Football

Experienced stars must lead the way if Dublin are to reclaim Sam Maguire says Niall Scully

Dublin's experienced stars have to lead the way says Niall Scully. Pic Seamus Loughran.
Dublin's experienced stars have to lead the way says Niall Scully. Pic Seamus Loughran. Dublin's experienced stars have to lead the way says Niall Scully. Pic Seamus Loughran.

DUBLIN’S experienced stars must lead the way if the once all-powerful Dubs are to reclaim the Sam Maguire this year, says Niall Scully.

After six All-Irelands on-the-trot, the Dubs’ greedy fingers were prised off Sam Maguire’s handles by Mayo at the semi-final stage last year. That setback was compounded by the shock of five defeats in seven Division One games this year and relegation to Division Two.

Dessie Farrell’s side has bounced back with three straightforward wins in the Leinster Championship but their mettle will be tested by Cork in Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final and, if they get through it, the winners of Kerry and Kildare await in the last four.

Four-time All-Ireland winner Scully says it’s the experienced heads in the Dublin dressingroom – the likes of Ciaran Kilkenny, Brian Fenton, James McCarthy, Dean Rock etc, etc, etc – who’ll set the tone for the new faces like Tom Lahiff, Lee Gannon and Lorcan O’Dell.

“We all know it's going to be an extremely difficult game and we're going to need them stepping up to the plate,” he said.

“If they're going well, it tends to be that the team is going well.”

One forward who is certainly going well is Con O’Callaghan. The Cuala clubman missed the calamitous National League campaign but he returned from the Leinster Championship and returned scores of 1-6 (Wexford), 0-2 (Meath) and 1-5 (Kildare) as well as creating opportunities for his attacking colleagues.

“Con is obviously a phenomenal footballer,” said Scully.

“It's no big deal to him getting back in. He's exciting when we're able to get him the ball.”

Tomorrow, the Dubs return to Croke Park to face a Cork team that bounced back from a disappointing League campaign of their own in the second of this weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-finals and Scully, a fixture in the team until this season, will have to content himself with a place on the bench.

He started all seven Division One games but relegation meant change was required and the half-forward has lost his place to his Templeogue Synge Street clubmate Lorcan O’Dell.

“I'd be the first one to put my hand up,” he says.

“I'm absolutely delighted for Lorcan and I think he's done extremely well over the last two games as well. For me, all I can do is go to training and put my hand up and put my best foot forward. I wouldn't be wishing that it's me or him or anything like that.

“Over the League I suppose I probably got plenty of game-time, I got enough.

“For me it's all about, and I know we always say it, but it's always about the team performance and how we can benefit the team the most. I suppose if it's in the starting 15 or if it's outside the starting 15, coming off the bench, whatever the case may be, it's just a big thing for me to benefit the team and try to introduce that.”

Scully is still central to his manager’s plans of course. He was introduced off the bench in the second half of all three Championship games but with the Dubs already cantering home by that stage, it’s hard to make a definitive impression and force your way back into the starting line-up.

“Everybody is fighting for positions and everybody is fighting to get into matchday 26,” he said.

“From an individual basis you'd be looking to get in and to make an improvement to the performance and obviously stick to the game plan as well. But in terms of that, I don't think it would be crossing anybody's mind in terms of looking to stay there for the next day.”