Dublin boss Jim Gavin says Rory O’Carroll’s return to very top of the game
after four years has been ‘seamless’.
Saturday’s 26-point win – Dublin’s third largest in 19 provincial games under Gavin – was noteworthy for various reasons.
Cormac Costello’s 1-12 haul stood out in just his third Championship start.
The destroyer of Mayo in 2016 stepped up in the absence of free-taker Dean Rock and will surely hold onto the jersey.
Paul Mannion’s straight red card for a 25th minute collision with Conal McKeever – which Dublin look set to appeal – was significant too, ruling the All-Star forward out of their June 9 semi-final.
But the biggest cheer came in the 47th minute when full-back O’Carroll, who last played for Dublin in the 2015 All-Ireland final, jogged on to replace Jack McCaffrey.
Gavin said: “It’s been a seamless transition for him. It’s a mark of the man that he’s applied himself so well.
“Even last year, down in New Zealand where he was, for him to be training away for his return to Kilmacud Crokes and possibly for a return to the Dublin senior football team just shows his dedication.
“We’ve gone to many battles with Rory, back since his U-21 days so we know each other well.”
Asked if he maintained an open line of communication with O’Carroll while he was away, Gavin nodded.
“Yeah, listen, we keep lines of communication open with all the players,” he said, bringing the conversation neatly onto Diarmuid Connolly who was again notable by his absence.
Asked if the current Championship panel is what Gavin will be moving forward with, and specifically if Connolly could be involved, Gavin kept the door slightly ajar.
He said: “No, it’s not (a closed panel), no, we had league games on Wednesday, we were looking at those, we have more league games tomorrow (Sunday).
“I’d expect to see one or two fellas coming in from clubs who were involved.
“We’ve always had an open door policy and if guys are
playing well and we ask them and they want to commit to the Dublin football team, then we’d be delighted to have them.”
Yet after this explosive performance which came up just short of the 31-point defeat of Westmeath in 2017 and the 27-point drubbing of Longford in 2015, Gavin may feel he’s well served already up front.
Rock – whose absence was explained away by the Ballymun man being ‘just a little bit tight for the week’ – and Bernard Brogan weren’t even on the match-day 26.
Costello was the forward who impressed most, converting 10 frees and a 45 as part of his 1-12 haul, several of which he engineered himself.
He scored the last five of Dublin’s first-half points to leave them 1-12 to 0-4 up at half-time and four more goals arrived after the break.
Louth boss Wayne Kierans said he was taken aback by Dublin’s ferocity throughout.
Kierans said: “It’s not through a lack of effort and that’s what I said to the boys, they kept going but Dublin’s ability to put you under pressure is the bit I
probably underestimated.
“They force mistake after mistake after mistake and then the confidence is really low and more mistakes happen.”
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