DUBLIN MIDFIELDER DENIS Bastick has admitted that the reputation he once held as ‘a liability to the team’ was correct.
The two-time All-Ireland medallist has managed to curb his temper after a string of red card dismissals over the years.
He was shown another last January when Dublin lost the O’Byrne Cup final to Kildare.
It was costly too as he missed the first two games of the Allianz League and ultimately allowed Cian O’Sullivan to pinch his place at midfield.
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But he believes he is generally a reformed character and revealed that he has worked hard on the fiery streak in recent seasons.
“Definitely I had issues with discipline,” admitted Bastick.
There were areas I had to try to focus on personally and sometimes that’s harder because it’s mental, it is not something physical there to work on. It is purely mental and I tried to deal with that.
That has helped me because, in the past, definitely some of the discipline issues added to the reason why I wasn’t kept around the team.
Bastick was cut from the senior panel in 2008 by then boss Paul Caffrey. But after captaining the juniors to All-Ireland success he returned to the senior team under new manager Pat Gilroy in 2009.
Bastick said that being told he was ‘finished’ hurt him deeply and he resolved to win his place back, which he did.
But he admitted that his disciplinary record probably counted against him and created a negative perception of him at the time.
“Yeah, a liability to the team, which I was,” continued Bastick, a recipient of a scholarship place on the GPA/DCU Executive MBA programme.
You know, you are no good to anybody if you are not going to complete the full game time or if you are going to leave the team a man down. That is no good to anybody, which I fully agree with.
The 32-year-old Templeogue-Synge Street club man said he hasn’t decided whether to return with Dublin in 2014.
“I’m busy playing with the club and that’s my focus just now,” he said.
“It’s a big one coming up on Sunday, we’re hoping to get the club promotion up to Division 1 football.”
Bastick: I’m no longer a liability to the Dubs
DUBLIN MIDFIELDER DENIS Bastick has admitted that the reputation he once held as ‘a liability to the team’ was correct.
The two-time All-Ireland medallist has managed to curb his temper after a string of red card dismissals over the years.
He was shown another last January when Dublin lost the O’Byrne Cup final to Kildare.
It was costly too as he missed the first two games of the Allianz League and ultimately allowed Cian O’Sullivan to pinch his place at midfield.
But he believes he is generally a reformed character and revealed that he has worked hard on the fiery streak in recent seasons.
“Definitely I had issues with discipline,” admitted Bastick.
Bastick was cut from the senior panel in 2008 by then boss Paul Caffrey. But after captaining the juniors to All-Ireland success he returned to the senior team under new manager Pat Gilroy in 2009.
Bastick said that being told he was ‘finished’ hurt him deeply and he resolved to win his place back, which he did.
But he admitted that his disciplinary record probably counted against him and created a negative perception of him at the time.
“Yeah, a liability to the team, which I was,” continued Bastick, a recipient of a scholarship place on the GPA/DCU Executive MBA programme.
The 32-year-old Templeogue-Synge Street club man said he hasn’t decided whether to return with Dublin in 2014.
“I’m busy playing with the club and that’s my focus just now,” he said.
“It’s a big one coming up on Sunday, we’re hoping to get the club promotion up to Division 1 football.”
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Denis Bastick Denis the Menace GAA GAA 2013 Dublin