Liam Rushe back at full throttle for Dublin

Former All Star defender Liam Rushe has admitted he thought his days at full-forward had been written off as a "failed experiment".

New Dubs manager Ger Cunningham has shaken up his inherited team with various intriguing switches from the Anthony Daly era.

Michael Carton is impressing at full-back, Peter Kelly has moved to centre-back, the position Rushe occupied for the last two years, while Rushe has reverted to full-forward. He last played there in 2012, a season that ended in frustration as Dublin lost to Clare in the qualifiers.

“I would have seen it as a failed experiment from a few years ago,” said Rushe. “But we have different personnel now and I think there is a lot more balance and maybe it might work this time. There are different lads pushing through and Peter Kelly could be a grand centre-back and free me up for elsewhere or vice versa.”

Asked why he thought he ‘failed’ at full-forward in the past, Rushe wasn’t fully sure. “I was swanning around everywhere,” he replied. “I used to start in the corner then go full-forward and then go wing or centre-forward.

“So when we tried it the last time, I was starting there and then if the ball wasn’t going in or we were having trouble getting it, I would be moved progressively further out until we just stuck with me staying out. That’s where it seemed to work best for myself and the team.”

Despite Rushe’s reservations, he’s impressed back at full-forward. He shot 1-3 in their opening Walsh Cup game last month, netted again in the final and hit 1-1 last weekend in a comfortable league win over Tipp.

Rushe said he’s aware that the team are under pressure to score more goals generally than they did under Daly.

“I think Dónal Óg (Cusack) is a big fan of pointing it out,” said Rushe. “We score plenty of goals in training and take them when the chances come in matches. We obviously want to score as many as we can.”

Cunningham has got the best from Eamonn Dillon, largely a panellist under Daly, who excelled against Tipp with 1-2. “I think as soon as Ger saw him in the running sessions he said, ‘Why is the fittest man in the team corner-forward?’” said Rushe.