JIM GAVIN IS building an army of Transformers to defend Dublin’s All-Ireland crown.
But the Dubs boss isn’t looking for robots — he wants shape-shifting forwards who can mix things up and keep defenders guessing, according to former All-Ireland winner Barry Cahill.
With Bernard Brogan and Paul Flynn both absent, Cahill’s clubmate Paddy Andrews took charge with a menacing man of the match performance in the league opener against Kerry.
The St Brigid’s man scored 1-4 from play and showed that he is as lethal close to goal as he is when stringing attacks together further out the field.
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That type of versatility is high on Gavin’s list of priorities, Cahill told The42.
“Paddy’s probably being a bit more selfish,” he said.
“In a star-studded forward line with the two Brogans, Connolly, and Flynn, he would have been seen as the outsider amongst that group but I think he’s really stepped up over the last nine to 12 months.
“That comes with maturity as well. He’s coming into his peak in the latter part of his 20s and having the couple of All-Ireland medals has given him an added confidence.
Instead of laying the ball off as much as possible, he’s happy to take on his man and shoot more, and he’s shown that he’s very accurate when he does get those opportunities.
Andrews was named in the full-forward line alongside Dean Rock and Paul Mannion, back in blue following his year studying in China.
Cormac Costello and former minor dual star Con O’Callaghan came in off the bench, and with Kevin McManamon and Eoghan O’Gara also working their way back from injuries, competition for places in the Dublin attack is set to be fierce.
On Andrews, Cahill added: “I think his best position is as the link man between the half-forward line and the full-forward line where he has that freedom to go out and win his own ball and set up a couple of scores, and then also to try to take his man on and get a couple of scores himself.
“The Dublin forward line is quite fluid at the moment and that’s something that Jim Gavin encourages rather than players who are stuck in one position.
That’s something that can cause difficulty for opposition defences as well. If you’re a designated man marker coming up against a Dublin forward, he might take you on a bit of a tour of Croke Park and bring you into different areas where you wouldn’t be overly comfortable.
– Barry Cahill co-presents ‘On The Hill’, 98FM Sport’s new dedicated Dublin GAA podcast. Find it in the podcast section of 98FM.com or on iTunes here – it’s out every Thursday at noon.
'Selfish' Paddy Andrews fits neatly into Dublin blueprint - Cahill
JIM GAVIN IS building an army of Transformers to defend Dublin’s All-Ireland crown.
But the Dubs boss isn’t looking for robots — he wants shape-shifting forwards who can mix things up and keep defenders guessing, according to former All-Ireland winner Barry Cahill.
With Bernard Brogan and Paul Flynn both absent, Cahill’s clubmate Paddy Andrews took charge with a menacing man of the match performance in the league opener against Kerry.
The St Brigid’s man scored 1-4 from play and showed that he is as lethal close to goal as he is when stringing attacks together further out the field.
That type of versatility is high on Gavin’s list of priorities, Cahill told The42.
“Paddy’s probably being a bit more selfish,” he said.
“In a star-studded forward line with the two Brogans, Connolly, and Flynn, he would have been seen as the outsider amongst that group but I think he’s really stepped up over the last nine to 12 months.
“That comes with maturity as well. He’s coming into his peak in the latter part of his 20s and having the couple of All-Ireland medals has given him an added confidence.
Andrews was named in the full-forward line alongside Dean Rock and Paul Mannion, back in blue following his year studying in China.
Cormac Costello and former minor dual star Con O’Callaghan came in off the bench, and with Kevin McManamon and Eoghan O’Gara also working their way back from injuries, competition for places in the Dublin attack is set to be fierce.
On Andrews, Cahill added: “I think his best position is as the link man between the half-forward line and the full-forward line where he has that freedom to go out and win his own ball and set up a couple of scores, and then also to try to take his man on and get a couple of scores himself.
“The Dublin forward line is quite fluid at the moment and that’s something that Jim Gavin encourages rather than players who are stuck in one position.
– Barry Cahill co-presents ‘On The Hill’, 98FM Sport’s new dedicated Dublin GAA podcast. Find it in the podcast section of 98FM.com or on iTunes here – it’s out every Thursday at noon.
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Barry Cahill Blue Steel Jim Gavin Paddy Andrews Dublin