WHEN DUBLIN’S FOOTBALL breakthrough arrived in 2011, a young Eoghan O’Donnell was amongst the masses swept up in the hysteria engendered by lifting Sam Maguire after a 16-year wait.
A curious chain of events has seen the football supremo from that side now supervising the fortunes of the Dublin hurling team O’Donnell lines out for but the 22-year-old does not find it unusual taking instructions from Pat Gilroy who has swapped codes.
“I suppose as a young lad you see Pat winning and I remember I think I was on the Hill that day (in 2011) and you know who Pat Gilroy was,” said O’Donnell.
“There was a lot of talk about a business mind and a player man manager and stuff like that so there was a reputation coming in.
“Lads were nervous but Pat is a no messing kind of guy. If you’re pulling your weight, you’re okay with him and if you’re not then he’ll say it to you fairly quickly but there’s no beating around the bush with him. He just calls it as straight as it is and that’s all you can ask for with a manager.
“He’s called a football manager because he was playing football and managed Dublin football. I didn’t have any hesitation. Okay he managed the football team but he has been around hurling his whole life and knows what he’s talking about and can put a structure in place there.
“So even though it was unusual we haven’t really noticed a difference to be honest. He just seems like any other hurling manager I’ve had.”
O’Donnell feels the presence of those assisting Gilroy has smoothed the transition for Dublin hurling.
“We played Galway in Parnell Park when Anthony (Cunningham) was manager, my first year playing. So (I) kind of had the scarier end of him from that side when he was playing against you but Anthony is a gentleman.
“He’s another straight shooter. Just as long as you’re pulling your weight, these lads are happy. Mickey (Whelan) is great. He has a wealth of knowledge, he’s probably one of the most experienced people in the game.
“Mickey is great for a one on one chat that he might explain something a small bit differently and it just clicks in your head and that’s just a testament to how much coaching he has under his belt.”
Dublin’s league form was moderate yet O’Donnell is enthused at the thought of the upcoming Leinster championship and believes they will be bolstered by the return of Cuala All-Ireland winners to their ranks.
“That’s what we’re looking forward to most, having a couple of players in that know how to win and know how to get over the line no matter what it takes.
“If you look at both the first match in Croke Park and the replay, those games were nip and tuck, and for Cuala to come out on that is a huge mental advantage.
“If they can bring that in and share it with us, we’re open minded and we’d love to see that.”
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