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Nowlan Park will host Dublin's Leinster championship opener on 4 June. Donall Farmer/INPHO

Nowlan Park will bring back hurling memories for one Dublin footballer

Dublin are heading to the Kilkenny venue on 4 June to face Laois or Wicklow.

THE DUBLIN FOOTBALLERS rare away day from Croke Park will command plenty headlines on the June Bank Holiday weekend.

But it’s not alien territory for all of Jim Gavin’s All-Ireland winning squad.

Defender Jonny Cooper has hurling experiences from a decade ago to draw on from the Kilkenny venue.

In April 2006, he played for the Dublin minor side against Kilkenny in the Leinster hurling championship, with Richie Hogan and Colin Fennelly amongst his opponents.

In the same month he lined out for the Dublin Colleges side in the Croke Cup semi-final against a Midleton CBS team that included current Cork hurlers Brian Lawton and Luke O’Farrell.

“Yeah I played hurling in Nowlan Park,” outlines Cooper, speaking at yesterday’s launch of the new Dublin GAA jersey at the AIG Head Office.

“I haven’t played football but I’ve watched and played hurling there When I was there there wasn’t much of a crowd, but the surface itself was lovely the time I was there.

“From watching games and being at games, it looks like a good place and a good atmosphere.”

Cooper admits it will be a new experience but the occasion is one more for the fans to savour.

“Yeah there will be some attention on it. For the fans it’s something new but for us it’s not really.

“It’s a different ground, different surroundings from Croke Park but for us the process is the same and the game plan or whatever else is going to be the same

“For us it’s work as usual.”

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‘Every single county is out to get us’: Dubs using 2014 defeat to guard against complacency

Here’s the Laois team that will face Wicklow in their Leinster opener

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    Mute Chris Long
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    May 4th 2016, 12:58 AM

    How are we still talking about this? Was that interview not nearly a month ago?

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    Mute Fred west
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    May 4th 2016, 1:58 AM

    ” We’re going to do it ” -Ger Loughnane 1995, half time All Ireland final.

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    Mute An_Beal_Bocht
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    May 4th 2016, 12:58 AM

    And Mr functionality himself in the photo, Wally Walsh

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    Mute anthony campion
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    May 4th 2016, 10:36 AM

    Nothing gets past you

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    Mute gold3n
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    May 4th 2016, 5:15 AM

    A slow news day!

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    Mute Cathal O'Donoghue
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    May 4th 2016, 10:53 AM

    If I was a Clare supporter I wouldn’t relish the thought of meeting Kilkenny again this year after all this nonsense. They may not be a great team now, but they’re still a very good one and are comfortably the best in the country right now. Clare only won a league match and they have a lot to prove. As for the management, Ferguson v Keegan 1996 comes to mind.

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    Mute Eddie Ryan
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    May 4th 2016, 6:51 PM

    Cody as ever singing all the write songs. Ger actually never said anything bad about him. You can be sure that was digested by the players. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Kilkenny tend to serve it up more then most!

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    Mute Martin Fitzpatrick
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    May 5th 2016, 1:51 PM

    Now is that not some reply ? A very tongue in cheek response. Typical Cody

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