Defeat to Donegal like ‘a bereavement’, says Dublin’s Paul Flynn
Dublin’s All-Star half-forward pulled no punches about the pain of relinquishing the Sam Maguire Cup to an unfancied Donegal side they’ll meet all over again this Saturday evening.
The Croke Park rematch in Round 2 of the Allianz league will bring the hurt flooding back to Flynn, who was as helpless as anyone to prevent Donegal’s second-half onslaught in August’s All-Ireland semi-final.
In previous years, experienced Flynn admitted he may have even left the country for a few days after such a setback though he stuck around this time to face the music.
“In many ways, and it’s horrible to say, but it’s like a bereavement,” said Flynn. “Like, if there is a bereavement in the family, the people you want to be around are your family.
“In our case, the only people you want to be around are your team-mates because they are the only ones who really know how you feel. So the days afterwards, it was good just to meet up with the guys, have a few drinks and reflect on it, or not reflect on it, whatever it may be for fellas.”
Manager Jim Gavin held his hands up after the surprise loss, admitting that his attacking approach left Dublin vulnerable to Donegal’s counter-attack which ultimately overwhelmed them.
“We might have a game plan going out on the pitch but you don’t follow it to the exact letter of the law,” said Flynn. “You have to be able to see certain plays as they present themselves to you. Fair enough, he’s taken the flak, but each and every one of us in the Dublin team were accountable for that defeat.”
Flynn is back in light training after groin surgery last month. He expects to be back in action in mid-March, around the same time as colleague James McCarthy, who had a similar operation.
“For the Monaghan and Donegal games last summer, I got painkilling injections and for the club championship I did the same, which was a bit outrageous, I should have got it sorted but the way the games are, it’s kind of difficult to get a slot,” he said.
Flynn said he’s surprised at the prevalence of groin injuries, linked to over activity, in modern Gaelic games. “I’ve never seen as many players getting it,” he said. nFlynn was speaking at the launch of Setanta Sports’ schedule of live Allianz League GAA games. They will broadcast 17 live games, 12 in football and five in hurling. For more see www.setanta.com
