Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Blocked toilets, Philly busters and taking Dubs out of their comfort zone
Cluxton With Jack Michael Geaney Fitzsimons, And Tussle Of Diarmuid Kerry Left, Savage, The Stephen Players, Pic: Mcmahon Greene/sportsfile Dublin Close Bat: Ball Philip Paul Off And
ONE of the big lessons that teams took out of last year's football championship is the importance of avoiding the preliminary quarter-final, where possible. Obviously the teams that have already lost thrice will grab that lifeline with both hands. While one year's results isn’t a big enough sample to definitively declare that avoiding the extra match is a must, big picture wise, common sense dictates that a weekend off and avoiding the group winners, rather than three hard weekends in a row, is much more desirable.
It is why, finally, the championship should have that proper knockout feel to it this weekend. There should be an edge to proceedings, an edge conspicuous by its absence so far.
Nowhere should this be more evident than in Dr Hyde Park where Mayo and Dublin will clash on Sunday. Kevin McStay and co have to view this as an incredible opportunity to leave a dent on the all-conquering All-Ireland champions. It should make for a great occasion as the Dubs will travel. Those two games that Kerry played against them in Thurles in 2001 were outstanding occasions with an electric atmosphere that still stand out in my memory.
By my calculations, Dublin have played 64 championship matches across the 10 seasons from 2014 to 2023, with 54 of those in Croke Park. One of the amazing things about that Dublin group was their consistent performances at a high level over such a long period of time. A consistent routine is a significant part of consistency of performance. Dublin have their Croke Park routine absolutely down pat.
However, Mayo now have them in an unfamiliar provincial ground that is two hours from Dublin. Far enough to be a bit too long for a bus journey on match day in an ideal world but short enough that it probably doesn’t justify an overnight.
It may seem like a small thing but Mayo have the opportunity to make it a big one. They are playing in a venue they're extremely familiar with, this being their third championship match at Dr Hyde Park in two months. They have a great record there, much better than at MacHale Park, in fact. Their supporters will travel en masse and match the Dubs for numbers, surely. As a county it is as good a chance as they will ever have to manufacture a ‘Welcome to Hell’ atmosphere for the All-Ireland champions.
AT THE end of the 2016 season, I approached the incoming Kerry chairman Tim Murphy to ask him to fix the upcoming 2017 league game against Dublin in Tralee, on a Saturday evening under lights. Going back as far as 2006 we had been playing the home games against them in Killarney. Tim agreed and that tradition of those Saturday night lights fixtures has continued since. At that stage I was sick of losing to Dublin and we needed to make a stand. We had beaten them in a league game in Killarney in 2015 but had lost to them in the All-Ireland final in 2015 and then the league match, league final and the All-Ireland semi-final in 2016.
While the league will always only be the league we had to stop the rot. They were an exceptional team and we needed to gain any advantage we could. Most of their players would never have played in Austin Stack Park. Rather than a half full Fitzgerald Stadium the place would be packed to the rafters and rocking on a Saturday evening. People would have a few pints beforehand and this might lend itself to a more raucous atmosphere and we were determined to give the home crowd plenty to cheer about.
Remarkably, at that time they were unbeaten for 33 games in league and championship, going all the way back to that league game in Killarney in 2015. That evening in Austin Stack Park they had an opportunity to draw level with the previous 84-year-old record of 34 matches held by the great four-in-a-row post Civil War Kerry team of 1929 to 1932. We didn’t need any more angles but that was another one.
The week of the match I got a phone call from the late and great Vince Linnane, Mr Austin Stack Park, who looked after everything in the Tralee venue. Vince informed me that an immaculately-dressed man had just called into him straight off the Dublin train. He informed Vince that he was here on behalf of the Dublin football team and wanted to have a look around. As Vince gave his brief and, I imagine, gruff tour, this mystery man made sketches of the away dressing room and sideline areas. Evidently he was on a reconnaissance mission. Just one more time it emphasised to me that Dublin under Jim Gavin left absolutely nothing to chance. They weren’t going to land blind to an unfamiliar venue.
Prior to the game we were in the dressing room getting ready for battle when Vince approached me again with a worried expression on his face. He was a perfectionist and always wanted everything just right for the players. He was extremely proud of Austin Stack Park and this was a big night for him.
Before he explained himself he was apologising. “Relax Vince, what’s up?” I asked him. “The Dubs have been out to me. Their toilets are blocked and they are not happy. I’m sorry, everything was working perfectly earlier in the week. They will think we planned it. I’m so sorry.”
I roared with laughter. I told Vince not to worry and if it inconvenienced them any bit so be it. After the match word came through that the showers in the away dressing room were broken as well, with only cold water coming out of them. The Dubs headed off to the hotel where they were having their post-match meal in for their showers. Again, the showers had worked perfectly earlier in the week - I know as the management team would have used that dressing room for training sessions. They must definitely have thought that we were trying to deliberately sabotage them. We weren’t, but the point is they were a long way from the home comforts of Croke Park.
That week everyone in our camp was on a war footing. Colm Fuller our physio at the time and in general a mild-mannered man had a nip at Jim Gavin during the game. Jason Sherlock had a bite back. When we were going in at half-time I was having a quiet word with one of the linesmen about some incident when Philly MacMahon landed on the scene, with gusto. I can safely say it is the only time I ever engaged with an opposition player while managing Kerry. I was never great at the verbals anyway. Philly had a go at me, I had a go back. We were in under the tunnel by the time we finished jawing at each other but we went our separate ways into the dressing rooms.
One little addendum to that yarn is, after the game as I was walking off the pitch I saw Philly approaching out of the corner of my eye. I was ready in case there was a bit of a shemozzle but he stuck out his hand to shake hands and laughed as he said “Great battle, bit of craic at half-time.”
I laughed. I often thought about it afterwards. They were great players and had a fantastic management team but for me a critical ingredient of their success, that was often missed, is that so many of them had big personalities that thrived in adversity. The harder the battle the more they enjoyed it.
Anyway back to the match. I have had a look back at my notes from that week. The detail of the game plan was standard fare for what we were doing at the time. Interestingly, it was the first time we tasked Jack Barry with spoiling Brian Fenton and he did a great job. Game-plan aside, our main focus that week was to challenge for everything, to back ourselves and to play with courage and confidence.
While we didn’t beat them that evening we didn’t lose and that was important. It re-instilled confidence and belief in the players. We just about managed to beat them in Croke Park in the League Final a few weeks later, bringing that unbeaten streak to an end, at last. They had extended it to 36 matches at that stage. I felt that we finally had the formula to beat them.
We never got the chance as we came unstuck in the All-Ireland semi-final against Mayo, after a replay. That Mayo team thrived in chaos and often took Dublin out of their comfort zone as a result. They could match their athleticism and they had a real bite to them. They were physical and aggressive. That real physical edge doesn’t seem to be as much a part of football anymore - unfortunately. If any team can re-introduce it is Mayo.
To do so they will have to sprint to the tackle and make contact again and again and again. That is the only chance they have of knocking the Dubs off their stride. They are playing a more controlled game this year, possibly with this exact opponent in mind, but I’m not convinced it suits them. They can’t sit off them passively. Contact without the ball, clinical accuracy with it.
Can they do it? If any team can, Mayo can. Will they? On the evidence of what I have seen so far this season, from both Mayo and Dublin, I have my doubts but the beauty with Mayo is you just never know.