Dubs' heavy-hitters 'on different schedule' as Dessie Farrell sees second string take care of business

The All-Ireland champions had too much for Offaly on Saturday.

BACK AT IT: Dublin’s manager Dessie Farrell and Peter Duffy. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie

O’Byrne Cup quarter-final: Dublin 0-11 Offaly 0-10 

Dublin will be without several of their most experienced players for the early stages of the National Football League.

Boss Dessie Farrell confirmed after Saturday’s Dioralyte O’Byrne Cup quarter-final win with a second string panel of fringe and ex-U-20 players that his ‘core squad’ are ‘on a different schedule, a different agenda’.

For the most senior players within last year’s All-Ireland winning group, Farrell said ‘we wouldn’t be using them in the early games in the league anyway because there’s a lot of mileage on the clock’.

The Dubs boss didn’t offer specifics but would appear to be keen to phase players like Stephen Cluxton, Michael Fitzsimons, Dean Rock and James McCarthy back into competitive action – if they’re willing to go again.

As things stand, all of those players are still involved though they won’t be pressed for a definitive answer for another number of weeks.

What’s certain is that Dublin will be without eight-time All-Ireland winning defender David Byrne having taken the year out to travel. Ryan Basquel, two years Byrne’s elder at 31, has retired completely from inter-county action.

Basquel, brother of All-Star forward Colm, made it into the matchday squad for July’s All-Ireland final defeat of Kerry as a replacement for the injured Sean Bugler.

Farrell said the Byrne departure was ‘on the cards for a while’ and paid tribute to the impact of Basquel who last featured as a sub against Meath in last year’s league.

“Ryan had been struggling with injuries for the previous couple of months so it was great to see him rewarded with a panel spot (for the All-Ireland final) because he thoroughly deserved it, the type of character and the individual he is,” said Farrell. “He was really important to the group and that group dynamic and pushing on the second team in the training sessions, showing great leadership, that sort of thing. We wish him the very best of course so he’ll definitely be a loss to us.” 

Dublin brought 23 players to the Gracefield club grounds in Portarlington on Saturday and used all of them as they came from four points down at half-time to prevail - securing a home semi-final clash with Wexford next Saturday.

Offaly led by 0-7 to 0-2 early in the second-half but the impact of subs like Killian McGinnis, Ben Millist and Shane O’Leary, who contributed 0-4 between them, helped them to turn it around.

O’Leary struck what proved to be the winning point late on while Brian O’Leary, one of the few in the group with Championship experience from 2022, top scored with 0-4.

“A lot of these are first time out,” said Farrell of the group. “Even though it’s only O’Byrne Cup and for the seasoned campaigners, or for the coaches and managers, it’s sort of… we’re fulfilling fixtures in some ways but for them it’s a big day out and you could see that they were nervy and spilling the ball and being turned over a lot and not really getting into the flow so at half-time we said there was nothing to lose, just go at it and see where it takes us.” 

Dublin scorers: B O’Leary (0-4, 2 frees); C Dunne (1 free), K McGinnis (1 free) (0-2 each); B Millist, E Dunne, S O’Leary (0-1 each).

Offaly scorers: C Farrell (0-4, 3 frees); D Hyland (0-3, 1 free); N Dunne, R McNamee, K McDermott (0-1 each).

Dublin: D O’Hanlon; L Smith, L Howley, E O’Dea; R Shaw, A Gavin, R Dwyer; E Dunne, P Duffy; C Dolan, B O’Leary, K Lahiff; C Dunne, L Swan, S Lowry.

Subs: E Comerford for O’Hanlon, S Forker for Swan, K McGinnis for Dolan, B Millist for Dwyer (all h/t); E Wilde for Dunne (48); E O’Connor Flanagan for Shaw (49); K Murphy for Howley, S O’Leary for Lowry (68).

Offaly: I Duffy; A Bolger, D Hogan, L Pearson; R Egan, D Dempsey, J Furlong; J McEvoy, C Donoghue; D Hyland, C Egan, K McDermott; R McNamee, C Farrell, N Dunne.

Subs: J Quinn for McEvoy, N Poland for Hyland, C Flynn for Dunne (all h/t); A Sullivan for C Egan (43); E Carroll for Donoghue (50); D McDaid for Pearson (55); D Finneran for Hogan (57); J Bryant for McDermott (63).

Ref: E Kelly (Westmeath)