Louth ‘favourites’ for Leinster argues Dublin legend Barney Rock
DUBLIN great Barney Rock suggests that injuries are his county’s greatest problem at the moment – and makes Louth favourites to win their Leinster SFC semi-final.The ‘wee county’ are the reigning provincial champions, that title won under the management of Ger Brennan, who is now in charge of his native Dublin.The St Vincent’s clubman will remain suspended for that Leinster last four clash in Portlaoise, serving out a 12-week ban for an incident in the League game against Galway – which means that Rock’s son Dean will again be the caretaker manager against Louth.“Listen, it’s a situation that the pressure will be on Louth in many ways because Louth are Leinster champions,” said Barney.“From Dublin’s point of view, Dublin will see it as an opportunity. We’ll probably go into that game underdogs.”Queried on that point, Ballymun clubman Barney insisted that the Dubs cannot been be seen as more likely to reach the decider:“I see where Louth have gone favourites for Leinster.“So it’s a situation that Dublin will have to play with their very, very best and hopefully last Sunday will stand to some of the young lads that had come in.“[Killian] McGinnis played well. He’s a good lad, he can certainly kick balls over the bar.”However, despite that strong showing from the Skerries Harps man, Dublin only beat Wicklow by two points in Aughrim last Sunday.Derry Conor McCluskey loses his boot in a tangle with Con O'Callaghan of Dublin during a National Football League match played at Celtic Park in Derry.
Picture by Margaret McLaughlin (Margaret McLaughlin Photography ) Rock pointed to skipper Con O’Callaghan going off injured and Colm Basquel only lasting seven minutes off the bench before being forced off:“I think the biggest problem for Dublin’s impact is the amount of injuries we have.“All of a sudden you’ve got Con who went off injured with a hamstring. You have also Basquel who went off with a hamstring. Two All-Star forwards who haven’t played that much over the last six months because of being injured.“You have Lee Gannon who has a hamstring injury. And then all of a sudden you’ve got Theo Clancy. So you’ve got about six fellas on the Dublin squad that are out.”Rock said O’Callaghan missing the second half was a massive blow to the much-changed Dublin side:“He is the captain, he’s the leader, he’s the focal point. With the new rules, it should have suited him brilliantly, because the quick ball in, he has great speed, low gravity, get the ball, turn and go.“So from that end of it, it’s like Kerry playing without Clifford, even one of the two Cliffords.“He was always in David Clifford’s profile, Con: he’s a team player, he just drives the team, but he’s been just dogged with injuries over the last year-and-a-half.”Rock also noted the absence of other experienced men, including retired duo Brian Fenton and James McCarthy, as a major factor in Dublin suffering relegation from Division One in the National Football League this year:“If you could get one or two of the other lads back, it would give them some hope but I suppose the biggest thing is in and around the middle of the field. “I did say that, in the matches against Armagh or Galway, if we had a James McCarthy or a Brian Fenton, just one of them, we’d have won the match.”Rock was speaking at the launch of this year’s Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge, which will raise funds for Galbally clubwoman Catriona McGahan, who suffered a life-changing spinal injury on holiday last year.In attendance at the launch of the 25th annual Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge in Michael Lyng Motors, Kilkenny, are, from left: Michael Lyng, Rose Murphy, Vanessa Cunningham from Circet, Mickey Traynor, Tomás Ó Cadhla, and Challenge organising chairman Liam Daniels. PICTURE: SPORTSFILE (Sam Barnes / SPORTSFILE/SPORTSFILE) Michael Lyng Motors in Kilkenny was the venue for the special event to mark the start of the Challenge’s jubilee year.The 25th annual Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge takes place in Killarney Golf and Fishing Club on October 15 and 16.Unless a Dublin side collects the specially-commissioned Waterford Crystal ‘Liam MacCarthy Cup’ for the winners of the Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge, Rock accepts that Leinster is his county’s best hope of a trophy this year.The team remains in transition, with the squad lacking the depth of quality in their glory years of the previous decade, Rock notes:“We’re used to so much quality players. The young lads coming in now, they probably feel under pressure that little bit to have to go and deliver.“Whereas back then, when things weren’t going right for them, you had Kevin McManamon coming in, you had Dean when he was a sub, coming in.“You had loads of fellas who were coming in and making a massive difference, because he had the confidence to do it.“Whereas now, it’s just that with all the fellas we’re losing, it’s just that we don’t have the 26-27 players.”
