FORMER DUBLIN FOOTBALLER James McCarthy has claimed that Dublin are not in the precarious position their league position – two games played and two lost – would dictate right now.
With a home game against fellow strugglers Monaghan this Saturday in Croke Park, along with the grave warnings sounded by manager Ger Brennan after the second defeat against Mayo, the holder of nine All-Ireland medals believes they can extract themselves from their lowly standing right now.
“It’s obviously a big game Saturday. Lose then, and you are under massive pressure,” said McCarthy.
“It’s probably a bit different from when we got relegated a few years ago. We had a serious squad. A lot of guys were still there, and it was a good kick up the arse for a lot of us that you can’t take it for granted.
“But it didn’t affect us, getting relegated to Division 2. We still knew what we were about, and we were still very self-assured.”
While he acknowledges the best place to blood potential players is in the pressure cooker of the top flight, the strength of Division 2 now is such that it would still be beneficial.
“It is not the end of the world if you go down. If you look at the teams in Division 2 at the moment, there are Meath, Cavan, Cork, Tyrone, Derry. There are still high-level games,” he says.
In his first season in charge, Brennan took a similar step to other top counties by forming a development team that fielded for their two games in the O’Byrne Cup.
While some players have been given their opportunity, it was noticeable how Brennan made no fewer than three first-half substitutions against Mayo with Ethan Dunne, Killian McGinnis and Brian Howard being withdrawn.
It feeds into a sense that everything is in flux in the capital.
“You always hear of transition and I never like using that word. You always think Dublin should be winning an All-Ireland every year they play,” said McCarthy.
“But there’s been a whole tranche of players moved on. It’s time to get a whole lot of new lads through, and in fairness to Ger and the lads, they have put plenty of the lads in the last few games.
“I’d say they would have liked to have drip-fed them in a bit more, ideally. From my own experience you like to have 10, 11, 12 really strong players, and you like to throw in two or three, and it’s easier for young lads to bed in.”
He adds, “It’s harder when it’s six or seven new lads in, without a lot of experience. It’s a big step up from underage or club level to playing with the county.
“But they have been fairly competitive in both games. In Mayo there was the red card too. So I am sure people thought when I was starting off in my first couple of games that I would be much of a player.
“They have to find their feet, grow into it and find out what is required to play at that level. You need to be patient with guys.”
When McCarthy and Dublin were in the middle of their row of six consecutive All-Ireland titles, they were known as playing a very prescriptive style of play, with high-risk shots almost entirely written out.
At this stage it would appear the new rules reward adventure, and while Dublin appear to be taking their time to adapt to them, McCarthy believes there is a natural inclination that will suit the Dublin footballers.
“I would have said that. Play fast. Move it quick through the boot,” he maintains.
“So they should adapt. Maybe we were, and I was myself, (had) a tendency to shovel the pass sideways instead of going direct with the more defensive game there was.
“But they are only in and the conditions at the moment don’t exactly lend itself to moving the ball and kicking it quicker. I still think as the years goes on, you will see more front foot football from Dublin.
“For the guys that are in there [that] I played with, I know what they are like. They would be of that nature. Ger would always encourage kicking and as a forward you want the ball in as quick as they can. So you will see that being layered on as the season goes on.”
James McCarthy was speaking at the Sigerson Cup final preview of the Electric Ireland Higher Education Championships.
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'Dublin’s traditional game is all-out, gung-ho' – James McCarthy
FORMER DUBLIN FOOTBALLER James McCarthy has claimed that Dublin are not in the precarious position their league position – two games played and two lost – would dictate right now.
With a home game against fellow strugglers Monaghan this Saturday in Croke Park, along with the grave warnings sounded by manager Ger Brennan after the second defeat against Mayo, the holder of nine All-Ireland medals believes they can extract themselves from their lowly standing right now.
“It’s obviously a big game Saturday. Lose then, and you are under massive pressure,” said McCarthy.
“It’s probably a bit different from when we got relegated a few years ago. We had a serious squad. A lot of guys were still there, and it was a good kick up the arse for a lot of us that you can’t take it for granted.
“But it didn’t affect us, getting relegated to Division 2. We still knew what we were about, and we were still very self-assured.”
While he acknowledges the best place to blood potential players is in the pressure cooker of the top flight, the strength of Division 2 now is such that it would still be beneficial.
“It is not the end of the world if you go down. If you look at the teams in Division 2 at the moment, there are Meath, Cavan, Cork, Tyrone, Derry. There are still high-level games,” he says.
In his first season in charge, Brennan took a similar step to other top counties by forming a development team that fielded for their two games in the O’Byrne Cup.
While some players have been given their opportunity, it was noticeable how Brennan made no fewer than three first-half substitutions against Mayo with Ethan Dunne, Killian McGinnis and Brian Howard being withdrawn.
It feeds into a sense that everything is in flux in the capital.
“But there’s been a whole tranche of players moved on. It’s time to get a whole lot of new lads through, and in fairness to Ger and the lads, they have put plenty of the lads in the last few games.
“I’d say they would have liked to have drip-fed them in a bit more, ideally. From my own experience you like to have 10, 11, 12 really strong players, and you like to throw in two or three, and it’s easier for young lads to bed in.”
He adds, “It’s harder when it’s six or seven new lads in, without a lot of experience. It’s a big step up from underage or club level to playing with the county.
“But they have been fairly competitive in both games. In Mayo there was the red card too. So I am sure people thought when I was starting off in my first couple of games that I would be much of a player.
“They have to find their feet, grow into it and find out what is required to play at that level. You need to be patient with guys.”
When McCarthy and Dublin were in the middle of their row of six consecutive All-Ireland titles, they were known as playing a very prescriptive style of play, with high-risk shots almost entirely written out.
At this stage it would appear the new rules reward adventure, and while Dublin appear to be taking their time to adapt to them, McCarthy believes there is a natural inclination that will suit the Dublin footballers.
“I would have said that. Play fast. Move it quick through the boot,” he maintains.
“So they should adapt. Maybe we were, and I was myself, (had) a tendency to shovel the pass sideways instead of going direct with the more defensive game there was.
“But they are only in and the conditions at the moment don’t exactly lend itself to moving the ball and kicking it quicker. I still think as the years goes on, you will see more front foot football from Dublin.
“For the guys that are in there [that] I played with, I know what they are like. They would be of that nature. Ger would always encourage kicking and as a forward you want the ball in as quick as they can. So you will see that being layered on as the season goes on.”
James McCarthy was speaking at the Sigerson Cup final preview of the Electric Ireland Higher Education Championships.
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Dubs GAA Gaelic Football James McCarthy Question of style