Oisín McConville: Dubs could score anything but will give Wicklow a chance too

Wicklow Manager Oisín McConville. Pic: ©INPHO/Grace Halton

Wicklow manager Oisín McConville has conceded that 'the score could be anything' if they're not fully tuned in for Dublin this weekend.

But the Armagh great has also dared his players to dream of a Championship upset, noting that Dublin aren't as strong as they once were and will 'offer us up opportunities' too.

Dublin will travel south to fulfil the exact same Leinster SFC quarter-final fixture in Aughrim as they did last year, when they won by nine points.

Wicklow were just five back at the hour mark that day and rued missed opportunities with McConville saying they 'walked away from a lot of chances' that they later regretted.

Dublin are coming off relegation this time and it's unclear who will manage them with boss Ger Brennan currently battling a 12-week suspension after an altercation in their last League game with Galway.

"I think it's mouthwatering because I think of the occasion and I think of how much the players will get out of it," said McConville of Sunday's challenge. "But we have to turn up ready. We have to turn up ready to be in a fight. If we don't do that, then the score could be anything.

"We need to build on last year. The one thing I said to the boys last year was, Dublin are going to score heavily against us - but they're also going to offer us up opportunities and I think that's the difference between the Dublin now and the Dublin of the past. They will offer us up some opportunities."

Dublin have named a 39-man Championship panel ahead of the game with Lorcan O'Dell, who started four Championship games last year and three League ties more recently, not included.

There's no Conor Tyrrell either who made three League appearances including a start against Mayo, or Joe Quigley who netted against Monaghan at Croke Park.

Theo Clancy and Lee Gannon are included despite missing the entire League with injuries while Josh Bannon, Tim Deering, Cian Dunne, Seán Guiden, Eoin Kennedy, Jack Lundy, James McCormack, Eoghan O'Callaghan, Niall O'Callaghan, Fiachra Potts, Liam Smith and Páidí White have never played in the Championship for Dublin.

But the 2023 All-Ireland champions still have generational performers at their disposal and McConville reckons they'll have a chip on their shoulders too.

"I think they are coming in a different frame of mind this time, I think they're coming angry," he said. "I think they'll feel as if a lot of things have gone against them in the last couple of weeks, obviously the Ger situation and the fact that people are writing them off, the relegation from Division 1.

"They'll feel they were probably unlucky to have been relegated so I think we'll be facing a different sort of Dublin coming down to Aughrim."

Asked where he places Dublin in the broader, national scheme of things, the 2002 All-Ireland winner said they're still a formidable force.

"They're probably in that second tier, aren't they?" he replied. "I think Kerry and Donegal, they're probably up there. But then I watched the Armagh game (against Dublin) and it was a game that Dublin would probably have walked away from and said they could have won it. But yeah, they're probably in that second tier."

Wicklow will be without Tailteann Cup All-Star defender Malachy Stone after breaking a bone in his hand last Tuesday week at training. Attacker Kevin Quinn got injured in the same session and is a doubt. There's no JP Nolan or Darragh Fee either but Wicklow have home advantage again and that's a big boost.

They've only lost in Aughrim once, last year's defeat by Dublin, in their last 10 League and Championship games at the venue.