‘Third string’ showing challenges Ciarán Kilkenny’s top 15 Dubs

If the progress made by Dublin’s ‘third string’ and their run to the O’Byrne Cup final was not enough to strike a note of anxiety in the minds of their rivals, Ciarán Kilkenny’s latest report on the capital’s first-choice selection will hardly be music to the ears of pretenders to the All-Ireland champions’ throne.

Having recently returned from Dublin’s team holiday in Jamaica, Kilkenny appeared refreshed at the launch of eir Sport’s Allianz League coverage yesterday — held to announce the broadcaster’s match schedule along with the news that they will become the first Irish broadcaster to show three live GAA games simultaneously across its channels next weekend.

Dublin will not be in action until the following day, Sunday week, when they visit Cavan, but their Castleknock playmaker has insisted a reportedly well-rested and hungry panel are raring to go ahead of the defence of their league and All-Ireland titles.

“If you are not resting then something is eventually going to happen,” cautioned Kilkenny when questioned about the need for a break over the festive season following Dublin’s run to their final replay success. “Particularly ourselves with the way the game went on into October and the fact we’d been going all the way to September the previous year.

“When lads come back they are buzzing, they are so excited, really looking forward to training again and both mentally and physically you are just in such a great place after having a rest.

“You can see by their aura that they are ready to go,” added the 23-year-old, who was also busy with his club up until the first weekend of November before their historic run to a first Dublin senior final ended in defeat to St Vincent’s.

Studying for a post-graduate – a Masters in primary education – with two years still to go at St Patrick’s College, Kilkenny will return to action in Sigerson Cup duty for DCU-St Patrick’s against UCC next Tuesday following his five-week break.

He will pull on a blue shirt again Sunday week when the champions visit Breffni Park in their National League opener. With three clubmates involved in the temporary Dublin panel that have competed in the O’Byrne Cup in the absence of Jim Gavin’s holidaying first squad, Kilkenny has been watching the progress of the capital’s ‘third string’ with interest.

“It’s great for Dublin to have that talent available,” noted Kilkenny, having attended Dublin’s win over a a near full-strength Kildare side in Newbridge last weekend, before using the pre-season competition — and a possible influx of competition for places — as a diversion from a question relating to the county’s bid to retain their major titles this season.

“We have so much talent and there are a lot of lads who were on the panel last year who didn’t come in but they are going to come in this year.

“The big X in our calendar at the moment is Cavan in Breffni Park… That kind of [three-in-a-row] stuff is outside of our control, we can only focus on the Cavan game,” typically guarded, like many of today’s inter-county players.

He was more vocal about speculation that Dublin GAA may soon have a new stadium and centre of excellence on the Spawell site in Templeogue.

“Yeah, it’d be massive to have a spot of our own,” he said. “I suppose hurling and football, just to have our own spot because I know the Dublin hurlers and other teams and ourselves have struggled with pitches [for training] throughout the past so it’d be nice to have our own actual base where we could train in because a lot of other counties have the centre of excellence.”