Dean Rock not bothered by Dublin sub policy

Dean Rock is philosophical about being substituted and accepts it’s a norm in a panel as strong as Dublin’s.

The Ballymun Kickhams man holds the impressive record of having started in all 21 of his county’s games last season. However, he failed to finish the last three, taken off at half-time in the drawn All-Ireland semi-final with Mayo as well as in the All-Ireland final win over Kerry.

Kevin McManamon came in for him on both occasions as he did in the 53rd minute in the replay against Mayo but Rock was not too upset about the “early showers”.

“I think you learn from every game and there are certain things I would have learned from last year — and even from the game against Kerry on Saturday night. So you just keep learning. Look, you do your bit for the team and it’s always a 21-man game, especially with us, so you do your stint on the pitch and if it’s not happening for you, it’s not happening and the next man steps up.

“For me, I’m just trying to get better every training session that I go out to train in and every match I’m trying to get whatever, 1%, 2% better out of myself. Especially this time of year, there are lots of things to be working on, whether it’s your fitness, your strength and stuff like that.”

Eamonn Fitzmaurice made the point after Saturday’s game that Dublin were hungrier than Kerry and Rock believes there’s a freshness in the group after a solid winter’s break.

“We’re only back three or four weeks training so I think a lot of lads got a lot of rest over the last number of months. Lads have come back really hungry and eager, and obviously then there are new lads coming back into the panel — like Paul Mannion, he came back in and he freshens things up. And you’ve young Con O’Callaghan there as well.”

Injury-free and aware of the fight for places in the forward line with Mannion returning and Eoghan O’Gara in the shake-up before the end of the league, Rock was keen to make an impression from the off in last month’s O’Byrne Cup.

“In years gone by, I would have struggled with injuries and now I’ve got over a lot of them and been injury-free for the last two or three years. So when you’re fit and available to play, you want to play every single game. And that’s the thing — you’re always on your toes with the level of competition within the squad. We’ve always had that level of competition in the forwards in Dublin, and now it’s in the backs as well.” Rock anticipates an intense affair in Castlebar on Saturday where Mayo will hoping to make amends for losing to Cork.

“MacHale Park will be a different surface to Croke Park, so that will bring a challenge in itself. And then the travelling part of it as well. So it will be a completely different scenario than it was (against Kerry).

“Mayo always bring that physicality and intensity to a game that a lot of other teams don’t do. That’s the thing that stands out for me really.”