GAELIC GAMES:RYAN O'DWYER bumped into his former Tipperary team-mate John O'Brien the day after the All-Ireland semi-final. As a fully-fledged Dublin hurler now, despite being born and bred in the Premier County, O'Dwyer was still distraught. O'Brien tried to hand over a genuine compliment. He told him how in all his days hurling, be it for the club or county, he'd never been hit so hard as the previous day.
“F*** off, we got beat,” came back the response. No harm intended, just bad timing.
An adopted Dub he may be, but like every other blue and gold native on Hill 16 last September, O’Dwyer danced in a state of delirium as Larry Corbett dodged flying hurleys to sink the supposed immortals from Kilkenny.
“I’ve got a seat this time. I got upgraded. Tickets were scarce last year and I didn’t have the contacts that I have this year.” (John Costello walks by and nods).
O’Dwyer was talking at the launch of his adopted club Kilmacud Crokes’ annual All-Ireland hurling Sevens, which takes place up Stillorgan way this Saturday.
He thinks Tipperary will win by two points. When pressed a little harder, he agreed Dublin employed the correct tactics to beat them. Kilkenny manager Brian Cody categorically stated they will not employ a sweeper on Sunday but Corbett and Eoin Kelly will almost certainly be tracked by a gang of famous defenders.
“I think what Kilkenny did to Dublin in the Leinster final – I saw it because I was on the hurleys the same day, it was wreckin’ my head (he was suspended) – their half-back line sat in front of the Dublin full-forward line to prevent the ball from going in there. And I think they’ll try something similar to that.
“In fairness to Tipp, their full-forward line is their most dangerous line so I think they’ll do something like that just to counteract it.
“I think there’ll be goals but I don’t think there’ll be as many as last year. What was there last year, four goals? I think there might be two between the teams. I can’t see a goal-fest like last year.”
If Tipperary are to be stopped, it will not be the pace of Kilkenny but the ferocity and intelligence of their play. “I can honestly say from marking Peter Kelly in training there’s no full back that is as fast as him. Daly was spot on with the match-ups (against Tipperary).
“I could be shot for saying this but I don’t think anyone in the Kilkenny full-back line has the same pace as Lar Corbett. But, they’ve great hurling brains. The experience they have counteracts anything.
“Kilkenny will have their match-ups spot on, but their game plan will be to counteract the ball coming in there. I think they’ll try to cut out that space and prevent it coming into the danger area.”
How to cut out space that is created in an instant? Waterford were humiliated by Tipperary’s razor-sharp movement. Dublin stayed close yet ultimately faltered. “Just by sheer aggressiveness and I don’t mean that in a bad way,” O’Dwyer explains. “Kilkenny always play on the edge. They’ll play a Kilkenny style of hurling, sheer aggressiveness, doggedness. I’m not being bad in saying that.
“It’s a doggedness and they have the hurlers then in the forwards. Richie Power, Henry Shefflin, Richie Hogan – they’re all household names and any of them are match winners. Look who they have on the bench as well, the likes of Cha Fitzpatrick. Imagine you’re having a great day, your man is taken off and then you see Cha coming on? It’s so disheartening, like. They have match winners everywhere. If they win I won’t be surprised but I hope Tipp win.”
O’Dwyer’s hat-trick of goals against Limerick makes him a serious candidate for an All-Star.
How many Dublin players should be recognised? “Peter Kelly definitely, Gary Maguire, you’d hope; Liam Rushe, should be young hurler of the year, in my opinion. I think there’ll be a few nominations and then those lads, hopefully three. I think it’s a good bet with Rushey, Peter Kelly and Gary Maguire.”
