Dalton front and centre again as Fr O’Neill’s eye All-Ireland

Declan Dalton has become so adept at finding the net that it seems preposterous now to think it was his job to guard it through most of his teens.

He stood between the sticks for Fr O’Neill’s through to U14s, and for half-a-dozen years more with various county sides, before John Meyler took a notion and pencilled him in up front for the Cork U21s in a challenge match.

Weeks later and he had double digits on his back again, this time against Waterford in the Munster U21 Championship.

“I think I was playing alright (outfield) with my club and then I came out for a practise game when we were struggling because of the colleges and Harty stuff.

"I came out of goal for a practise match against Limerick and I played alright.

“John Meyler said, ‘right, I want to see you play outfield’ and that’s where it came from. It came out of nowhere, I wasn’t expecting it.

“John obviously saw something in me that could improve the team and we got over the line that day (against Waterford) with a last-minute goal.”

They did indeed but that version of events neglects a few salient facts. It was his penalty two minutes from time which had dragged Cork over the line.

That and the 12 points he had already claimed from a combination of frees, sidelines, and efforts from play.

His manager was less reticent with the facts that week when speaking to the Irish Examiner’s ‘Paper Talk’ podcast.

Meyler compared Dalton’s dead-ball striking to a forcefully struck two-iron. Oh, and that challenge match against Limerick: He’d claimed seven points that evening.

The payoff, for Dalton and for others, has been immense since his switch from game-keeper to poacher.

He has scored crucial points and goals, both in volume and at critical junctures, for Fr O’Neill’s, Imokilly, and the county U21s.

All three of those sides have won titles of various hues with his help but an All-Ireland remains elusive thanks in the main to Tipperary’s surprise win over what appeared to be a vintage Cork team in the national decider in August of 2018.

Fr O’Neill’s meeting with Tullaroan in the All-Ireland Club Intermediate hurling decider tomorrow offers an imminent opportunity to alter that while Dalton’s sights beyond that will include some sort of role with the county seniors as they make their own bid for the Hogan Stand steps.

Injury interrupted his involvement with Cork last year but Kieran Kingston has already been in contact and it seems a certainty that the 22-year-old will be afforded further opportunities to stake his claim in the inter-county set-up as they seek a first senior All-Ireland since 2005.

Oh it’s going to happen, there’s no doubt about that. There are serious teams in Cork and a serious underage structure in Cork.

“If you have a good underage structure it means the older levels play better: The seniors play better and the intermediates play better.

"All you have to do is keep improving, all you have to do is get lucky one year.

“If you get lucky one year then it can keep rolling. Like, we got to a Munster final three years ago with Cork U21s, lost that, won the Munster and lost the All-Ireland final the year after.

"Cork lost the All-Ireland (U20) final this year then against Tipperary so it’s obviously close. It’s coming.

“Hopefully it will come in the next few years.”