Dublin star Jack McCaffrey has renewed spring in his step

Most will tell you Jack McCaffrey had a bad 2014. Inflicted with that blasted second season syndrome, where teams after a year of study had learned to stall him in his starter’s blocks. 

Sacrificed at half-time against Donegal, one of just two championship starts for the then 20-year-old. Accused as chief suspect in the disintegration of Dublin’s defensive strategy.

Most won’t tell you, though, he won three medals last year, captaining Dublin’s U21s to an All-Ireland title while picking up senior league and Leinster honours. He also made it to Sigerson Cup weekend with UCD.

By the end of April, competitively he had played four matches with the U21s, over 220 minutes with the seniors in their league campaign and had three Sigerson Cup outings.

“He had so much football played by last May, it was hard for him to continue playing well in every competition,” says his UCD manager, former Galway defender John Divilly.

“He also got to the Sigerson semi-final with us. He won a league with Dublin too. He won so much but played so much too. But it wasn’t that he was playing all that badly.

"Teams were putting a wall in front of him, three or four players heading to him before he started up on one of his solo runs. This year, he’s got more confident in himself again and he’s taking players on. Jim (Gavin) has obviously seen that as well and is sticking with him.”

Look closer and there were also signs of fatigue in his game in 2013 when he claimed the young footballer of the year accolade. With fellow U21s Paul Mannion and Ciarán Kilkenny, he guided Dublin through Leinster but wilted towards the end of the season.

He was exceptional against Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final yet struggled with Donnchadh Walsh in that epic with Kerry, and didn’t see the second half in the final against Mayo.

But his performances this year indicate he has bounced back. Contributing 1-6 in Division 1, McCaffrey is Dublin’s third top scorer this spring which is almost as significant for Dublin, who have been dabbed with the defensive brush, as it is for the Clontarf man who has also been a part of a back-line that’s conceded just two goals.

Coming off the bench against Donegal, it was his brilliant goal, cultivated by that searing pace, which provided the inspiration for victory. For a player whose face pundits said mightn’t fit as Gavin recalibrated his defence this year, it’s been a defiant response thus far.

“Some experts!” Divilly guffawed. “He wouldn’t be playing wing-back in an inter-county team if he couldn’t defend. It’s a natural part of his game to solo the ball and score. He can defend.

“No defender likes it one-on-one in big spaces. It was there last year against Donegal but it was one game where the team got caught out. Jack was on Ryan McHugh who’s a good player too and has just as much pace as him.

“It was just one of those days. For the first goal, the ball just broke down nicely for McHugh. He wasn’t on the pitch for the other two goals. One or two former players in the media said Donegal needed to find a hole and went after a young lad who (they) felt can attack but can’t defend, which is highly unfair on the lad. Thankfully, he hasn’t listened to them and he’s believing in his own ability.”

It’s come a season later than expected but McCaffrey, the one player who more than anybody else was fancied to benefit more from the third man tackle becoming a black card offence, seemed to be thriving in a less cynical environment although he continues to be obstructed.

It’s meant he’s had to plot alternative routes forward, something he’s learned to do juggling inter-county commitments with pursuing a medicine degree in Belfield. Last year, he had made light of his academic commitments but his studies are far more taxing than an arts degree. Gavin last week referenced the course as “a big, big challenge”.

It points to discipline but anybody who follows McCaffrey on Twitter knows he’s a free spirit, be it his quoting of lines from TV comedy Arrested Development or zany observations like “Walked around college with a box most of the day, not one person shouted ;what’s in the boxxx?!?!’ a la Brad Pitt in se7en. Disappointing.”

When there is concern that there is too much of a similarity among the Dublin U21 players currently coming through, McCaffrey stands out from the crowd. It’s that individualism which saw him become one of the youngest ever players to become a regular starter in the Dublin defence as it now guides his return to form.