Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THIS IS YOUR TIME BIG BEN
Doyle expects ace to strike fear in Dubs
KILDARE legend Johnny Doyle has identified Ben McCormack as the one player who could potentially unlock Dublin’s defence at Croke Park.
Former All-Star Doyle, who made a return to Kildare colours at 41 with the juniors last Wednesday, fancies McCormack as a top forward.
And the Lilywhites will need all the help they can get at Croke
Park because the Dubs have consistently battered them under Jim
Gavin’s reign.
Dublin won by nine points in the 2017 Leinster final, had 19 to spare against Kildare in 2015 and hammered them by 16 in 2013.
In fact, just two teams – Meath in 2013 and Kildare in 2017 – have got within 10 points of Dublin in their 19 Leinster Championship games under Gavin.
Doyle told the GAA Hour podcast that he likes the look of McCormack who fired two points in last weekend’s quarter-final replay win over Longford.
Doyle said: “He’s a really top player. He’s got a very strong upper body, he’s very fast and direct.
“He’s always looking for ball and the one thing on his mind is that he heads for goal. You’d love that in any corner-forward or wingforward and he’s very strong.
“Sometimes his shooting can be a little bit wild but from what I believe he’s doing a lot of work trying to get his finishing right. When he’s playing well he’s a big plus for Kildare.” Doyle pointed to McCormack, Neil Flynn and Adam Tyrrell as the trio that offered the greatest scoring threat against Longford, striking 0-10 between them.
They’ve also got ex-Aussie Rules ace Paddy Brophy in attack and it remains to be seen if boss Cian O’Neill starts Jimmy Hyland (left). He was U20 Player of the Year in 2018 but was replaced by Flynn after just 22 minutes last weekend because of a rib injury.
Doyle said of Hyland: “He’s really, really accurate off both feet, just half a chance is all he needs and he’ll take it. The challenge for Jimmy is stepping up to that top level because you won’t get as much time. And he’s really hard on himself. Talk about a lad that just lives for football, his whole life is based around football. Every evening he’s in the field practicing, he loves it. I talk to him and say, ‘Don’t be too hard on yourself, you’re 20 years old’.” But Doyle admitted he won’t be travelling to Croke Park expecting to stop Dublin’s march towards nine Leinster titles in a row.
He said: “It’s a big ask, going up to Croke Park. I don’t know when Kildare last won there, it hasn’t been a happy hunting ground in the last number of years.
“You’re going up to play Dublin in Croke Park and we saw what they did to poor Louth.”