Difficult challenge as Dublin seek elusive back-to-back titles

Barely an hour after Dublin’s 2013 All-Ireland football final win, manager Jim Gavin spoke in grave tones of what was coming down the line.

“I know from speaking to other managers that they’re already setting themselves up for the 2014 championship — we’re probably behind now already,” claimed Gavin in his post match press briefing.

At the time, it seemed an almost ridiculous comment, to suggest there’s some sort of inherent penalty for winning the All-Ireland. But perhaps there is.

The paucity of back-to-back winners — Dublin have twice failed to retain the Sam Maguire Cup since 2011 and only Kerry have done it since 1990 — sums up how difficult it is to have all the ducks, physically and mentally, perfectly aligned in consecutive years.

It remains to be seen if Dublin can put the lessons of their failed title defences in 2012 and 2014 to good use next year though, so far, Jonny Cooper says they haven’t done much in the way of pre-season preparation.

In fact, over three months on from their latest championship success, the talented defender says it’s only now they are really drawing a line under the celebrations.

The coming weekend and the next 10 days or so will help to refocus players’ minds. On Saturday, Dublin take on a club selection in the annual Dubs Stars challenge. The game normally takes place on New Year’s Day but this year will be on January 2 at the Kilmacud Crokes grounds.

Exactly 24 hours later, they begin the defence of their O’Byrne Cup title with a trip to Wexford followed by two home games, on the Wednesday and Sunday against Carlow IT and DCU. Presumably, Gavin will give every panel member some game time.

“Pressing the button to go again, it coincides really with the first O’Byrne Cup game,” said Cooper. “In fairness to Jim, he gives us the full break. When we’re on a break, we’re on a break and even the team holiday was a break and the same before the holiday. So I would imagine the first week in January it’ll kick back in and knowing Jim and his management team, they’ll have a plan ready to go and set out.

“This time last year, coming off the back of losing to Donegal, we wouldn’t have got the holiday and with losing a semi-final we would have started back a few weeks at this stage, around the start of December.

“So there’s been extra time-off this year, Jim felt the break would do us good. We’ve been on the road this year for nine months. Each year is different really.”

Even though it was their third success in five seasons, Dublin appeared to celebrate the All-Ireland win heartily. The days of returning to January action a stone or more heavier are long gone, however, and Cooper is a poster boy for the modern game, observing an almost unbroken training schedule throughout the autumn and winter.

“At this stage, with two or three lads going for similar positions in our team, right across the pitch, you can’t deviate too much from being in good shape,” said the Na Fianna man.

“Yeah, you have to take your break but you can’t deviate too much from the routine. Personally, I wouldn’t move a whole pile away from it anyway during the year, certainly at this time of year.

“Some lads like to let loose and that’s fine too. Different people have different characters and routines that they fall into and I follow my own path.”

Even on the first weekend of the new year, there’s places up for grabs. Denis Bastick and Dean Rock, for example, started the first game of last year’s O’Byrne Cup campaign and, come September, were both in the All-Ireland final line-up.

Cooper says he’s hoping to play the long game again himself having also featured strongly in last year’s January campaign.

“I played a few O’Byrne Cup games last season and I thought it stood to me,” he said. “That’s my experience with Jim, that he picks his teams on merit, be it the O’Byrne Cup or the national league or the Championship, you’re there on merit.

“I like to try to get my stake in as early as possible if I’m injury-free. Obviously, there’s a bit of a balance to strike between how many minutes you play. But I think a lot of the lads would feel the same considering how competitive the Dublin panel is, try and get game time early and kick on from there.”

Bastick has yet to make any public announcement about his Dublin future. That may become clear this weekend though, so far, the 35-year old has opted not to follow Alan Brogan’s retirement decision.

Stephen Cluxton is in his mid-30s also though there is no suggestion the three-time All-Ireland winner and undisputed number one will quit.

Cooper admitted it’s getting tougher for the veteran players to commit, with each season regularly running into late September.

“Maybe you have three or four weeks of totally free time in all,” said Cooper. “I’d imagine for those lads in that age group, it would be difficult enough to maintain.

“But in fairness to Jim he would be quite flexible in that regard and fair in terms of giving the younger lads a shot and the older lads a bit more of a break period. We’ll have to see how that side of it pans out.”