Dub O’Dwyer up for a battle

LEINSTER SHC QUARTER-FINAL:

The Cashel man who threatened to become one of Dublin’s greatest imports a couple of years ago? We only ask because he wasn’t himself last year.

Well, he’s back to full fitness. A shoulder injury hampered his 2012 season and, if he’s being honest, saw him shy away from his usually abrasive style.

“Last year I was getting strapped up before training and matches. Now I can hit lads as hard as I want,” he said.

“The recovery was great. I had a great medical team with me, Enda King and Eamon O’Reilly and the fat man, [physio and 1992 Olympic boxing champion] Michael Carruth.”

O’Dwyer’s lost none of his comical value or confidence — even when he’s contradicting himself slightly: “There was a bit of hype about it last year. And we kinda bought into it as well. We thought we were better than we were.

“This year, I wouldn’t say we’re coming in under the radar. We won Division 1B and we won the Walsh Cup, so we’re the only team in the country with two trophies.”

After losing Tomás Brady to the footballers (Brady has since been injured for the footballers) as well as trainer Martin Kennedy, gaining promotion from Division 1B was a case of upsetting the odds.

“It happened last November (losing Tomás Brady) and I suppose when it happened, it was a fair kick in the teeth. But as regards Martin, we were lucky enough that Ross Dunphy was available. He’s class. He’s a small man but he makes up for it in his personality and his quality of coaching.”

What hasn’t been written about in Dublin’s disappointing Division 1 semi-final defeat to Tipp was they trained like dogs in the weeks leading up to the game. Having already played in a Division 1B final before it, the real battle had already been won.

“Look, we had an off day. And we could say ‘Jesus, we got beat’. But we’re not going to make excuses. We take it on the chin and move on and see where we can progress and where we can make ourselves better.”

O’Dwyer also has some interesting views on the harder line now being taken by referees in handling top level hurling games. He claims Tipperary inter-county referee Fergal Horgan takes the right approach.

“He read the rulebook once and then threw it away and used his common sense. And I think if that can be used, it’s far better than any rule book. Yeah, you have to protect the players. But it’s a physical game. So there is a fine line. I don’t know why anyone would become a ref. It’s a horrible job. No matter what you do, you’re wrong.

“And when I’m on the pitch, I’m always giving out about them. But I feel sorry for them because they have a horrible job. At the same time, no one will go out to do a lad. So I think always give the player the benefit of the doubt — within reason.”