THE WORD INVINCIBLE doesn’t sit well with the Dublin footballers and Jonny Cooper says the players have learned valuable lessons from their unexpected All-Ireland defeat to Donegal two years ago.
Labelled as unbeatable following a faultless league-winning campaign, Jim Gavin’s side were famously stunned by Donegal at Croke Park in 2014.
As they prepare to embark on another championship campaign, the Dubs have been installed as the favourites to lift Sam Maguire again this summer after a fourth straight league crown.
It would take a brave punter to bet against Dublin making it four All-Ireland titles in five years in 2016 but the players don’t buy into the hype, particularly after that agonising defeat two years ago.
“We probably hear it every year [being hailed as favourites],” Cooper says. “Definitely for the last couple of years.
“2014 was a bit of a warning shot that if you’re not in any way right on the day then you’ll be punished. I don’t think it was one particular player, one particular thing but I just thought we didn’t bring enough energy on that particular day and we got caught.
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Dublin were stunned back in 2014 and have learned from the experience. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“Every other single county is out to get us, no more than anyone else. We have to be as sharp as we can be or we’re going to be caught. That’s what happened two years ago.”
Dublin coasted to the Allianz League title in March with a commanding victory over Kerry in the final and the general consensus is that it will take something special to dethrone the Dubs.
One of the keys to the unprecedented success enjoyed by Gavin’s side has been the mental strength of the players and their ability to avoid complacency.
And that attitude stems from an undiluted level of hunger among the panel and the quest for betterment each and every game, according to Cooper.
“If you are complacent you won’t play for this team,” he explains. “We’re all extremely competitive individuals and if you are complacent you don’t play and if you don’t play you don’t get as much enjoyment out of it. That’s the way I approach it anyway.
“You want that jersey and you want to be as humble and hungry as possible in going about your business. If you do that with Jim you are in with a decent shot.
“You do get used to it to a certain extent [the level of expectation]. A lot of people do say that [you've it easy this weekend] and do want to ask you about it but it comes back to the intrinsic motivation that is there.
“If you want to listen to the plaudits or take the claps on your back you will fall behind fairly quickly. You talk to people about it but the shutters are very much pulled down when the conversation is gone and you move on to other things.”
Cooper helped the Dubs to another league crown in March. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
The Leinster champions will open their defence against either Laois or Wicklow at Nowlan Park over the June Bank Holiday weekend and while 11 counties are setting out to win the Delaney Cup, there is only one genuine contender.
Dublin’s dominance has been such that they’ve climbed the Hogan Steps to lift the provincial championship ten of the last 11 years.
And Cooper insists that he and his team-mates don’t take much notice of what’s going on around them. The focus is purely on their own business and nothing else.
“I suppose you’re looking at the traditional counties, the Meaths, the Kildares over the years,” the 26-year-old says of Dublin’s closest rivals this year.
“I haven’t been looking too much at other teams, if I’m honest. I don’t know how the form is with other sides but, traditionally, the counties that are there, the Meaths and Kildares etc.
“The pundits, the media and everyone else are probably saying the gap is getting bigger, and it’s probably getting bigger.
“From our point of view, it is what it is. We look after ourselves. It’s up to everyone else to ride their own boat. And that’s what we do, certainly.”
Jonny Cooper helped Dublin GAA and sponsors AIG Insurance officially launch the new Dublin jersey yesterday. Available at oneills.com and at sports outlets nationwide for €65, the jersey will be worn for the first time in a game by the Dublin minor hurlers on Saturday against Kilkenny.
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'Every single county is out to get us': Dubs using 2014 defeat to guard against complacency
THE WORD INVINCIBLE doesn’t sit well with the Dublin footballers and Jonny Cooper says the players have learned valuable lessons from their unexpected All-Ireland defeat to Donegal two years ago.
Labelled as unbeatable following a faultless league-winning campaign, Jim Gavin’s side were famously stunned by Donegal at Croke Park in 2014.
As they prepare to embark on another championship campaign, the Dubs have been installed as the favourites to lift Sam Maguire again this summer after a fourth straight league crown.
It would take a brave punter to bet against Dublin making it four All-Ireland titles in five years in 2016 but the players don’t buy into the hype, particularly after that agonising defeat two years ago.
“We probably hear it every year [being hailed as favourites],” Cooper says. “Definitely for the last couple of years.
“2014 was a bit of a warning shot that if you’re not in any way right on the day then you’ll be punished. I don’t think it was one particular player, one particular thing but I just thought we didn’t bring enough energy on that particular day and we got caught.
“Every other single county is out to get us, no more than anyone else. We have to be as sharp as we can be or we’re going to be caught. That’s what happened two years ago.”
Dublin coasted to the Allianz League title in March with a commanding victory over Kerry in the final and the general consensus is that it will take something special to dethrone the Dubs.
One of the keys to the unprecedented success enjoyed by Gavin’s side has been the mental strength of the players and their ability to avoid complacency.
And that attitude stems from an undiluted level of hunger among the panel and the quest for betterment each and every game, according to Cooper.
“If you are complacent you won’t play for this team,” he explains. “We’re all extremely competitive individuals and if you are complacent you don’t play and if you don’t play you don’t get as much enjoyment out of it. That’s the way I approach it anyway.
“You do get used to it to a certain extent [the level of expectation]. A lot of people do say that [you've it easy this weekend] and do want to ask you about it but it comes back to the intrinsic motivation that is there.
“If you want to listen to the plaudits or take the claps on your back you will fall behind fairly quickly. You talk to people about it but the shutters are very much pulled down when the conversation is gone and you move on to other things.”
The Leinster champions will open their defence against either Laois or Wicklow at Nowlan Park over the June Bank Holiday weekend and while 11 counties are setting out to win the Delaney Cup, there is only one genuine contender.
Dublin’s dominance has been such that they’ve climbed the Hogan Steps to lift the provincial championship ten of the last 11 years.
And Cooper insists that he and his team-mates don’t take much notice of what’s going on around them. The focus is purely on their own business and nothing else.
“I suppose you’re looking at the traditional counties, the Meaths, the Kildares over the years,” the 26-year-old says of Dublin’s closest rivals this year.
“The pundits, the media and everyone else are probably saying the gap is getting bigger, and it’s probably getting bigger.
“From our point of view, it is what it is. We look after ourselves. It’s up to everyone else to ride their own boat. And that’s what we do, certainly.”
Jonny Cooper helped Dublin GAA and sponsors AIG Insurance officially launch the new Dublin jersey yesterday. Available at oneills.com and at sports outlets nationwide for €65, the jersey will be worn for the first time in a game by the Dublin minor hurlers on Saturday against Kilkenny.
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