Cian O’Sullivan: Focused Dublin ‘push reset button’

They’re already two wins closer to an historic four in a row of Allianz League football titles but Cian O’Sullivan insists Dublin are masters of blocking out the hype and hitting the ‘reset button’.

Wins over Kerry and Mayo have left Dublin sitting pretty atop Division 1 and it would be a considerable surprise if they don’t reach the semi-finals.

They have back to back home games in rounds three and four, against Monaghan and Cork, and just two away games from their remaining five matches.

Kerry are the last team to win four league titles in a row, in 1974, while the only county to win more consecutive titles than that was Mayo, in 1939, when they completed a six in a row.

O’Sullivan stated pressure certainly won’t be a factor in whether Dublin etch their names on that historic list of early season high achievers.

“We’re good as a team at blotting out distractions, I think you have to... we’d be talked about a bit in the media and we’d all have friends, family and work colleagues and you’d hear the murmurs, the whispers about two in a row, three in a row,” said three-time All-Ireland medallist O’Sullivan.

“So you have to just block that out and push the reset button and not get carried away and focus on the next goal which, for us, is Monaghan in three weeks’ time.

“In fairness, it’s early days yet in the league. It’s more a case of treating it like any other season, just focusing on the league and when summer comes we’ll turn our eyes to the All-Ireland.”

O’Sullivan was speaking at the launch of SKINS’ new DNAmic compression wear . He said the loss of Rory O’Carroll, his Kilmacud Crokes club colleague and long-time county team-mate is a considerable one for Dublin this year.

All conquering full-back O’Carroll has opted to spend this year working and travelling in New Zealand, and though the hope is that he’ll be home for 2017, O’Sullivan said there is no guarantees about a return date.

“I honestly don’t know (about 2017),” said O’Sullivan. “He’s gone over to work and if all goes well on that front...we’ll have to see, it’s up to him.”