlled the final stages.
The introduction of Cormac Costello and Paul Flynn bolstered their attacking options, and they scored a brace of points apiece to keep the scoreboard ticking over at a key stage and then played keep-ball.
“We controlled the game well, particularly the last 10 or 15 minutes,” stated Gavin.
“I think the team finished it really well, the subss that came on all played their part and brought something to the game and gave us a new impetus.
“I thought we closed it out very well and in this format it is all about coming away with the two points at this stage of it. To that end we are satisfied.
“The next day, against Tyrone, that won’t be good enough
– it’s 7-44 they have put up in two games.
“We’ll need to be putting up scores at the other end. That gives us something to reflect upon, it won’t be good enough”.