WHEN THE JUDGEMENTS were being made on the last day in Division 1 of the football league, Dublin were conspicuous by their absence from the afternoon’s key news lines.
Ever since the Jim Gavin era took flight, Dublin have been a constant as the league wraps up. Generally they have lifted the silverware, accumulating five titles since 2013 and pipped by a point in the other decider in 2017 by Kerry.
But in late March Dublin found themselves the only county in Division 1 without an interest in the Round 7 fight, stuck in fifth as the quartet above chased the league final places and the trio below sought desperately to escape the drop.
They delivered a win over Cavan on 24 March yet it was a low-key conclusion to the end of their spring and the spotlight had shifted away from the capital force when the silverware was being handed out as Mayo saw off Kerry.
2019 was never going to hinge on the league though for Dublin, the season revolves around their shot at immortality in retaining the Sam Maguire for the fifth successive year.
April is a down month for them in a county sense but there is still plenty to engage the All-Ireland winning squad with the first shots fired in Dublin’s flagship club football event, the senior football championship, tomorrow night.
With their upcoming opening Leinster assignment on Saturday 25 May against Louth or Wexford, Gavin and his management cohorts will be paying close attention to the club matters.
The primary interest will lie in the senior 1 championship, which follows the four groups of four round-robin model again this year. There’s two fixtures down for decision tomorrow night, two on Friday night and four on Saturday afternoon, including a Parnell Park double-header that TG4′s cameras will be present for a live broadcast.
From Dublin’s league campaign, Kevin McManamon (St Judes), Bernard Brogan and Sean Bugler (St Oliver Plunkett’s) and Ciaran Kilkenny (Castleknock) are in action tomorrow night with Darren Gavin (Lucan Sarsfields) lining out on Friday night.
Saturday’s games will feature the likes of Kilmacud duo Paul Mannion and Cian O’Sullivan against Ballymun players Evan Comerford, Philly McMahon, John Small and Dean Rock.
Na Fianna can call on Jonny Cooper, Eoin Murchan and Conor McHugh while Jack McCaffrey (Clontarf), Michael Darragh MacAuley (Ballyboden St-Enda’s) and the Raheny pair of Brian Fenton and Brian Howard are other notable inter-county figures.
But there will also be considerable interest in the fortunes of two players who have been celebrated for their exploits in Dublin jerseys.
Rory O’Carroll hasn’t featured for Dublin since the 2015 All-Ireland final and Diarmuid Connolly since the 2017 Sam Maguire triumph. There’ll be plenty attention paid if they line out for Kilmacud Crokes and St Vincent’s respectively, and as to whether it could spark inter-county comebacks.
Aside from the inter-county interest, the high standard in the Dublin championship always ensures it garners plenty interest with Kilmacud Crokes the reigning champions and Dublin clubs have garnered eight of the last 12 Leinster senior titles.
Here’s the full list of opening group fixtures this week:
Wednesday 10 April
- Group 3: St Jude’s v St Oliver Plunkett’s-Eoghan Ruadh, Parnell Park, 7.30pm
- Group 4: Castleknock v Ballinteer St John’s, Monastery Road, 7.30pm
Friday 12 April
- Group 2: Lucan Sarsfields v Skerries Harps, Garristown, 7.30pm
- Group 4: St Vincent’s v St Brigid’s, Lawless Park, 7.30pm
Saturday 13 April
- Group 1: St Sylvester’s v Na Fianna, Parnell Park, 5.15pm
- Group 1: Kilmacud Crokes v Ballymun Kickhams, Parnell Park, 7pm
- Group 2: Ballyboden St-Enda’s v Clontarf, O’Toole Park, 3.30pm
- Group 3: Thomas Davis v Raheny, O’Toole Park, 5.15pm
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