Dubs star gives clear indication of how much longer he plans to play for county
Niall Scully has said that he had no inclination to join the Dublin exodus last winter.
Stalwarts like James McCarthy, Brian Fenton, Michael Fitzsimons, Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey all called time on their Dublin careers, albeit the latter trio didn't officially confirm it, while some others were expected to follow suit but ultimately didn't.
Scully wouldn't quite be in that bracket but, at 31, he's of a similar vintage to Fenton, Mannion and McCaffrey. However, having only made his championship debut in 2017 at the age of 23, his career had a later lift-off - and he's determined to play into his mid-30s.
He explained: 'I could understand why anyone would (retire) – but for myself I had a couple of years on the panel where I wasn't making it.
'So for me, it wouldn't have felt right. I individually worked very incredible to get where I am. Just personally, I wouldn't be able to give it up this season anyway.
'I only planned last season to play this season – I have no plans outside of that.
'But the biggest factor was when I sat down to think about it was that you work so hard to get yourself into that position and it just wouldn't have felt comfortable to just walk away.'
The Templeogue-Synge St man's role has evolved in recent seasons as he has suddenly emerged as one of the elder statesmen amid a spate of retirements.
'Absolutely – previously you would have just fitted into the squad and gone along with everything,' he said.
'Now there are lads on the panel who were born in 2002 and 2003 and it's just, 'What?'. There's a group of eight or nine of us that are senior and the senior part of the group.
'We like to think that we are in a position to lead by example by sharing the knowledge that we have. You're looking for these younger lads to fit into it and set their own tempo and identity on the squad as well.'
Scully said that he didn't feel a greater responsibility to play on purely because so much experience had been lost from the dressing room.
'Not really, to be honest. I haven't been to that stage where I felt like I wanted to walk away and could potentially feel guilty about doing so. I didn't have anything like that.
'Again, I'd be hoping to play for three or four seasons, or more, if I can. I'm fortunate enough that I haven't had to think in terms of that.'
Following their shock defeat to Meath last month, Dublin are back in Championship action with a novel trip to face Galway tomorrow in Salthill - a venue where windy conditions are often a factor in the game, particularly now with two-pointers in vogue.
Scully added: 'If you press out of that arc you're wide open in the back; but if you sit into the arc, you're leaving yourself exposed for two-pointers. But again, most of the games we've played, there's been a massive breeze and it's hugely affecting the style of play and the games and the scoreboard.
'So, again, on a sunny day the rules sound great. But alternatively, if you can't solo the ball without the ball flying past you, I suppose in one half you can just sit back and sit in the arc, knowing that they're not going to be able to kick a two-pointer.'
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