JIM GAVIN WON’T have the services of Jack McCaffrey or Rory O’Carroll for Dublin’s bid to retain their All-Ireland senior football title in 2016, but Dubs fans can rest assured that key forward Paddy Andrews is unlikely to make a similar decision to put his career on hold to see the world.
McCaffrey and O’Carroll will both be unavailable this season after opting to take a break from their playing careers in order to go travelling.
The defensive pair, who have five All-Ireland medals between them, played vital roles in their county’s 25th triumph last September at the expense of Kerry. Both players picked up Allstar awards, with McCaffrey also being named Footballer of the Year.
However, Dublin have shown no ill effects from their absences so far. McCaffrey did feature in their opening Allianz League fixtures against Kerry and Mayo, but Jim Gavin’s side have made it five wins from as many games with three more victories in the meantime, overcoming Monaghan, Cork and Down without their departing duo.
According to Paddy Andrews, Dublin’s system of play runs so efficiently that no player is irreplaceable, as evidenced by their success in recent weeks while rotating their panel.
“Exactly, yeah,” Andrews said. “It’s not as dependent on the individuals. Rory and Jack are fantastic players, everyone knows that, but we’re not overly reliant on one guy doing one job.
Everyone in the group, the 34/35 guys that are still there, know how we want to play, they know what works for our team, they know what doesn’t work.
“If someone steps out, another lad can step in and you’ve probably seen that even in the five games to date in the League, whereas I think we’ve made changes pretty much for every game and our performance hasn’t really dropped off.
“Everyone knows what’s expected of them so it’s not overly reliant on any individual, as good players as they are. I think we’re well placed to absorb the losses.”
Andrews insists O’Carroll and McCaffrey are leaving with the best wishes of their team-mates. However, the St Brigid’s man has no intention to follow suit.
“They’re our friends as well more than anything,” Andrews said. “I get on great with Rory and I’ve known him for a long, long time, and Jack as well, he’s a character. We respect them first and foremost, brilliant players and as people we get on with them and we just wish them the best. No, there’d be no hard feelings or anything like that whatsoever, no.”
Andrews added: “With all the training we’re doing, we’re all doing it because we want to be successful. Everyone who is playing inter-county football, it’s a short enough window that you get. If you’re lucky you might get 10 years. You want to win and be as successful as you can in that time.
“So for me, I’m as happy and as driven to be successful in the next couple of years but for Rory or Jack, that’s a decision they’ve made personally and we wish them all the best with it. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it but from my point of view, no, I’m not going to be jumping ship any time soon.”
Andrews admits that a stint abroad is something he’d have been interested in, but when it comes down to choosing between travelling the world or challenging for All-Irelands, it’s an easy decision to make for the 27-year-old Davy’s Stockbrokers consultant.
“I was doing accountancy exams, repeats, the one year I was off the Dublin team so it didn’t fall well unfortunately. No, it’s just something that would I have liked to do it? Yeah, if I had the opportunity,” he said.
“But if it’s a choice of playing for Dublin and trying to be successful at Croke Park for the summer, or going on a J1 or things like that, for me, the easy choice is to play for Dublin, that’s what I want to do.
“We’re very fortunate, we’ve got a good group, we have a chance of being successful most years so it’s an easy decision for me to make that I want to play for Dublin.”
When asked if more players are likely to start taking time out to pursue other interests, similar to O’Carroll and McCaffrey, Andrews said: “I don’t know. It’s probably something for the GAA to look at if it does, but I don’t think it’s happening all that often.
“Just because the two guys are quite high-profile it’s getting a lot of press. Ultimately, it lies with the individual. If they’re not enjoying their football or there’s work commitments or family commitments, or they just feel they can’t do it, then it’s going to fall on the individual. What can the GAA really do to combat that? I’m not sure.
“Hopefully not, like. I enjoy it, guys enjoy it, that’s why we do it, why we play GAA from, whatever, eight or nine years of age. The opportunity to play for your county in Croke Park is fantastic but if other guys want to try out other options, there’s not really a whole lot the GAA can do if the guy makes up his mind himself.”
Andrews paid tribute to full-back O’Carroll, a player he has crossed paths with many times at club level and in training sessions with Dublin over the years.
“I was fortunate enough to play a lot of underage stuff with Rory coming up and obviously with Brigid’s and Kilmacud Crokes, we would have played each other a lot in championship games and we would have come across each other. He’s a fantastic player and his record shows that.
“To have achieved what he has, he’s a year younger than me — All-Ireland club titles, Allstars, All-Ireland titles — and he’s been such an integral part of those teams. He’s a fantastic player but he’s made his decision that he’s not going to be available for us.
“Like I say, you’ve already seen guys that have come in, Michael Fitzsimons, Davey Byrne, guys are getting the opportunities now who are every bit as talented and now they’re getting the opportunity to show that.
“They’ve already shown it in the first couple of months of the season so, like I say, of course we would like to have [Rory] but he’s not there. It’s just about moving on and dealing with the guys that are available.”
He’s still just 26 but O’Carroll has already admitted that he may never play for Dublin again. Andrews is hopeful that the two-time Allstar will eventually return to the blue jersey but they’re now fully focused on what’s ahead of them in 2016.
Andrews: “[Rory] is happy enough that he’s made that decision. I don’t know, maybe it’s because he’s had that level of success over the last number of years that he’s kind of thinking, ‘Oh well, I’ve done that, I want to experience something else’.
“Like I say, it’s not something I would have done or for most guys, but for Rory it’s just a decision he’s made and if he’s quite happy with it then all you can do is wish him the best.
“He’s had a great career already anyway really, but hopefully we might see him again in the future — it would be great. But for our immediate plans he’s not available for the summer so it’s just about moving on and dealing with the guys that are there.”
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