Niall Ó Ceallacháin embracing Leinster final with Galway: Dublin hurling needs big days like this

'We've often said it openly, and don't want to shy away from it, we've had big results on certain weeks and then haven't followed through...'

FOCUSED: Dublin hurling manager Niall Ó Ceallacháin ahead of the Leinster hurling final against Galway. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

It’s obvious that a man so invested in Dublin hurling as Niall Ó Ceallacháin was at the 2013 Leinster final win over Galway. 

“I was there that night too,” he smiles. In Joey Boland, he had a Na Fianna club-mate and friend on the team. 

“As Dublin hurling person, it's the best day that we've had,” the manager says of that first senior provincial hurling title in 52 years.

“We've had two big days, I would say. Over those few years, the 2011 league final. I was sitting in the Hogan Stand that day. I don't remember a huge amount about it, but I remember the point from (Conal) Keaney at the end of the game, just around the middle in front of the Hogan Stand. 

"It felt like it was about 120 yards out. I'm sure it wasn't, but it was a big day.

“(2013) Leinster final. For Dublin hurling people, it was very special. Listen, what we're trying to do is emulate that. 

We look back on those days very fondly, but we haven't had enough of them. The collective, we need to make sure that there's more of them."

Galway were the final opposition 13 years ago as they are now and there is no question the county has had an influence on Dublin in the form of previous managers, Mattie Kenny and Galway’s current leader Micheál Donoghue.

But in surrounding himself with a true blue group in former Dublin hurler David Curtin (Ballyboden St Enda’s), Donal McGovern (Kilmacud Crokes) and his own clubman Nigel O’Hara, Ó Ceallacháin has men whose knowledge of the game in the capital is strong. That has manifested itself in the variety of players they've brought in.

“One thing we do certainly have is an understanding of club hurling in Dublin and who's there. So, we certainly would have cast that net wide enough as regards what we felt was needed.

“To be fair, that's been a mixture of young lads who've been around for a good while, even been on the panel for a good while, but maybe haven't figured it out strongly for whatever reason.” 

Ó Ceallacháin’s Dublin are an ambitious crew so the suggestion that they may have been simply happy to have qualified for the All-Ireland series didn’t wash with him.

“We wanted to be in a Leinster final, so that thought was never in our minds. And the case where if we beat Kilkenny and they are out of Leinster championship, that's kind of irrelevant for us. We were focused on winning the game because we wanted to win the game and be in a Leinster final.

“So, the only other thing I'd say is to beat Kilkenny (at home in championship), it's not something that we're accustomed to since World War II (1941), whatever it is. And since 2013, in our dressing room, there's only one man (Liam Rushe) who's actually beat them in championship, so that was probably a thing. 

Dublin veteran Liam Rushe. Picture: Brian Lawless/SPORTSFILE

"But it wasn't something that we wanted to put right. Honestly, we didn't speak on it once.”

Parnell Park was full to the brim to watch that famous win last Sunday week and as a fan, Ó Ceallacháin would have soaked it all in. He can’t now. 

“It's different when you're a manager. You don't really enjoy those days.” 

Dublin manager Niall Ó Ceallacháin celebrates with Conor Donohoe after beating Kilkenny. Picture: Daire Brennan/Sportsfile

But he gleaned plenty from Dublin backing up the win over Galway. Something they haven’t done in recent times. 

“We've often said it openly, and don't want to shy away from it, that over multiple years we've had big results on certain weeks and then haven't followed through. And some of those results have played into that expectation for the following week, and we haven't followed through.” 

An example of that would be last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final shock against Limerick followed up by a 20-point dusting by Cork. 

“I take a lot of responsibility for that, how we set up, etc,” says Ó Ceallacháin.

OUTSIDE NOISE

Perhaps it’s with results like that in mind that the bookmakers have Galway favourites. Ó Ceallacháin doesn’t mind. 

“We're well used to it, is what I'd say. Obviously, it's external, it's not relevant for us, we're focused on ourselves, but we're well used to being underdogs for games.

“Listen, they're rightly favourites too, (Division) 1A there, big year they've had so far. They've obviously made changes to how they've set up, and a lot of new personnel have given them a great lease of life and energy as well.”