O'BYRNE CUP FINAL:IT LOOKS a little odd to see Louth and DCU contesting the O'Byrne Cup football final in Drogheda this Sunday. Especially considering that student teams are using the pre-season competition as a tune-up for the Sigerson Cup next month.

Nevertheless, DCU have more than earned their stripes, overcoming fellow third-level institution DIT before putting Laois and then Kildare to the sword.

Suddenly they are eyeing silverware a week before their real campaign begins, away to Sligo IT on February 4th, but as coach Prof Niall Moyna points out, they are better suited than most because of the introduction of the experimental rules and new prohibition on intercounty panels’ collective training in November and December.

“Normally in these games our players struggle with the physicality but the new rules have helped us tremendously.

“County teams normally say to themselves in the last 20 minutes, ‘let’s close these boys down’ and using whatever methods, they normally succeed. With the new rules this is not possible and the good attacking player can still be effective.

“All referees are doing is enforcing the rules. What we need to see now is a standardisation by referees across the National League and championship. That is the challenge.

“I heard a Monaghan player complain about the new rules recently when he said he had to work more on tackling. Hello? It is a skill.”

Moyna has been involved in the DCU GAA programme for eight years now, in which time they have grown significantly as a sporting institution. Naturally, he deflects credit on to academy director Declan Brennan and continually returns to the main priority of providing players with a valued education.

“We put in a lot of work with players but the priority is to excel academically. Our best practice is that we do no conditioning. We have a strength and conditioning coach in Julie Davis (who sets a programme) but it is the responsibility of the player to look after his own fitness.

“We have learned that 70 percent of collective training can be a waste of time – it is not even game- specific.

“Just look at St Vincent’s under Mickey Whelan for a fine example last year. They had speed sessions at half six or half seven some mornings but primarily, it was all ball, ball, ball work.

“We seek to produce good ball-players and good decision-makers. You could see it in the Kildare game in the last 20 minutes. Sure, Kieran McGeeney said his team turned the ball over but they were put under pressure and that’s when mistakes come.”

Whelan and another St Vincent’s man, Tony Diamond (a former Dublin minor manager), make up the management team on campus, ensuring a crossover with Pat Gilroy’s Dublin set-up as Whelan and Moyna are already aboard the new regime.

Another noteworthy aspect of DCU’s progress to date is their lengthy injury list. Mayo forward Conor Mortimer is recovering from a broken nose; Cavan’s Seánie Johnston has a recurring groin problem; upcoming Dublin player Paddy Andrews damaged his foot training in La Manga; and Meath’s bright young hope Shane O’Rourke is “still growing and developing physically”, so for such a tall fellow back and hamstring problems come with the territory.

In addition Kevin Nolan is being allowed focus on Kilmacud Crokes’ All-Ireland club semi-final against Corrofin.

“We have a policy here that we don’t play players unless they are 100 per cent fit,” added Moyna.

That and producing heads-up football are the sounds reverberating from the football fields off the Ballymun Road.

-Kerry County Board chairman Jerome Conway has expressed frustration with the delay in announcing the judgment from the Aiden O'Mahony anti-doping case that concluded on January 22nd. "We are expecting it this week. The whole process is difficult for the player especially considering it has gone on for weeks and weeks and weeks.

“We understand the gap in proceedings due to the Christmas period and that this is the first (anti-doping) hearing. I’m sure when we have gone through this process we will be saying to the GAA that it needs to be done quicker in future,” he said.