Kevin Fennelly: U-turn on Liam Rushe the right move

Former manager Kevin Fennelly believes Dublin have found a ‘second lease of life’ since ripping up the script midway through the Championship and returning Liam Rushe to centre-back.

But the Kilkenny great reserved some criticism for present boss Ger Cunningham whom he claimed should have made the switch much earlier.

As far back as February, joint captain Rushe expressed surprise at playing full-forward, believing that a previous stint there in 2012 had been written off as a ‘failed experiment’.

New boss Cunningham persisted with the ploy though and only moved ex-All Star Rushe back following their heavy Leinster championship defeat to Galway.

Along with that significant change, Conal Keaney went in the opposite direction from defence to attack and Fennelly suggested it restored vital balance to the team.

The results have followed too with Dublin beating Laois before a spirited one-point win over Limerick, teeing up Sunday’s All-Ireland quarter-final showdown with Waterford.

“I think Rushe had to go back there and, to be honest, I think it should have been done a good bit earlier,” said Fennelly.

“That would be my opinion because, to me, he’s a natural centre-back and he doesn’t just play well there himself, he organises everyone around him and gets the best out of them too.

“I’m a big believer in trying something different but Rushe’s best position is centre-back and it’s hard to find naturals for key positions like that.

“You’re already seeing that they’re getting much more out of him there. The changes they’ve made have given this Dublin team a second lease of life.

“I genuinely thought they’d be beaten by Limerick but they’re a lot more organised now and better balanced.”

Fennelly credited Dublin for pulling victory from the jaws of defeat against Limerick. Rushe himself was initially in difficulty when he was shrugged off by David Breen whose goal helped Limerick into an eight-point lead.

But the Dubs would outscore Limerick by 1-14 to 0-8 in a power packed final 40 minutes or so to edge the game by the narrowest margin.

“I’d be disappointed with Limerick and the Limerick management first and foremost,” said former Kilkenny boss Fennelly.

“I thought they blew it. But to Dublin’s credit they fought back. They were going through a sticky patch and really it should have been game over.

“Dublin were very poor for half an hour but they finished well and you’d expect them to push on from here now.”

Fennelly believes Munster champions Waterford will ultimately win Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final though he argues that they need a greater emphasis on attack.

“A lot of people fancy Dublin but I’m in the Waterford camp on this one,” said Fennelly.

“I say that with caution but I feel that if Waterford push on and try to beat Dublin, instead of trying to contain them, then they’ll do it. But they won’t beat them playing seven or eight fellas in the backs for 70 minutes and expecting a four-man forward line to do it. I think they’ve learned that lesson.”