Barney: Dean will be patient

Dean Rock is under no illusions that he must bide his time for a starting spot in the Dublin senior football team, according to his father Barney.

The Dublin legend was thrilled to see his son kick two points in the dying stages as the Dubs edged out Tyrone by a point to win their first Division 1 title in 20 years.

Although he feels Dean has a better chance of making the team under Jim Gavin than his predecessor Pat Gilroy, Rock knows he must be patient.

“I’ve no doubt he was itching to get in and he would have seen (his Ballymun Kickhams’ team-mate) Jason Whelan in before him and that.

“But he is level-headed enough, he knows as well as anyone that it is not just a 15-man team — it is a 20-man game because Dublin use five subs no matter what.

“But I’d say he was looking at the watch and thinking it wasn’t going to be him because he was the last sub on with 12 minutes to go.

“But it’s a situation that he has got to do, keep working hard and keep doing it — it will give him the confidence to say he has moved up the pecking order. They have club championship on Friday week, that’s another game and then all of a sudden it is three weeks to prepare for the Leinster championship.

“But Dean knows just because he got on and scored two points the last day it doesn’t mean he is going to start.

“It is not like years ago in the old way. He would love to start but there are no guarantees whatsoever.”

Rock points out he was one of four league-winning fathers who watched on as their sons joined the club last Sunday, Bernard Brogan Snr., John McCarthy and Noel McCaffrey the other three.

He feels Jim Gavin will have quite a headache now cutting his panel for the Championship.

“I think Jim Gavin used 32 players throughout the league and he will probably have a bit of a nightmare trying to pick a squad of 30 when it comes down to it.”

Rock feels Gavin’s decision to make Stephen Cluxton Dublin captain was a masterstroke.

“He took the quietness out of Stephen who is the figure now that everyone looks to and his performances throughout the campaign have been fantastic.

“Even though he doesn’t say too much when he accepts anything (silverware), I would say that is the biggest plus for Jim and it has worked very well so far.”