by James McMahon - RTESundayGame
After their League triumph, there is a strong belief that Dublin can have a long summer, but Offaly will have a thing or two to say about that as the sides do battle at GAA HQ.
Anthony Daly’s troops were full value for their thumping of Kilkenny on 1 May, and the strength of the squad was fully brought to bear as the Cats were well and truly tamed.
Their path to a Leinster final is a tricky one, with Galway likely to be their next opponents if the Faithful hurdle is overcome. But to use the old cliché, Dublin are only taking ‘one game at a time’ and are not looking beyond Sunday’s test.
Speaking to RTÉ.ie, Conal Keaney, who has now fully committed to the small ball game, said: 'To stay unbeaten in all competitive games is a serious achievement. Things are going well but it is all about the next performance and it can very easily slip away if we don’t progress on Sunday. We’re ready, we trained hard and everyone is playing well.'
'If we perform on the day and don’t let anything get to us like the hype, we’ll be ok. I don't think it will get to us.'
There is no doubting the fluency of the Dublin attack, with Paul Ryan, David O’Callaghan, Conor McCormack and Conal Keaney in excellent form during the league.
Their defence is now characterised by a greater resolve and is superbly marshalled by the likes of Ryan O’Dwyer, Peter Kelly and Niall Corcoran.
Relegation from the top tier of the Allianz Hurling League was a disappointment for Offaly. A crippling injury list didn’t help. However manager Joe Dooley welcomes back the trio of Derek Molly, Joe Bergin and Daniel Currams for the Croke Park encounter, while a debut has been handed to Colin Egan, who will line out at left-half-forward.
Rory Hannify, who was named at No 15, has been forced to withdraw with a broken bone in his hand. His replacement will be named shortly before the throw-in.
There is no denying that Offaly, despite some notable absentees in their line-up, will put it up to their hosts.
However, the Dubs will enter this year’s championship fray knowing that in recent seasons they lost matches to Limerick and Antrim – encounters in which they were well fancied to win.
As a result, Dublin will be on their guard, but yet confident about progression.
Verdict: Dublin
