Dublin boss wants glory, not Tyrone’s respect

IT goes without saying that a three-time All-Ireland winner is going to look a little differently at a footballer who has won none.

Whether Tyrone rank Dublin alongside them is open to debate especially after they told the capital players and management after last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat that they kicked the game away.

Those 17 wides continue to gnaw at Tyrone but the fixation on it seems to take away from the result and Dublin’s performance.

However, none of it matters to Pat Gilroy. He insists: “To be honest, we don’t worry about things like that. We got to play in a semi-final but we didn’t progress from that, unfortunately. They are not things that bother me and I don’t think they bother anyone in the team. It was a reasonable assessment by the Tyrone guys that they kicked a lot of wides. I’m sure they have a big incentive to try and make amends for it.”

As for midfielder DenisBastick, he can’t say for certain that Tyrone respect Dublin.

“If they don’t respect us, we’ll just have to take that on board and try to focus. We’re just really trying to keep concentrating on our own game. When it comes down to respect, we have respect for them, for what they have and what they’ve done. So if we can emulate maybe half of what they’ve achieved in the game, we’ll be doing well.”

Bastick, who recently turned 30, expects Tyrone’s appetites to be whetted by the prospect of getting one over Dublin. But when it comes down to it, the Templeogue/Synge Street man is trusting Dublin’s long wait for All-Ireland success might ensure their desire for victory is stronger than Tyrone’s.

“You know they have a couple of medals but each one of us has been trying for so long we just really want to try to get to that stage, to get to an All-Ireland final. So hopefully we will have the edge in the hunger stakes. If you look at last week, look at Mayo and Cork, I’m sure Cork were very hungry going out, wanting to get the back-to-back All-Irelands. But Mayo just proved it’s all on the day, that the work and effort you put in can pay off. We’ll be trying to focus on that as well.”

Refusing to challenge for any of Tyrone’s kick-outs last year, Dublin relied heavily on the soundness of their defence. It proved a success back then but expecting Tyrone to kick another 17 wides this evening is a big ask, as Bastick knows only too well.

“That obviously worked for us last year, but I think if we went out and tried to do the same thing again, I don’t think it will have the same effect. Things change, teams change and I’m sure Mickey Harte will have a few ideas as well in terms of what he has to do. I think we’re going to have to be ready for whatever they throw at us, any changes they make. We have to be quick and be adaptable. I think that’s the key part of their game. We’re going to have to try to slow that down.”

Having said that, Bastick knows there is no point in Dublin fielding ball after ball only to be surrounded by Tyrone marauders as they return to the sod.

“There is a thin line between winning primary possession and coming down and it being taken off you because you are surrounded by fellas or tackling. It’s something we are going to have to work on.”

Seán Cavanagh is obviously on Dublin minds as the former Footballer of the Year has shown a return to form in recent championship games, scoring 2-3 against Roscommon last weekend.

“I have come up with a good plan — let Eamon Fennell mark Sean Cavanagh,” laughs the financial advisor.

“No, he’s a fantastic player, we are going to have to try to stop him but he’s not the only one. They all run.”

Bastick believes Dublin are better prepared coming into an All-Ireland quarter-final as Leinster champions than at any other time during his time in the panel.

“They [training sessions] were unbelievable. I have been on the panel since 2005 on and off but I’ve never seen anything like it. Come this time of the year the so-called ‘A’ team would always pull ahead, be a few points ahead. But week-in week-out there has been only a point or two either side, it’s been that close. That’s the best preparation we could have asked for.

“We have an idea of what the management are looking for, the tackling, scoring opportunities and different things like that. We are trying to get that at a certain level so if it is happening at training hopefully it will carry on into the games.”

Picture: Denis Bastick: Says Dublin have prepared brilliantly for their clash with the Ulster side