McGuinness: There’s no way Dublin are slipping

JIM McGUINNESS has scoffed at suggestions the Dublin footballers are on the slide because they face into the Super 8s without Diarmuid Connolly, currently playing in Boston, and Bernard Brogan, still recovering from a cruciate knee ligament injury. McGuinness’s former team Donegal have their own injury worries ahead of the Super 8s opener against the All-Ireland champions as they must deal with the loss of talismanic forward Paddy McBrearty to his own cruciate ligament injury. However, the only manager to beat Jim Gavin in Championship football, in the 2014 semi-final, reckons the idea that Dublin are in decline is fooling nobody. ‘I don’t see them as a team on the slide,’ McGuinness (above) said. ‘I think that the young boys they have are really talented players, they have got energy, intensity and pace. And they are accurate. The reality is that they are pushing these talented players that have won a number of All-Irelands. ‘For me, whoever is saying to you that Dublin are on the slide they are probably from Dublin and they are involved in spin. I don’t see it.’ The 2012 All-Ireland-winning manager has been impressed by how Donegal have played under Declan Bonner this year, but knows that they are facing a real test in Croke Park this weekend. ‘It’s a tough draw but there’s a part of me that thinks they are looking forward to it, because this is the acid test. ‘But there are a few players taking the pressure off Patrick [McBrearty] and Michael [Murphy].’