Dubs finally find their voice

NOTICE anything odd about the sports pages this past week? There happened to be interviews with two different Dublin footballers. Ciarán Kilkenny (right) and James McCarthy appeared at promotional gigs in the past few days. (Another three are due for similar assignments later this week.) What’s strange about this is that, aside from Jim Gavin’s postmatch briefings, the All-Ireland champions remained silent during their successful Allianz League campaign. That is believed to be policy. A number of requests went in for Dublin players to do some promotional work during the League, only to be told that players will only be available for such events in April – a month when there is no inter-county activity. No doubt, rival counties will have taken note of this protocol – and are likely to mimic it.