Will Dubs find the hunger?

“The old year’s gone away to nothingness and night,” wrote John Clare many years ago and much of the focus ahead of Dublin’s championship bow at Croke Park tomorrow centres on how much they have committed the pleasant memories of the old year to nothingness and night.

Because only Kerry in modern times have managed to retain their title, it has become almost axiomatic that reigning champions will fall at some hurdle along the way. It needn’t be so and in the case of Dublin nothing more than an indifferent league campaign and wishful thinking on the part of other contenders suggests they can’t become champions again.

The team selection for tomorrow’s clash with Louth should see Dublin operating at close to full throttle earlier than expected. There was a hint during the league, which saw Dublin only beat the teams that finished below them (Laois, Armagh and Donegal) and lose their last three successive games, that Pat Gilroy was aiming to get his team to peak for a possible late July date with Kildare.