Gilroy gamble pays off

ONE of the three men central to Pat Gilroy’s appointment as Dublin boss admitted yesterday that the decision to go with the managerial rookie was a huge gamble — but one that has since paid off in spades.

Gilroy was given the nod in October of 2008 after Kevin Heffernan, who instigated the Dublin revival in the 1970s, Robbie Kelleher and 1995 All-Ireland winning manager Pat O’Neill conducted a sweep of possible contenders to replace Paul Caffrey.

Kelleher, who was a mainstay of Heffernan’s storied team, joked that he was in hospital having a hip operation when the final decision was made but agreed that Gilroy’s candidacy was somewhat unexpected.