Former All-Star full-back Paddy Christie has backed his Ballymun Kickhams team-mate Evan Comerford to help settle a Dublin team that has had a mixed 2026 campaign so far.
Christie won three Leinster Senior Football Championship medals with the Dubs in 2002, 2005 and 2006 and from there undertook stellar development work with his club Ballymun Kickhams and DCU at college level.
He was part of the David Power-led Tipperary senior management team that landed a first Munster SFC title for the Premier County in 85 years in November 2020 and also managed the Tipp Under-20s team to a Munster final.
Following his stint in Tipp, he took over the Longford senior team and led them to successive O'Byrne Cup titles.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Leinster final between his native county and Westmeath, Christie admits that Dublin’s form has been mixed – but says Comerford, recalled to the set-up this year, is key to providing stability to the team.
"I know I might have my Ballymun Kickhams hat on but I feel that Evan has a huge role to play on this team," he says.
"So far in the championship it’s been one bad game and one decent game. Dublin had a legend in goal for two decades then he left and the situation with kick-outs has become integral to the inter-county game.
"But that's where Evan can flourish and also in being rock solid and consistent behind that defence where there are new lads.
"Communicating and coming out to control ball that goes in over the top. That’s where Evan can also flourish. I know from my own days going to battle with the likes of Graham Geraghty and knowing that Stephen Cluxton was behind me. That was so reassuring because I knew he would come out and mop up."
Christie says that it has been a tough season to date for the Dubs.
"It’s been a rocky aul road and they have found form last day out against Louth but can they find form on Sunday with Con O’Callaghan not involved? That’s the big question.
"Con is central to everything. They found form the last day without drawing too much on him and the form was better but a lot of that was down to Cormac Costello.
"Before that the game against Wicklow was poor and we were hit and miss.
"Dublin rattled Louth early and, like a boxer getting two or three heavy blows, the bout was over fairly quickly in my book."
"The subs coming in are no longer Paul Mannion. It's not the same now."
Christie says that Ger Brennan’s 12-week suspension was harsh and feels that the current atmosphere around the new rules has changed everything.
"We are in an environment where the GAA are bringing a ball forward 50 metres for dissent and cracking down on discipline in all aspects of the game.
"So, in the current environment any contact on the sideline was going to have severe consequences.
"I would feel that the powers that be knew there was not that much in it, but you can only imagine what would have been said if there was a lighter penalty – especially when people are nearly conceding games with the penalties of giving abuse on pitch."
Ahead of Sunday’s game, Christie feels that Luke Loughlin’s injury is a huge drawback for Westmeath.
But he points out that the Lake County are not playing the Dublin of old.
"The subs coming in are no longer Paul Mannion," he says.
"It’s not the same now. Dublin are favourites in my eyes and capable of winning by four or five points, but Westmeath can go in expecting an upset and there is the possibility of that.
"The likes of Cormac Costello and his leadership and experience will be huge if Dublin are to win."
Watch Dublin v Westmeath in the Leinster Football final (2pm) and Armagh v Monaghan in the Ulster Football final (4.15pm) on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
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