Conor McManus: Dublin in Croke Park used to be a death sentence. Times have changed

Irish Times

4 days ago

Dublin
in
Croke Park
. Eleven years ago, we played them in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. They were champions and although they would lose to Donegal in the next match, they were well on the way under
Jim Gavin
to the team that would win six-in-a-row and become the best of all time.
Malachy O'Rourke had managed us to various landmarks, an Ulster title the year before, promotion to Division One and we were going to give this our best shot. There would be no charge of the light brigade stuff and going man-to-man. The plan was to keep everything tight early on and frustrate them. Kieran Duffy was dropped back to bolster the defence.
I remember nearly 25 minutes had gone by and it was 0-3 all. Dublin hadn't scored from play. We were all breathing a little bit easier, staying with them, competing. The first part of the job was done, keeping it all under control in the first quarter and for as long after as we could. Ticking along nicely.
Then, the roof fell in, a six-minute blitz. Diarmuid Connolly got through for a goal. Just before that, Colin Walshe, who was our All Star corner back, did his cruciate but played on for the rest of the match and although he managed to play miraculously well despite the injury, which ruled him out for the following 12 months, it certainly didn't help us.
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Within six minutes, the score had gone to 2-6 to 0-3 – 2-3 on the spin. Game over!
If Dublin get a goal, the whole place just changes and they play on a gust of wind for five minutes. They're just free-flowing and the noise is there, the Hill's in full flight and they're playing off the cuff and it's very, very hard to deal with.
That experience, though, was more to do with that team than the venue. It was that group of players that they had. You can't man-mark everybody. James McCarthy's giving you problems at half back; Michael Darragh Macauley midfield; Connolly and Paul Flynn in the half forwards and Bernard Brogan inside.
There were too many fires to put out everywhere. If they got a run on you, you could be badly burned in a very, very short space of time.
Tyrone manager Malachy O'Rourke. Photograph: INPHO/John McVitty
We played other teams during my career and I always loved coming to Croke Park at the beginning of August for quarter-finals. It meant the championship was kicking off and if you weren't playing Dublin, your opponents wouldn't be any more familiar with the venue than you were.
Everything is earlier these days but for next weekend's teams, it's a great opportunity. This championship is so open and the rule changes have helped create unpredictability in every match. Every one of next weekend's winners will have genuine thoughts of the All-Ireland.
Malachy O'Rourke is back to play Dublin, 12 years later. He is now managing Tyrone and has one great advantage over 2013 – it's not Gavin's team he's facing. Contemporary Dublin are different. They don't have the same strength in depth and are very reliant on
Con O'Callaghan
, who has been battling injury.
You can see why he's so important. Number one, he takes the opposition's best defender. But no matter who that is, he's also going to guarantee four or five points. And he'll link play; others will play off him and he can win ball in there. Without him, the attack's teeth just aren't as sharp.
They navigated Derry with him playing, although obviously he wasn't right after the hamstring damage in Galway. If he hadn't played, would we even be talking about Dublin at this stage?
Trying to overcome an injury coming into a big game can actually be an advantage. On one hand, it constantly preoccupies you with rehab work and visits to the physio. You're just thinking, 'am I going to be fit here?' But on the other hand, it takes your mind off the game. You aren't overthinking or overanalysing. It 'de-loads' you.
Then all going well, once you're on the field, moving and getting involved in the play, you soon realise that you're okay.
I've been impressed with how Dublin have kept going and doing enough to win. Their defence is solid enough: Brian Howard, John Small and Davey Byrne each have All Stars. So does Eoin Murchan, who's getting back into action.
Cork's Paul Walsh and Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne of Dublin. Photograph: INPHO/James Crombie
Midfield couldn't get its hands on the ball against Meath in the Leinster semi-final but there has been real improvement there. Peadar Ó Cofaigh-Byrne's performances against Galway, Derry and Cork – all well-regarded opponents – have seen him develop into one of the better players of the year in the position.
Up front, though, there are questions. If O'Callaghan is ready, Pádraig Hampsey will probably pick him up. If not, the Tyrone defence will simply readjust and Hampsey will move on to Paddy Small or Cormac Costello or whoever, and the next best markers will pick up other forwards.
Tyrone will be hoping that Brian Kennedy is fit because he's a good match-up in that area.
If they manage to get close to their best form, they will beat Dublin but it's been an up-and-down championship so far, nearly beating Armagh when not playing that well and then going to Ballybofey and defeating Donegal. The next match, they lose to Mayo.
They have the big advantage of two weeks' rest and I believe the switch to Croke Park will suit them. Darren McCurry has been very consistent but we have yet to see the best of Darragh Canavan. He's been playing well and scored five points the last day but he just hasn't just caught fire the way you would expect.
Sometimes you can forget that he was part of the All-Ireland winning panel four years ago when you had to do a double take at the sight of him wearing number 18. Good weather and the surface in Croke Park can bring out the best in him but if you were Dessie Farrell, you couldn't look at Tyrone and say, 'if we stop this player or that player' we are going to win.
They have been getting scores from all over the field with eight, nine, 10 scorers in different games and I think that maybe is their strength.
To be fair to Dublin, they showed a decent bit of resolve against Cork last weekend and they didn't panic. They know their season is on the line here.
Tyrone, though, have players, who are going well but not yet at their best. This is the place to start. This weekend, they can catapult themselves into contention for the year.