DUBLIN STAR FORWARD David Treacy says he hopes to play a part in their All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Laois after returning to full training from injury.
The Cuala man missed out on his side’s last two Leinster round-robin fixtures, including an incredible victory over Galway which rescued their season and dumped the 2018 All-Ireland finalists out of the championship.
A clash with Laois is the reward for Dublin, although Eddie Brennan’s charges have a short turnaround to prepare for their arrival to the Liam MacCarthy competition after winning the Joe McDonagh Cup final last weekend.
The sides have met twice already this year, with former Dublin defender working alongside Brennan in the backroom team. And Treacy knows that another difficult assignment awaits them when they travel to Portlaoise on Sunday.
We’re not taking anything for granted. It’s going to be a really tough match, a hostile crowd.
“They had huge support last weekend for their final. They came up in their droves, so I’m expecting the atmosphere to be a cauldron down there. They’ll carry that momentum through. We’re fully aware of what they have.
“We’re calling on our support to do exactly what they did in Parnell Park and try to be the 16th man like they were against Galway.”
The match against Galway “came a bit too close” for Treacy after suffering a tear on his hip-flexor and groin area.
Oisin O’Rourke deputised for him as the free-taker, hitting 0-9 in total including five frees and one ’65. Eamonn Dillon, Sean Moran and Chris Crummey all struck goals to help Dublin to a four-point win, but it made for difficult viewing.
“Who would ever watch as a spectator? It’s tough going,” says Treacy as he recalls the superb result in Parnell Park.
“It was a fantastic match, the crowd and atmosphere and everything was amazing. But that’s long in the rearview mirror now. It was a good win at the time. [It was a] big ask of Oisin but no better temperament for it. He didn’t miss a free on the day and that’s the beauty of it.
“The reality of it is we didn’t get to a Leinster final at the end of the day, be it pointswise or whatever.”
The distribution of funding to Dublin GAA continues to spark debate, with many arguing that their dominance in football is directly linked with the money they receive in grants.
GAA president John Horan said this week that more analysis is required to determine if action is needed, saying that “people are operating off global figures.”
Treacy is hesitant to make comment about whether Dublin get an unfair amount of funding compared to other counties, but he doesn’t believe that it explains the success of the footballers.
“I can’t comment on something like that. Personally, I don’t think so. It would be a bit harsh to say that a team going for their fifth All Ireland is all down to money, it’s not.
To be honest I think too much is made of it. It’s complete rubbish that it’s all down to funding because it’s not.”
David Treacy was at the launch of AIG Ireland’s announcement that the logo of the 20×20 campaign will replace their logo on the front of the Dublin GAA jersey for upcoming ladies’ football, camogie, football & hurling fixtures.
The campaign aims to promote awareness of the “If She Can’t See It, She Can’t Be It” initiative.
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