DUBLIN’S NEXT GENERATION are already giving Jim Gavin a selection headache, star forward Bernard Brogan said.
Dessie Farrell’s U21s put Roscommon to the sword on Saturday to clinch their third All-Ireland title in five years in emphatic fashion.
No fewer than eight of the U21 panel, including five of the starting XV from Tullamore, have been involved in Gavin’s senior squad during the league campaign.
Another — corner-forward Conor McHugh — staked his claim as he took home the man of the match award with a brilliant 1-6 from play.
“They’re putting the pressure on Jim to give them a call up,” Brogan said yesterday.
“Those lads, fellas like John Small, and other fellas all over the pitch that were moving really well are knocking on the door.
“They’re after winning a couple of All-Irelands at U21 level so I think Jim will have to have his work cut out for him over the next few months to try and have a championship panel.
The competition in training is already fierce and now you have a few more lads knocking on the door after winning an All-Ireland. They deserve a shot or they deserve someone to have a look at them.
“It’s going to be interesting, and I suppose it’s all positive for Dublin.”
Dublin already have an embarrassment of riches, particularly in attack where Brogan and older brother Alan have quickly returned to their usual lethal form.
Add Paul Flynn, Paddy Andrews, Diarmuid Connolly, Kevin McManamon, Eoghan O’Gara, Cormac Costello and the returning Paul Mannion and Dean Rock to that list and it’s easy to see why those on the cusp of a senior breakthrough will have to be patient.
Brogan said: “When I started playing football, we won a Leinster and we were delighted with it. Five or six of those lads were probably brought up [to the senior squad].
“The year that Alan won the U21 All-Ireland [2003], there was about eight of them brought in.
There’s a traffic jam now of really powerful young lads that are coming up. The likes of McHugh that would be in any team, I’m sure he will get a chance.
“In other years or other days of Dublin, they would all be in there looking to get a shot with the senior team. But it can be difficult, and that’s the challenge for Jim — to keep these lads motivated.
“They’re the guys that are going to be the future of Dublin. You want to keep them in tow.”
If the future looks bright for football in the capital, the present doesn’t look too shabby either. After clinching the league title for a second straight year, the Dubs are currently as short as evens with some bookmakers to go all the way and retain their All-Ireland crown this September.
Brogan said: “After winning the National League, we always realised that we would be hot favourites but there were a lot of times during the league when it didn’t look even as though we’d get into the semi-final.
“It grows on you when you come out the other end of it but there were a lot of questionable days and questionable performances. I think it’s all just about getting our heads right and doing what we do well and just going out and imposing ourselves.
When you’re going out in the first round of the championship, you’re just going out to win that game. When you start looking past that, what’s when you lose your grip on it and that’s when you get beaten.
This current group has the experience that was lacking in 2012, he added.
“We went so long without an All-Ireland, 16 years, and we were a bit naive coming in the following year. We trained as hard but we probably couldn’t get the level in the head up where we probably needed to be.
“Jim’s a very good operator. He’s very cute. He’ll keep us grounded and keep us level and keep our eyes on the job in hand and keep us performing at our best.
“And when you do that, you never know what might happen.”
