FORMER DUBLIN FOOTBALLER Paul Griffin could sense the end was drawing near.
A serious knee injury had pushed him out to the sidelines for almost two seasons, but even though the healing stage was over, he was still struggling to make his way back from the fringes.
Griffin was first introduced to the senior Dublin ranks as a 19 year-old in 2002, and for the next seven years of his inter-county career, he had minimal issues with injuries.
His progression to the starting 15 moved at a favourable pace too.
He made his debut in 2003, and after his club Kilmacud Crokes achieved All-Ireland success in 2009, Griffin was entrusted with the honour of captaining his county.
At 25 years of age, he was still climbing towards the peak of his abilities, until he was felled by a cruciate tear during a National League game against Monaghan in 2010.
He tried to make up the lost ground, but the game had mercilessly moved on without him, and keeping pace with his teammates was becoming increasingly difficult.
To compound his misery, the timing of his enforced absence between 2010 and 2011 happened to coincide with a time of renewal in Dublin football.
After 16 years of wandering in the wilderness, they were All-Ireland champions again.
And although no-one knew it yet, the boys from the capital would later evolve into a dominant force and go on to claim three more All-Ireland titles over the next five years.
Jim Gavin’s charges are pursuing three-in-a-row glory later this afternoon.
Griffin was playing during the formative stages of that rise to prominence, and despite the years of service he gave to Dublin, he was left behind when they struck gold.
“I suppose there was a sense at that stage that something was building. We were beaten in the semi-final that year (2010) by Cork, but we developed it a bit further, we pushed on.
“You want to contribute as much as possible, but it’s just one of those things. Up to the seven or eight years I had been playing, I didn’t have any issues in relation to injury.
Those things happen in sport. You were trying to manage it and trying to give yourself the best chance of getting back and the medical team give you every shot at getting back, but it just didn’t work out in the end. It was just a bit too difficult.”
The early 2000′s was a bleak period for Dublin football.
Winning the Leinster championship wasn’t the sure thing that it is for the current squad, and navigating the waters at All-Ireland quarter-final and semi-final stages was effectively beyond them.
Repeating the glory of 1995 was obviously the goal, but it was becoming less and less likely with every passing year. The players were in danger of letting the opportunity pass them by.
“Everyone was conscious of the time gap between All-Irelands,” Griffin recalls. “Dessie (Farrell) and Jason (Sherlock) would have been there at the start in terms of guys who would have been involved in the team in 1995. They had the experience.
We had great teams around us. There were Tyrone and Kerry teams who were exceptional and better than us. The reason we didn’t win it was because we weren’t good enough. But you were conscious of, ‘was this going to happen?,’ particularly towards the latter part.
“I suppose that was why 2011 was quite a key year. I think once we got over the line, it took some of that pressure off.
“The kick on since that All-Ireland has been immense in terms of the confidence it gave that group of players to push on and really drive forward.”
Dublin reached a low point in 2009, when they made a humiliating exit at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage.
They looked to be on the cusp of making a breakthrough, and were paired with a Kerry side whose campaign was riddled with poor performances. Defeating the Kingdom in Croke Park seemed like a simple formality.
But in a savage role reversal, Kerry dished out a 17-point pummeling, which prompted then Dublin manager Pat Gilroy to produce the infamous ‘startled earwigs’ remark.
Unfortunately for Griffin, it was his first year as captain, not that the title cushioned the blow of the disappointment in any way.
“We went in with high hopes, we had played well up to that. We didn’t perform well on the day. We probably had a few of those chastening experiences when we under pressure, our ability to knuckle down.
The pressure would get to us and we tended to ship scores. It happened in the previous year against Tyrone and we hadn’t created enough of a safety net to ride that out.
“Being captain didn’t make the defeat worse than for anyone else. It was a key moment in terms of the development of the group and looking at a more fundamental shift in how we were going to become more competitive at that time of the year against the better teams.”
Dublin’s search for redemption began in earnest the following season, with Griffin holding onto his title as captain for a second consecutive year.
But the injury to his knee meant he would play no part in Dublin’s transition from contenders to the all-conquering unit they have become.
He sat out the 2010 season in order to rehab his knee, but the need for another procedure in 2011 stalled his comeback.
And while he was still chasing his full fitness with no success, the pack was moving on without him.
“You were just carrying things and then by the end of that year that was sort of the end of it, there was no need to go back the following year.
Even when I got back playing, you were conscious of it becoming more difficult. You were becoming uncomfortable the day after and it was taking longer to recovery. It was more of a slog, it wasn’t as enjoyable at that stage.
“It wasn’t a case of you woke up one morning and that was the end, it had kind of built up over the months.
“Guys are progressing during the summer and the pace is increasing, so you’re struggling more and more to keep up with it. The gap was becoming slightly wider and it was becoming obvious that you weren’t going to get back and be competitive with the group you were in.
They were pushing on so getting back to where you were a year or two before wasn’t going to be enough because they had pushed on beyond that stage.
Griffin is a chartered physiotherapist, and despite what his profession would preach about the importance of committing to a recovery programme no matter how gradual, he was often tempted to accelerate his return.
There was a tendency to do that because you’re conscious of the time of year and your season is running away from you. You do push it at times and try to accelerate things, but you have limited success with it.
“It was something we had gone through a couple of cycles of in trying to get back, but you recognise that it’s just going to be too difficult to try to compete at the level I was at. That became more apparent and you’re more aware of what the prognosis is going to be.
The odds are stacked against you and it’s going to be more damaging.”
Bryan Cullen would go on to lift the Sam Maguire for Dublin in their famous victory over Kerry in the 2011 decider, with Griffin watching on from the sidelines.
What began as a career that showed such promise unfortunately petered out under the weight of injury, but Griffin doesn’t reflect on his time in the Dublin jersey with any resentment or regret.
He feels privileged to have held the honour for as long as he did, and is glad the county finally did make that breakthrough.
It’s about getting Dublin across the line rather than your role within the group. Your role shifts but ultimately it’s about Dublin football doing well.
“From my point of view, being part of the group and seeing the guys succeed was satisfying.
“The important thing was that Dublin football was competing. You’re watching guys that you played with, you’ve been through the hard times that they’ve gone through and seeing them succeed brings a massive sense of pride.”
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Ireland beat NZ, SA and OZ in the same year! Rory best deserved his ovation
Well said…
Go on the biys!! Southern Hemisphere got nothing on us
Ringrose is becoming exceptionally good exceptionally quick at this level!!
Great opportunist try. BOD-esque in his step and pace.
Murray what do you think of our injury concerns? We seem to get an abnormal amount from game to game; which would make a World Cup run of games very difficult.
Conor you got there before me thinking the same.
Given another week, we’d likely have had Henshaw, Payne at full strength and O’Brien in the team. Last week was exceptionally brutal. Australia rested a huge amount of their team last week. We did very well considering the circumstances.
In a World Cup though, that’s scant conciliation when you play tough games from week to week.
When him and Henshaw get a bit of a run together for Leinster its gonna be real exciting. Drico and Darce reborn only bigger? Well done to all the young lads, playing out of position etc. Incredible shift.
When Peter O’Mahoney came on I though he was really good. Steadied the ship.
I would love to see what a pom cj jvdf back row could do in a full game
Diarmuid, you’ll have to wait until Heaslip retires. Not a single coach on the planet would leave him out of an Irish 15.
I was one of heaslips doubters myself but I must say he has been one of Irelands best players this autumn I just wanted to see how those 3 could work together would have been an exciting prospect to see but the back row competition atm is frightening
Well said diarmuid. I was the same. Had my doubts, but he has been excellent.
@Stephen Foster:@Stephen Foster: He spend his 20 mins on the wing, and didn’t bother to tackle. Clearly unfit..
Take a bow Ringrose. Chuffed for Best shows true grit in Ireland to grind out that win. Great to see O’Mahony back to his best bruising men and getting a vital turnover. Well done Ireland great series!
Rory Best is a gent. And a great captain. Tough second half…. Well done the boys in green.
Well done to a valiant Irish team. Bring on the 6 Nations…
And we sure saw a lot of LIONS there tonight ????
Pat – possibly, but there is a 6Nations to come yet and make no mistake it will be physically brutal.
What a game by the whole 23 great series with plenty of new players blooded on to the six nations…
Do you think there are any other players that haven’t played in this series that could come into the mix? Maybe Ronan O Mahony? Stuart olding?
Jesus me nerves!!!
@Range Rover P38: Bloody oath mate. Do wish we wouldn’t kick possession away – just adds to the stress.
What a country we have! Proud to be Irish. Great win.
Couldn’t agree more. Proud of Rory and all of ‘em!
What a great win and heroic performance; a scrum half on the wing, a rookie out half full back, a midfield who hasn’t played together and all the injuries to senior players prior to the game. Great heart and performance.
Brilliant win. Getting wins over the big three in one year is nothing to be sniffed at. The depth at backrow is unreal, even when we had to reshuffle we had a backrow that dominated Hooper, Pocock at the breakdown, and we finished with a backrow of POM, VDF and Stander. Ringrose a special player. Best a great leader. Furlong a monster. Mighty potential shown over the series. One thing though, should we have started Scannell and O’Halloran? Players pushing hard to recover from injuries weren’t able to last the full match, that stretched us a bit.
@Thomas Moroney: And what happened to the SH dominance all of a sudden? Australia, SA, Argentina and even NZ losing in the November series. Glad to see that things are maybe being shaken up at international level.
Your right there Thomas, I have never seen Pocock so dominated at the breakdown.
Just Brilliant .
The Mighty Green MEN made a dark November very BRIGHT .
Thanks .
3rd in the rankings. “How sweet this moment is”
Even if Australia get hammered next we we still won’t be third in the rankings, the gap is too big between us and the Aussies.
Correct
Ya I realise that now. Those at RTÉ 2fm told me differently
That was an Incredible victory, arguably a better victory than the win against the All Blacks considering the 2nd half circumstances and the missing players from the start.
An epic match! Battered by injuries and still found the wherewithal to come from behind to win. Aussie grand slam in tatters. My heart bleeds…. not.
They’ll take it out on the Poms. Didn’t deserve to win tonight after our first half.
Hopefully
Wohooo!! Guess we bet them with their own style
Fantastic mix of young and less young. Can’t wait 6N. England and France at home. Big thanks to Joe, Andy and coaching staff.
Love this team!!!! What a win. Injuries are a serious concern though
Brilliant match the boys in Green are on fire. Congratulations to all who played hope the injuries received are not too serious especially Rob Kearney.
What a Man Rory Best.
That was one of the best Irish performances I’ve seen….they knew there would be a backlash after the break, they soaked up the pressure of 2 scores, and when it was necessary, went out and finished the game with am Earl try in the corner. ….very proud. ….a world beating performance.
Amazing as well considering Aussies rested so many lads last week to be fresh for this. None of our injuries bar Jordi murphy seem to serious at this stage as well.
If we didn’t have all those injuries we could have won by a cricket score.
Exactly!!!
Well, if ever our depth was going to be questioned, it was going to be in a game against a better ranked team, an improvised back line, with two backs having seven caps between them. That was an incredible win. Our pack is just fantastic. So happy right now.
What a win. Such heart and passion shown there with all the injuries and reshuffling around the backline. All 23 were superb there today, an excellent November series and lots of players blooded for the 6 Nations in February. Well done Rory and the boys.
What was done here with so many inexperienced kids is just brilliant – The squad standard is scary and will have no need to fear anyone. it’s potentially only a beginning – but what a start. I’m sure there is a crazy talented winger or two out there just waiting to be sprung on us and maybe a fullback or two ( thanks Rob for being a hero of mine for so long)
The aussies really did butcher it. Twice they had easy run ins but messed it up thankfully. Joe should really have had a Centre on bench considering Payne wasn’t 100% and Kearney also.
We’re the first team to beat the All Blacks, Oz and SA in a year since England in 2003. Joe Schmidt & the boys deserve great credit for that. I was fearful of England in the 6N but not anymore after this series. COYBIG, you’ve done us proud.
Brilliant game and great atmosphere at the Aviva , the pack were on fire today , Furlong , Stander , Van Der Flier and Jackson had world class performances today . Beating Springboks , The All Blacks and The Wallabies all in the space of a few months is incredible. Hopefully we get no injures and a few players recover and we’ll be in flying for the six nations
I think its fair to say Ringrose makes the grade in an Ireland shirt and once again Furlong went on the rampage!
Huge character shown by all 23 players. And a great victory in the face of such adversity. But if we know Joe he will have picked out a number of areas we can improve upon and win the 6N.
Rory Best for the Lions captaincy??
Great win, great year. Congratulations, am gonna go put some money on Ireland for the 6N before the odds drop thru the floor!
Bring on the six nations. England and France at home. . GREAT CHANCE !