MICKEY HARTE MAY have turned some heads in Dublin this week when he insisted the All-Ireland champions are as vulnerable this season as they’ve been in a long time.
Oisin Keniry / INPHO
Oisin Keniry / INPHO / INPHO
Recently retired Kerry footballer Bryan Sheehan agrees with that assessment and believes this is the year for the challengers to take down Jim Gavin’s side.
Dublin are likely to be without the absent Diarmuid Connolly and cruciate victim Bernard Brogan this summer, while Jack McCaffrey (cruciate), Cian O’Sullivan (shoulder) and Paul Flynn (back) are returning from long-term injuries.
“If they’re to be beaten, this is the year to beat them,” says Sheehan. “Because this is the year now where I think their guard will be left down a small bit.
“I think people know where this will be a tough year for Dublin. Connolly has his issues at the moment where he’s not involved.
“They’ve had a couple of injuries with Cian O’Sullivan (going down) James McCarthy had a few injuries, Paul Flynn hasn’t seen much football this year with Dublin if at all.
“Are they as strong as everyone says? Is the hunger really there?”
Bryan Sheehan and Owen Mulligan are Paddy Power GAA Ambassadors for 2018.
Before this current Dublin crop came along, the Kerry side of 2006-07 were the only team in almost two decades to string together back-to-back All-Irelands. Sheehan says the biggest challenge in retaining the Sam Maguire is warding off the complacency that inevitably sets in.
“It’s funny, if you win an All-Ireland – if you win anything – you get complacent and is that complacency in there? Do you train as hard the next year? Do you ease off a small bit on the diet? Do you ease off on the extra work you do in the gym? Do you ease off on the extra kicks you do in the field?
“That’ll be the big thing for Dublin but I think Jim Gavin really has his finger on the pulse as regards that. I don’t think he’ll allow that come into play for Dublin.
“They’re the team to beat. They’ve set the standard. They’re the favourites to win the All-Ireland, rightly so. The thing about it, the three-in-a-row was a big one for them. That was the main, that was the hunger, that was the focal point – to get the three-in-a-row.
Advertisement
“Are they going to be as hungry to do the four-in-a-row? That’s what it comes down to in an All-Ireland semi-final or final, do you have the hunger to do again, to keep going?”
Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Sheehan won five All-Irelands with Kerry and was part of the last Kingdom side to defeat Dublin in the championship almost nine years ago. Since then Dublin have reeled off four victories over their old rivals, two in All-Ireland finals and two in semi-finals.
“They deserved to win those games because they were the better team on the day. It’s just that those games were so tight. Just going back to 2013 where there was a breaking ball in the middle of the field and two Kerry fellas went for it and it broke.
“Dublin went down and got a goal. If that ball hadn’t broke, where would the game have gone? So it’s small things like that. Dublin, at the moment, you have to say have it over us.
“They’re a better team than Kerry at the moment and that’s what it is. My last time beating Dublin was 2009 in championship football so you just have to say Dublin have it over us at the moment and that’s it, that’s the way it goes.
“That’s the way it is with Dublin, they’re going to be hard to beat. Kerry have the capability of beating them but whether it comes together for Kerry this year or not, it depends.”
Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
He admits this Dublin team deserve to be spoken of in the same breath as Mick O’Dwyer’s Kerry side of the 1980s and may surpass them over the next few years.
“They have the capability of doing it. They’re going for four-in-a-row. If they do that they’re up with the great Kerry team. People are always going to be comparing the great Kerry team of the 80s to the Dublin team at the moment and you’ve got to give credit to Dublin.
“They’re doing it and if they win the four-in-a-row they’re going to be right up there with that Kerry team.
“You have to fear them because they’re that good, they’ve won the All-Ireland the last three years in-a-row, they’re going for a fourth.
“I wouldn’t say that you’re going to be afraid of them or that you’re going to be beaten before you play them but there’s definitely an amount of respect there that you have to say these fellas are one of the best teams in the country at the moment.”
In his final season playing with Kerry in 2017, there was talk that Sheehan was set for a positional switch to goalkeeper, but he says there was no truth to the rumours.
“We heard a few rumours so I went in goal for the kickaround before training, I was sort of throwing myself around the goals to add a bit of fuel to the fire. I played in goals for two years at minor level. I played all my football out the field all my life.
“I went in goal for the club when I was 15 years of age and it steamrolled into the school team, into the minor team and once I was 18 I was back out the field again so it was never a case of going back to goal.”
James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Sheehan is satisfied with his decision to retire from inter-county football, safe in the knowledge his body could give no more.
“When the body starts talking to you like that, you know something’s wrong. And look, I wasn’t enjoying my football either, to be honest.
“I was in and out of the team. Injuries were playing a part and I was getting pissed off and not really enjoying it that much.
“I just thought it was time. I was 17 years playing inter-county, going back to minor. Fourteen years with the seniors. I just felt the time was right (with a) baby on the way.
“I just decided ‘now’s the time’. I’m happy enough with it.
“The problem at the moment is the training you’re doing versus the amount of games you’re playing. I think someone worked out there that you’re training 12 sessions for every game you’re playing championship.
“It’s getting harder and harder and fitness levels are going through the roof. Just going back to 2014, the fitness levels then versus where they are now, they’re gone through the roof.
“I remember when I first came into Kerry, you had Darragh Ó Sé and those fellas, they were just hitting their prime in their late twenties. Whereas fellas now are in their prime at 23 or 24. It’s going the opposite direction. The body starts talking and you start slowing down.
“Especially when you’re out around the middle of the field. The pace of the game, it’s very unlikely that you’ll have too many midfielders who can last 70 minutes.”
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
11 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'This is the year to beat them...I think their guard will be left down a small bit'
MICKEY HARTE MAY have turned some heads in Dublin this week when he insisted the All-Ireland champions are as vulnerable this season as they’ve been in a long time.
Recently retired Kerry footballer Bryan Sheehan agrees with that assessment and believes this is the year for the challengers to take down Jim Gavin’s side.
Dublin are likely to be without the absent Diarmuid Connolly and cruciate victim Bernard Brogan this summer, while Jack McCaffrey (cruciate), Cian O’Sullivan (shoulder) and Paul Flynn (back) are returning from long-term injuries.
“If they’re to be beaten, this is the year to beat them,” says Sheehan. “Because this is the year now where I think their guard will be left down a small bit.
“I think people know where this will be a tough year for Dublin. Connolly has his issues at the moment where he’s not involved.
“They’ve had a couple of injuries with Cian O’Sullivan (going down) James McCarthy had a few injuries, Paul Flynn hasn’t seen much football this year with Dublin if at all.
“Are they as strong as everyone says? Is the hunger really there?”
Before this current Dublin crop came along, the Kerry side of 2006-07 were the only team in almost two decades to string together back-to-back All-Irelands. Sheehan says the biggest challenge in retaining the Sam Maguire is warding off the complacency that inevitably sets in.
“It’s funny, if you win an All-Ireland – if you win anything – you get complacent and is that complacency in there? Do you train as hard the next year? Do you ease off a small bit on the diet? Do you ease off on the extra work you do in the gym? Do you ease off on the extra kicks you do in the field?
“That’ll be the big thing for Dublin but I think Jim Gavin really has his finger on the pulse as regards that. I don’t think he’ll allow that come into play for Dublin.
“They’re the team to beat. They’ve set the standard. They’re the favourites to win the All-Ireland, rightly so. The thing about it, the three-in-a-row was a big one for them. That was the main, that was the hunger, that was the focal point – to get the three-in-a-row.
“Are they going to be as hungry to do the four-in-a-row? That’s what it comes down to in an All-Ireland semi-final or final, do you have the hunger to do again, to keep going?”
Sheehan won five All-Irelands with Kerry and was part of the last Kingdom side to defeat Dublin in the championship almost nine years ago. Since then Dublin have reeled off four victories over their old rivals, two in All-Ireland finals and two in semi-finals.
“They deserved to win those games because they were the better team on the day. It’s just that those games were so tight. Just going back to 2013 where there was a breaking ball in the middle of the field and two Kerry fellas went for it and it broke.
“Dublin went down and got a goal. If that ball hadn’t broke, where would the game have gone? So it’s small things like that. Dublin, at the moment, you have to say have it over us.
“They’re a better team than Kerry at the moment and that’s what it is. My last time beating Dublin was 2009 in championship football so you just have to say Dublin have it over us at the moment and that’s it, that’s the way it goes.
“That’s the way it is with Dublin, they’re going to be hard to beat. Kerry have the capability of beating them but whether it comes together for Kerry this year or not, it depends.”
He admits this Dublin team deserve to be spoken of in the same breath as Mick O’Dwyer’s Kerry side of the 1980s and may surpass them over the next few years.
“They have the capability of doing it. They’re going for four-in-a-row. If they do that they’re up with the great Kerry team. People are always going to be comparing the great Kerry team of the 80s to the Dublin team at the moment and you’ve got to give credit to Dublin.
“They’re doing it and if they win the four-in-a-row they’re going to be right up there with that Kerry team.
“You have to fear them because they’re that good, they’ve won the All-Ireland the last three years in-a-row, they’re going for a fourth.
“I wouldn’t say that you’re going to be afraid of them or that you’re going to be beaten before you play them but there’s definitely an amount of respect there that you have to say these fellas are one of the best teams in the country at the moment.”
In his final season playing with Kerry in 2017, there was talk that Sheehan was set for a positional switch to goalkeeper, but he says there was no truth to the rumours.
“We heard a few rumours so I went in goal for the kickaround before training, I was sort of throwing myself around the goals to add a bit of fuel to the fire. I played in goals for two years at minor level. I played all my football out the field all my life.
“I went in goal for the club when I was 15 years of age and it steamrolled into the school team, into the minor team and once I was 18 I was back out the field again so it was never a case of going back to goal.”
Sheehan is satisfied with his decision to retire from inter-county football, safe in the knowledge his body could give no more.
“When the body starts talking to you like that, you know something’s wrong. And look, I wasn’t enjoying my football either, to be honest.
“I was in and out of the team. Injuries were playing a part and I was getting pissed off and not really enjoying it that much.
“I just thought it was time. I was 17 years playing inter-county, going back to minor. Fourteen years with the seniors. I just felt the time was right (with a) baby on the way.
“I just decided ‘now’s the time’. I’m happy enough with it.
“The problem at the moment is the training you’re doing versus the amount of games you’re playing. I think someone worked out there that you’re training 12 sessions for every game you’re playing championship.
“It’s getting harder and harder and fitness levels are going through the roof. Just going back to 2014, the fitness levels then versus where they are now, they’re gone through the roof.
“I remember when I first came into Kerry, you had Darragh Ó Sé and those fellas, they were just hitting their prime in their late twenties. Whereas fellas now are in their prime at 23 or 24. It’s going the opposite direction. The body starts talking and you start slowing down.
“Especially when you’re out around the middle of the field. The pace of the game, it’s very unlikely that you’ll have too many midfielders who can last 70 minutes.”
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
Tipperary boss – ‘I think survival will be the key word that we will all be thinking about’
‘There are six or seven teams who could all be considered All-Ireland contenders’ – Whelan
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Bryan Sheehan Dubs GAA Dublin Kerry