Barney Rock does not believe Dublin’s seven-point loss to Tyrone at Healy Park in the last round of the league is an accurate reflection of how the teams compare ahead of Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final.
Malachy O’Rourke’s Tyrone swept the Dubs aside, 2-20 to 1-16, in March. The victory was far more comfortable than even the score indicated, with the Dubs adding a flurry of late points to put some respectability on a grim afternoon for them in Omagh.
A lacklustre Dublin display followed in the first round of the Leinster SFC against Wicklow and they were subsequently beaten by Meath in a provincial semi-final.
However, Rock does not feel that defeat to Tyrone three months ago has any relevance this weekend.
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“No, I don’t think so,” said the former Dublin forward. “Omagh would be a different pitch to Croke Park, so from that point of view I think Dublin are more at home in Croke Park.
“But what Tyrone will bring to the game is they are big at midfield, so Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne is now going to be meeting somebody equally as tall as him. He’s been brilliant for us in the last couple of games around midfield. He’s fulfilling his potential.
“The way the game has gone now, it’s all about the break around midfield. If Dublin can pick up their breaks and go forward, I think they’ll cause problems for Tyrone.”
In that department, Ciarán Kilkenny has been central to so much of Dublin’s positive performances over recent weeks – in particular his man-of-the-match displays around the middle third against Galway and Derry.
In the absence of James McCarthy, Brian Fenton, Paul Mannion, Jack McCaffrey and others, Kilkenny has really grasped the role of on-field general this season.
“At one stage in his career, Ciarán was one of the best players when he got the ball in a scoring area,” continues Rock. “He’d have a pop, he’d have a shot.
“But I suppose the role he’s playing now, he’s probably playing around the middle and he’s more a playmaker and can see what’s going on.
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“He might not be scoring as much as he potentially can because he just lays it off to the two or three lads that are going to be inside, but he’s played super football this year.”
The ongoing injury concerns around Con O’Callaghan continue to hang over Dublin. Their team captain did not feature against Cork because of a hamstring problem.
The Dubs rely heavily on O’Callaghan for scores and one area where Rock fears they could come up short at the weekend is in scoring two-pointers. Last weekend’s win over Cork was the first time throughout the entire championship Dublin finished a game with more two-pointers than their opponents.
“To me, probably, we’re not the greatest two-point kickers,” says Rock. “Maybe it’s a confidence thing that some of the lads are just half-afraid. I know before this year Dublin would have had a situation that you’d only take the percentage shot.
“The percentage probably would be about 80 to 90. Anything outside of that, you don’t shoot. I think that has probably come back to bite them a little bit because Dublin didn’t really kick too many balls from outside a 40-metre mark before now.”
– Rock was speaking at the launch of the 24th annual Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge, which takes place at Killarney Golf and Fishing Resort on October 16th and 17th.
