A TEAM MEETING last Tuesday night helped the Dublin hurlers refocus after their disastrous opening day league defeat to Galway.
And manager Anthony Daly was pleased to see them respond in style against Clare yesterday.
Dublin bounced back from a 13-point hiding in Salthill to have six points to spare over the All-Ireland champions at Parnell Park.
“We’d a bit of a meeting on Tuesday night”, revealed Daly after yesterday’s match. “Everyone spoke. There was no hiding. They spoke themselves and everyone held their hands up.
“We trained hard on Tuesday and Thursday and we asked for a response and in fairness, we got a response. Clare probably targeted last week something savage – at home to Kilkenny – and it’s hard then to be 100 per cent tuned for the following week.
“So, we smelt an advantage there and it’s good to see lads back in form. Liam, especially, at centre back set the tone from early. We could have done a bit more for our scoring difference but we didn’t. But we’re delighted with the win.”
Daly was glad to have attacker Alan McCrabbe – who missed out last year – back in harness as he struck 0-9.
“Alan brings a lot to the thing for us so it’s good to have him back. He’s a dead leg but it’s good to have him back. He likes it here in Parnell; it’s his home turf, so it’s a good day too for him as well – first start.”
But fellow attacker Paul Ryan could be sidelined for a period with a groin injury.
“Ryaner’s groin has been at him and Thursday night here, playing a bit of a game and he just had to stop. He’s for an MRI to see what the problem is. There’s been a problem there going on so it’s time to get it sorted. There’s no point still being worried about this in April and May.”
