Forward the only direction Darcy knows

Before you say it, before you even think it, there is no conspiracy.

It’s another three months and more until the black card comes in so rub out those lines between Declan Darcy’s position on the Football Review Committee (FRC) and his role as Dublin selector.

In all truth, as soon as Jim Gavin gave him the call to get the band together again (Darcy had stepped away from their successful U21 set-up because of a family bereavement) he tapered his commitment to the Eugene McGee-led group. Anyway, the St Brigid’s man would have disagreed with Gavin on the black card, the manager more a fan of the sin bin.

He’s proud of what the FRC achieved. “It does put a positive reflection on the way the game is going and maybe might shine a light for a few other teams to maybe change their thought process and be more offensive.”

Darcy’s Dublin have already heeded that call, producing some sublime episodes of football this summer. At times it has been cavalier but it’s the brand that suits the abundance of skilful players at their disposal.

“I don’t think we’d want to be involved in a team that would play a very negative or defensive type of football. If that means we’re not going to win then, look it, we’ll take that hit and consider that.

“It’s not what we are about but, at the same time, we’re very lucky with the group we have, that we probably don’t have to go down that road.”

The idea of a sweeper was quickly quashed by Gavin and Darcy sees Mayo as being of similar mind.

“I think they’ll go gun-for-gun with us, to be honest.”

Even if they did cough up three goals against Kerry and there were concerns, he knows there was one mitigating factor in all of it — “in fairness to the Gooch, we had the best player pound-for-pound doing this thing against us and it definitely did hurt us.”

Dublin rolled with that combination of punches, though, and ended up with three goals of their own even though they were erratic in their attempts to find the net. Are their attackers now stuck in a quandary of taking on the shot or hoping to find a better-placed team-mate after so much bad decision-making this summer?

“There were occasions the last day when there were fellas moving forward and taking pot-shots when there were people in better positions. We wouldn’t be happy with it. We’re very

focused in training on doing that but, in the white heat of battle, some lads react differently and it’s something we need to work on.”

But it’s the devil-may-care attitude of the U21 players in the team that appeals to him. He remembers as a 19-year-old playing for Leitrim against Kildare in Newbridge on Mick O’Dwyer’s first day in charge and the feeling that went with it — “I just felt I was better than anybody else”.

He sees that same fearlessness in Dublin’s younger ranks now.

“Paul Mannion and Jack [McCaffrey] are probably testament to that. Sometimes they might do good and bad things but they’re just in that carefree mode where they’re just playing it as you see it, which is great.”

Described earlier in the week as “your country GAA lad” by Tommy Lyons, Darcy has an appreciation from his Leitrim days of what it will be like in Mayo these past few weeks. His home in Sandymount was a world away from Leitrim when they won the Nestor Cup 19 years ago. “If Mayo win the next day and there’s fellas living in Dublin all the partying will be going on in Mayo they’ll miss that.

“The funny thing was I saw guys crying going through their villages. I had Aughawillan that I played with but I never had a home to go to, to bring the cup to, even though I was captain. I didn’t have that experience and maybe that was what I was missing to make it that big for me.”

The contrasts between urban GAA and rural GAA are enormous in his eyes but the expectations and attention are similar.

“For the country player he’s put up more on a pedestal in his own community for sure.

“If they walk down their village or community they’re going to be acknowledged and praised whereas if Rory O’Carroll walks down to the Stillorgan shopping centre maybe four or five people might recognise him.”

But it’s in the media where he notices Dublin players are “seen as more iconic than other county players.

“If Bernard Brogan wore a red pair of shoes tomorrow I’d say it could be in the paper!”

With a Dublin jersey comes more responsibility.

“I played with Leitrim, I felt no sense of that when I was out, I could do what I wanted, but if you’re a Dublin player, whether it’s there or not, you’re always looking over your shoulder.

“Yeah, the mobile phones, tweeting , they’d be terrified. Funny enough when Aidan O’Shea was trying to get into a nightclub in Dublin it was all over it [social media].”

The impression Darcy gives is he’s part of a vigilant management team. Gavin’s a workaholic and it’s a value replicated down along the sideline.

“We have to work harder than everyone else. We have to set the tone for the players. They need to see what we’re doing and we have to work harder than Mayo as well. We know that. He does that, he sets the tone, his work ethic is phenomenal. So, chill out? No, maybe in two weeks’ time.”

But what if Dublin win? Is a Davy Fitzgerald-type celebration in order?

“Jaysus no! I might do it in the dressing room when no one’s looking but no I’ll let that head-banger do his own thing. He has his own little war dance!”