Darragh Ó Sé: Why Dublin are my All-Ireland favourites this year, even ahead of Kerry via IrishTimesSport
Dublin made a habit of winning All-Irelands back to back, but that was not normal. The rule is it’s very, very difficult to win back to back titles. To do so you generally have to be 25 per cent better than the previous year.
Sometimes, in the past, such decisions have proven to be mistakes. But you could see from the couple of games that McCaffrey has played that he still has that electric pace, and that’s a great asset to any team. He’s a once-in-a-generation player, and to have him back on board is a big, big plus for Dublin.
I can’t overstate what a player like McCaffrey brings to a team. He’s one of the few backs who can turn a game on its head with his pace. He’s that good. So I didn’t see it in any way harmful to bring these two back in. If they’re willing and able, and there for the right reasons, it’s a cracking move.
When Kerry last won back to back, in 2006/07, they had a very strong panel. Look back at some of our subs at the time: Bryan Sheehan, Eoin Brosnan, Darran O’Sullivan, Éamonn Fitzmaurice at times on the bench too, players of that quality; and McCarthy coming back in. It’s nothing conscious, it’s just the natural thing, David won’t be getting the frees as easily as he did last year. Things don’t always bounce the same way as they did before.
David Clifford is certain to be vital if Kerry are to retain their All-Ireland crown in 2023. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho A lot of people are still sceptical about the condensed championship format, the GAA traditional doesn’t like change. Last year you might say there were only a few standout games, the Dublin-Kerry game obviously, the final against Galway was a cracking game as well.
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