McCaffrey cool on league rewards as championship looms

It was Mickey Harte that first suggested that an All-Ireland win on the back of a spell in Division 2 of the football league was highly unlikely.

That same logic would appear to apply to hurling, making Saturday’s battle between Dublin and Limerick for promotion back to the top flight hugely significant.

After sitting out last weekend’s comfortable win over Carlow, John McCaffrey will return as Dublin captain and attempt to lift a vital piece of silverware, perhaps the most important of the entire season.

The Lucan man is not won over by that line of thought, though, and insists that while their trip to Semple Stadium is important, it will not make or break their year.

“I don’t think it will, no, because championship, at the end of the day, is what every player wants to play and what every player will remember at the end of their career,” said McCaffrey.

“You’d love to be in 1A every year but if things don’t happen like that, so be it, we’ll go again next year. But I think every year, you’re going into it focusing on going well in the championship.

“At the moment, we can only really take each game as it comes and the next for us is Saturday.”

A rich history is quickly being established between Dublin and Limerick. It was the Shannonsiders that ended Dublin’s hopes of a rare All-Ireland semi-final place in 2009.

Two years on, Anthony Daly’s side were back for revenge and, thanks to a hat-trick of goals from Ryan O’Dwyer, secured victory.

In their current battle for promotion, Limerick claimed first blood last month by defeating Dublin at Croke Park.

“Their forward play was what stood out,” reflected versatile midfielder McCaffrey on the Shannonsiders.

“They took most of the chances they got and were very clinical in front of goal.

“If you gave them half a yard of space, their forwards will take it and punish you.

“Thurles would be a similar sized pitch to Croke Park, nice and wide. So we know we need to close down that space and make sure we don’t give their forwards the same space we did the last day.”