Dolan: Quick ball will beat Cross

For their respective clubs and counties, cousins Dessie and Frankie Dolan are recognised by their supporters as being the outstanding forwards of this generation.

A couple of weeks ago both were also recognised by the All-Ireland club championship sponsors AIB for their contributions in 2011 with Dessie of Garrycastle and Westmeath fame claiming provincial player-of-the-year in Leinster while St Brigid’s and Roscommon’s Frankie won the Connacht accolade.

The Dolans starred in their clubs’ victorious provincial campaigns and subsequently met in the All-Ireland semi-final in one of the most talked about club games in years. After a tremendous contest, it was Dessie’s Garrycastle who progressed.

Their reward? A St Patrick’s Day date in Croke Park with the Armagh powerhouse club and reigning champions Crossmaglen Rangers. Given the team Cross beat to win that title last year was Frankie’s, does he have any advice now for Dessie?

“We had a great chance last year, but when you look back on it we probably played into their hands a bit too much,” Frankie said.

“We depended on Senan Kilbride. We were trying to get the ball into Senan and they dropped a man back there.

“Looking back, we should have been told after 20 minutes not to do it. I think if you move the ball quickly against them, don’t carry the ball into the tackle and do a lot more kicking, you can catch them out.

“If you carry the ball into them then you will get turned over because they are very strong. But if you kick it into the full-forward line as quickly as you can, you can hurt them.

“They’re missing their full-back from last year, Paul Kernan, while his brother Stephen is suspended so maybe they wouldn’t be as strong as last year.”

That didn’t appear to be the case in the other semi-final, Cross coming from being a man down, when Stephen got that red card, and several points behind to record a hugely impressive win over Dr Crokes.

Garrycastle are going to be really up against it and Dessie knows it.

“Playing Crossmaglen, you’d like to be playing some other handy team but that’s the hand we’ve been dealt and we’re looking forward to it. Crossmaglen are the benchmark, if a game is going to be won by a point they are going to win it by a point.

“I don’t know how they do it but you’d love to have their formula. What we need to do is put in a good performance.

“If we can build on our performances against the two St Brigid’s [Garrycastle beat St Brigid’s of Dublin in the Leinster final] then you never know what might happen.

“I do think we will need to find a bit more in the tank again from somewhere — I don’t know where because we seem to be dragging up the best we can.

“But at the same time I think we need to find a little bit extra to beat Crossmaglen.”