FORMER DUBLIN STAR Conal Keaney has hit out at recent “nonsense talk” surrounding the county’s hurlers, saying they don’t get “the credit they deserve”.
The retired dual player slammed the commentary after the Mattie Kenny’s side’s Leinster hurling championship semi-final win over Galway, frustrated that the four-point win was labelled a shock one.
Keaney noted that much of the post-match analysis and punditry centred on chances Galway missed rather than Dublin’s successful efforts.
General analysis of the Sky Blues through the years has been “lazy stuff,” he says, appearing to hit out at Dónal Óg Cusack’s criticism of their attack on RTÉ’s The Sunday Game last November.
Reflecting particularly on the unfair “shock” commentary after the Galway win, the Ballyboden St Enda’s clubman said:
I don’t think it bothers the squad, that kind of talk. It never bothers them. But on the outside as a supporter now, yeah I think it’s very frustrating that people don’t give Dublin the credit they deserve.
“If that was a Tipperary and Galway game and Tipperary beat Galway as Dublin did, everyone would be raving about Tipperary and putting them up there in the top two or three to go a long way in the competition, but when it’s Dublin, it’s ‘Oh they did well but Galway missed a lot, they won’t win the next day’. That kind of an attitude. I think you can use all that.
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“Eventually that all has to turn and it has to change. I agree that only comes when you become a successful team and I hope this team does that.
“It’s been happening a load of times with that kind of an attitude towards Dublin and it’s the same whether it’s the pundits on the Sunday Game or whatever, coming out with the lazy stuff that there’s no marquee forwards in Dublin or we’ve no wrists in Dublin or whatever. At some stage you need to lay down a marker and stop all that nonsense talk.”
Looking to the final, he feels Kilkenny will be “roaring favourites” though it suits Dublin to go in with a “nothing to lose attitude”, confident in themselves.
The important thing now is getting over the line in their first provincial decider since 2014, Keaney stresses.
It’s great to get to a Leinster Final but ultimately if you don’t win it, it doesn’t mean anything. You forget how many Leinster finals you were in if you lose them, it doesn’t make a difference.
“It’s all about winning and this team obviously want to stamp their authority, this is a new Dublin team coming. They want that bit of success. If you don’t win in the finals, you’re just forgotten about again, you’re gone back into the pack with everyone else.
“So they want to stamp and make sure they win on the weekend and become this new and exciting, full of energy Dublin team that we’ve seen the last couple of weekends.”
Stephen Cluxton lifting the Sam Maguire last December. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
A former Dublin football team-mate and IT Tallaght college friend of Stephen Cluxton, Keaney also weighed in on the ongoing mystery surrounding the legendary goalkeeper’s status.
“I don’t think anyone knows. I think the only ones who know are Stephen and Dessie and possibly the squad. I don’t believe he’s leaving any of the squad hanging or Dessie hanging. Whatever agreement they come up with, they come up with.
“I think it’s very clear. I don’t think there is any messing around with it. I don’t think that’s his style. If you don’t know him or you know him very well, he seems to be very straight and he wants the best for Dublin and whether that’s him taking a break for a little bit and coming back, or whether it’s taking a break fully, who knows?”
“He’s his own man, he’s very much his own man,” he added. “I don’t think he’s doing anything for himself in this. I think he’s seen the future and maybe he wants to keep the pressure off Evan [Comerford], I don’t know.
“Him and Dessie only know and you probably won’t know until the end of the year or when people come out and say it. It is a bit of a saga at the minute but it won’t bother him, it won’t bother Dessie, it won’t even bother the squad. They’re just moving on.”
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'People don't give Dublin the credit they deserve' - Keaney slams 'nonsense talk'
FORMER DUBLIN STAR Conal Keaney has hit out at recent “nonsense talk” surrounding the county’s hurlers, saying they don’t get “the credit they deserve”.
The retired dual player slammed the commentary after the Mattie Kenny’s side’s Leinster hurling championship semi-final win over Galway, frustrated that the four-point win was labelled a shock one.
Keaney noted that much of the post-match analysis and punditry centred on chances Galway missed rather than Dublin’s successful efforts.
General analysis of the Sky Blues through the years has been “lazy stuff,” he says, appearing to hit out at Dónal Óg Cusack’s criticism of their attack on RTÉ’s The Sunday Game last November.
Reflecting particularly on the unfair “shock” commentary after the Galway win, the Ballyboden St Enda’s clubman said:
“If that was a Tipperary and Galway game and Tipperary beat Galway as Dublin did, everyone would be raving about Tipperary and putting them up there in the top two or three to go a long way in the competition, but when it’s Dublin, it’s ‘Oh they did well but Galway missed a lot, they won’t win the next day’. That kind of an attitude. I think you can use all that.
“Eventually that all has to turn and it has to change. I agree that only comes when you become a successful team and I hope this team does that.
“It’s been happening a load of times with that kind of an attitude towards Dublin and it’s the same whether it’s the pundits on the Sunday Game or whatever, coming out with the lazy stuff that there’s no marquee forwards in Dublin or we’ve no wrists in Dublin or whatever. At some stage you need to lay down a marker and stop all that nonsense talk.”
Looking to the final, he feels Kilkenny will be “roaring favourites” though it suits Dublin to go in with a “nothing to lose attitude”, confident in themselves.
The important thing now is getting over the line in their first provincial decider since 2014, Keaney stresses.
“It’s all about winning and this team obviously want to stamp their authority, this is a new Dublin team coming. They want that bit of success. If you don’t win in the finals, you’re just forgotten about again, you’re gone back into the pack with everyone else.
“So they want to stamp and make sure they win on the weekend and become this new and exciting, full of energy Dublin team that we’ve seen the last couple of weekends.”
A former Dublin football team-mate and IT Tallaght college friend of Stephen Cluxton, Keaney also weighed in on the ongoing mystery surrounding the legendary goalkeeper’s status.
“I don’t think anyone knows. I think the only ones who know are Stephen and Dessie and possibly the squad. I don’t believe he’s leaving any of the squad hanging or Dessie hanging. Whatever agreement they come up with, they come up with.
“I think it’s very clear. I don’t think there is any messing around with it. I don’t think that’s his style. If you don’t know him or you know him very well, he seems to be very straight and he wants the best for Dublin and whether that’s him taking a break for a little bit and coming back, or whether it’s taking a break fully, who knows?”
“He’s his own man, he’s very much his own man,” he added. “I don’t think he’s doing anything for himself in this. I think he’s seen the future and maybe he wants to keep the pressure off Evan [Comerford], I don’t know.
“Him and Dessie only know and you probably won’t know until the end of the year or when people come out and say it. It is a bit of a saga at the minute but it won’t bother him, it won’t bother Dessie, it won’t even bother the squad. They’re just moving on.”
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