Gavin Duffy, back row second right, and Alan Dillon, back row right, before the 1999 All-Ireland minor football final. Tom Honan / INPHO
Tom Honan / INPHO / INPHO
ITโS FOURTEEN YEARS since Alan Dillon and Gavin Duffy shared a dressing-room on a Mayo team that journeyed to the All-Ireland minor football final.
Defeat was their lot on that occasion by three points against Down in Croke Park. They went on their seperate sporting paths after that โ Dillon ploughing furrow with the Mayo senior setup and Duffy forging a career with Connacht and Harlequins.
Now theyโre back together as teammates following the high-profile recent addition of Duffy to the Mayo senior setup. Next Sunday, Mayo are in championship action in the Connacht semi-final against Roscommon.
Dillon is the only survivor from that Mayo 1999 team still involved in the senior squad, placing him as an ideal candidate to speak of Duffyโs potential.
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โHe was the powerhouse in the midfield department. He was way more developed than a lot of us at that stage in 1999. I would have followed him with Connacht and with Ireland. Itโs great to have him back. Heโs a good fella around the camp.
โHe keeps everyone honest and heโll add that couple of percent to everyoneโs game that is of benefit to the overall squad. Heโs equipping himself well in training and heโs physical. His physical presence is something that we probably didnโt have bar Aidan and Seamie OโShea in that middle third department.โ
Mayo's Alan Dillon is a brand ambassador for Irish sports nutritional brand Kinetica Sports. For more information log onto www.kineticasports.com Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Duffy may have been the midfield king back in minor days but itโs still unclear where he is best suited to on the senior stage.
โItโs up in the air,โ says Dillon. โWe probably need to see a bit more of where heโs most comfortable. But in and around that area in training heโs a hard man to have.
โI wouldnโt say heโs a manufactured footballer, he has natural ability. If you compare him to different footballers, heโs similar to some of our current lads. Heโs not a million miles off. It will take time to feel comfortable in that environment and playing with that intensity.
โFrom speaking to him, the big thing he notices is the quickness of the turn of the feet, that type of stuff. Itโs just the intensity of the game and where itโs gone from when he was 18 or 19 years of age. Heโs come to grips with it, the five-a-side games, the crossfield games, the simulate games โ heโs learning every time.โ
Duffy, back row second from left, and Dillon, front row fourth from left, after the 1999 Connacht minor final win over Galway. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
After the disappointment of Mayo losing two All-Ireland finals, Duffyโs arrival has been a boost to their camp. His experience as a professional sports person has been tapped into.
โLads would bounce ideas off him,โ reveals Dillon. โTry and dissect what he was doing at the professional level, like how Ireland did in 2011 in the World Cup? How did they react to that?
โItโs not a thing like he gives open presentations and that type of stuff. Itโs an internal thing. Heโs an addition. First of all, heโs a Mayo man so James (Horan) is entitled to bring him back, even if he was playing club football. Heโs part of the squad, thatโs the most important thing.โ
Patrick Bolger / INPHO
Patrick Bolger / INPHO / INPHO
In 1999 Dillon and Duffy were minor footballers, now they're back as Mayo senior teammates
ITโS FOURTEEN YEARS since Alan Dillon and Gavin Duffy shared a dressing-room on a Mayo team that journeyed to the All-Ireland minor football final.
Defeat was their lot on that occasion by three points against Down in Croke Park. They went on their seperate sporting paths after that โ Dillon ploughing furrow with the Mayo senior setup and Duffy forging a career with Connacht and Harlequins.
Now theyโre back together as teammates following the high-profile recent addition of Duffy to the Mayo senior setup. Next Sunday, Mayo are in championship action in the Connacht semi-final against Roscommon.
Dillon is the only survivor from that Mayo 1999 team still involved in the senior squad, placing him as an ideal candidate to speak of Duffyโs potential.
โHe was the powerhouse in the midfield department. He was way more developed than a lot of us at that stage in 1999. I would have followed him with Connacht and with Ireland. Itโs great to have him back. Heโs a good fella around the camp.
โHe keeps everyone honest and heโll add that couple of percent to everyoneโs game that is of benefit to the overall squad. Heโs equipping himself well in training and heโs physical. His physical presence is something that we probably didnโt have bar Aidan and Seamie OโShea in that middle third department.โ
Duffy may have been the midfield king back in minor days but itโs still unclear where he is best suited to on the senior stage.
โItโs up in the air,โ says Dillon. โWe probably need to see a bit more of where heโs most comfortable. But in and around that area in training heโs a hard man to have.
โI wouldnโt say heโs a manufactured footballer, he has natural ability. If you compare him to different footballers, heโs similar to some of our current lads. Heโs not a million miles off. It will take time to feel comfortable in that environment and playing with that intensity.
โFrom speaking to him, the big thing he notices is the quickness of the turn of the feet, that type of stuff. Itโs just the intensity of the game and where itโs gone from when he was 18 or 19 years of age. Heโs come to grips with it, the five-a-side games, the crossfield games, the simulate games โ heโs learning every time.โ
After the disappointment of Mayo losing two All-Ireland finals, Duffyโs arrival has been a boost to their camp. His experience as a professional sports person has been tapped into.
โLads would bounce ideas off him,โ reveals Dillon. โTry and dissect what he was doing at the professional level, like how Ireland did in 2011 in the World Cup? How did they react to that?
โItโs not a thing like he gives open presentations and that type of stuff. Itโs an internal thing. Heโs an addition. First of all, heโs a Mayo man so James (Horan) is entitled to bring him back, even if he was playing club football. Heโs part of the squad, thatโs the most important thing.โ
Mayo boss James Horan โexcitedโ about progress from rugby convert Gavin Duffy
โIt was hard to field anything around himโ โ Billy Joe on his Mayo minor days with Gavin Duffy
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Alan Dillon GAA Gavin Duffy green and red Mayo