LAST UPDATE | 21 May 2022
PARNELL PARK WAS the epicentre. The tremors caused most damage way west. Galway dumped out of the championship by Dublin, boom. Ryan O’Dwyer was delighted.
He spent that 2019 evening on the sideline at a club game, frequently checking his phone for updates from that round-robin clash. Going into the match, Galway were Leinster final favourites. They paid little heed to the trapdoor marked elimination because only a freak set of results would open it. Dublin win, Kilkenny and Wexford draw. Then it unfolded and down they fell.
As far as O’Dwyer was concerned, job done. No provincial final but a chance to kick on. He sat in his car and scrolled through various clips on Dublin GAA social media. With one clip, elation became exasperation.
“It was a video of a player chanting on the field. Fans were delighted and everything. He was leading the ‘come on you boys in blue chant.’ Out in front, roaring on the field. I said it to a friend that day. ‘This is the last game Dublin will win this year.’
“I think some lads get carried away. You know the Patriots in the NFL have a saying, ‘block out the external noise.’ It was the same when I was there. A little success distracts when you need grounding. Not every one of them, I don’t want to tar them with the same brush. But celebrating on the field after reaching a preliminary quarter-final? Up on shoulders?
“Would Kilkenny celebrate coming third? Not a fucking hope.”
After the league, O’Dwyer did a championship preview with journalist Marie Crowe. When asked for his surprise package, he opted for Laois. They will win the Joe McDonagh Cup and the preliminary quarter-final, he said. At the time it was forecasting a Laois win rather than a Dublin loss. Both happened.
What does that fateful afternoon represent now? In some ways, it is one of the decade’s greatest ‘what ifs.’ Start with the victims. In 2017 they were All-Ireland champions. 2018 brought an All-Ireland final. The week previous they beat Kilkenny, who would eventually go on to contest that year’s decider. Their star Joe Canning was on the injury comeback trail.
Micheal Donoghue had instilled much-needed harmony and hardiness. That was his final year in charge. Chaos ensued. Notably, he did not acknowledge the county board during his departing statement. Galway’s earliest exit from the championship since 1965 meant an idle summer. Colm Callanan retired. Johnny Glynn has not played since.
A clean slate smashed. Once again over the next two years, Galway were blasted by instability. It wasn’t a significant change, but it was enough. Shane O’Neill arrived and that February Tom Monaghan was cut from the panel. The All-Ireland minor winner is back now and a leading performer for the Tribesmen. Another standout player, Jack Grealish, was afforded championship game time in 2019 but did not see a minute in 2020 or 2021.
Up and down. Soared and crashed. Defeat Wexford, collapse against Kilkenny. 2021 was even worse.
Dublin know similar peaks and valleys. In 2019, they beat Galway and were knocked out by Laois. In 2020, they won a single championship game and were well beaten by Kilkenny and Dublin. In 2021 Mattie Kenny’s outfit once again defeated Galway and once again failed to kick on.
Do they lack resources? Not a chance. In 2019 Dessie Farrell joined the ticket to help with off-field matters. A year later he transitioned across to the football gig. In 2014, when Dublin GAA inked a three-year deal with Toyota, 16 cars were provided across players and management to both codes. This year’s new deal with Peugeot saw electric and hybrid cars across four teams, both the men’s and women’s.
There has been enough club success. Cuala won back-to-back All-Ireland titles in 2017 and ’18. Ballyboden were Leinster finalists a year later. Kilmacud Crokes bowed out in the provincial semi-final last season.
So what is the problem? John Mullane’s controversial comments in the aftermath of Kilkenny’s dominant win last weekend were much-discussed.
“They’re still out on the field getting selfies, getting pats on the back, laughing and joking with their friends. They’re after being beaten by 17 points, get in off the field. Don’t be laughing and joking out on the field. Get ready for Galway next week. I think it’s pathetic,” he declared on RTE Radio.
O’Dwyer believes he touched on a deeper issue.
“Selfies are grand but I know where he is coming from. I know a lot of those players; how much does it mean to them? I wonder sometimes. I could pick the players laughing and joking with their friends after being beaten by 17 points. It is a disgrace. You can’t be ignorant and need to acknowledge people on the pitch but get off as quickly as possible.
“I question how many of them fit their life into hurling rather than hurling into their life. What group do you fall into? A few could take it or leave it. You can say you are a Dublin hurler, but do you want to win as a Dublin hurler?”
For Henry Shefflin, 2022 meant a new dawn. He opted to trust younger talent. The panel was cut after the league and most of the departures were experienced players. Across the opening three rounds, he used 35 players, the most of any team.
For Dublin, it is much more pressing. They used 21 players in that spell, the lowest in the league. The sole goal is immediate silverware. Real success.
Given his previous accuracy, it would be remiss not to ask O’Dwyer for his prediction.
“I think they will lose but still qualify. Then I can’t see them getting past a quarter-final. That’s it for them. Is that progress? Is a quarter-final again really progress?”
Hard to argue with that prospect or assessment. The onus is now on Dublin to defy expectations. Can they start today and sustain it beyond that?
