Dublin vs. Longford - Croke Park, May 31st. Live on Off The Ball this Sunday from 4pm with our commentary team of Dave McIntyre and James Horan.
There’s light when you look to Longford’s youth
It’s been a transitional period in the senior ranks fused with progression at underage level in Longford over the past few years.
The two seem to be finally meeting this campaign. Against Offaly Jack Sheedy handed Championship debuts to eight.
5 debutants on the @OfficialLDGAA starting team and 3 as subs this evening! Can't beat fresh young blood coming into a team!
— Michael Quinn (@michaelq14) May 16, 2015
Time enough too, Longford have had some really talented underage teams in recent years. In 2010 their minors became just the second Longford team to win the Leinster Minor Championship since 1938. In 2013, many of the same players formed part of the Longford U21 team that shocked a star-studded Dublin outfit that included Ciaran Kilkenny, Paul Mannion, Shane Carthy, Emmet O'Conghaile. This year their U21s ran Dublin close once more, losing eventually as Dublin kicked the final six scores of the game.
The Debutants
Paddy Collum - Goalkeeper, understudy to Damien Sheridan for the past number of campaigns, Collum was the goalkeeper on the U21 side that shocked Dublin in 2013. Kept a clean sheet against Offaly, as he has done in five of his eleven appearances in 2015.
Cian Farrelly - Another from the Emmet Óg Killoe conveyor belt, Farrelly started corner-back against Offaly, a star in each of the 2013, 2014 and 2015 U21 sides.
Ronan McEntire - McEntire has been appeared in every game for Longford this year, he kicked 0-01 from wing-forward against Offaly.
Barry McKeon - corner-forward who starred on Longford’s 2014 U21 side. He kicked two points against Offaly from corner-forward, and overall in 2015 he’s hit 0-08 in five games.
Rory Connor - Part of DCU’s 2015 Sigerson win, Connor is very highly regarded. Started corner-forward against Offaly, a minor in 2012 and key player on this year’s U21s.
Dessie Reynolds - Reynolds kicked two crucial late points, introduced for his debut just before half-time. He scored a goal off the bench against Carlow in round 7 of the league too.
Ross McNerney - Another corner-forward, of slight-build with bundles of skill, also a sub last time out, like Reynolds he came off the bench to kick two points against Offaly.
Liam Connerton - The forward appeared late on from the bench against Offaly, still U21, he did serious damage against the Dublin defence back in March as he scored 2-01 in the Leinster semi-final defeat.
Where will Longford’s scores come from?
Longford's Paul Barden celebrates scoring a goal ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan
Crucially Longford are missing two of their most important forwards of recent years this Sunday. The brilliant Paul Barden retired in the winter, while sharpshooter Sean McCormack withdrew from the squad in spring for personal reasons.
Over the past five Championship campaigns the experienced duo have been responsible for 47% of Longford’s scores.
Reliance on McCormack and Barden since 2010
2014 - 43% of Longford’s scores - McCormack scored 0-17, Barden scored 1-08
2013 - 54% of Longford’s scores - McCormack scored 0-23, Barden scored 0-05
2012 - 59% of Longford’s scores - McCormack scored 0-17, Barden scored 1-07
2011 - 61% of Longford’s scores - McCormack scored 0-21, Barden scored 1-04
2010 - 47% of Longford’s scores - McCormack scored 0-02, Barden scored 0-02
Against Offaly, Brian Kavanagh kicked 0-05, curling a beauty over from the left-corner forward position in the closing stages. Sheedy’s use of the bench was also crucial in their revival, 0-05 came from Longford’s subs.
Some of The 2015 additions to the Dublin XV
Gavin has handed pivotal roles to players who had been on the fringes in recent years, with the likes of Dean Rock and Tomas Brady becoming leaders this spring.
Dean Rock ©INPHO/Donall Farmer
Dean Rock is 25 now. Full of talent and forever on the periphery of this Dublin side, that has not been the case in the first six months of the year. Will 2015 finally be his year?
Since the beginning of January he’s started every one of Dublin’s fourteen games and scored 1-90, 46% of their scores so far in 2015.
He’s operated mostly in and around the ‘D’, intelligent and athletic, he’s played as a target up front and also began to add more scores from play this year, 1-21 of his total. His only start in the 2014 Championship was the Leinster semi-final against Wexford.
Tomas Brady is another man who will have a much larger influence on Dublin’s Championship fortunes this year. Suffering from the hangover of his 2013 cruciate injury, Brady made just one substitute appearance in last year’s Championship. He’s now injury-free, and like Rock has played in each of Dublin’s 14 competitive games since January.
Defensively, Dublin are expected to add a few extra bows to their game this year. Brady with his work-rate, size and ability to force turnovers can add to that. He impressed against a lifeless Cork in the league final, and overall has kicked 0-15 from play in 2015.
Jim Gavin has also used the early months of the years to bed plenty of new blood into his first fifteen, in terms of youth it’s been John Small and Brian Fenton.
Raheny club man and midfielder Brian Fenton was part of the 2014 U21 panel, and he really grew in confidence throughout the league; playing in seven of Dublin’s nine games, he had to wait until Monaghan in Round 7 to get his first start, but he took his chance, scoring a quite brilliant 1-01 and went on to start the semi-final and final too. He’s jumped ahead of the likes of Emmet O’Conghaile and Shane Carthy and will be pushing hard for inclusion throughout the summer.
22 year-old John Small of Ballymun Kickhams has staked a claim for the centre-back position in Dublin. He captained the Dublin minors in 2011 to a Leinster success, played his role in Kickhams run to the All-Ireland club final and was actually involved in the Dublin panel in the early stages of 2012, Jim Gavin’s first year.
Dublin’s 2015
Pretty much in spite of themselves, Dublin won the 2015 National Football League - their third in-a-row. They won just one of their opening four games, at home to a Donegal side that had plenty of chances to beat them. The likes of John Small, Brian Fenton, Emmet O’Conghaile, Shane Carthy, David Byrne, Eric Lowndes and the returning Ciaran Kilkenny all got significant game-time. The likes of Diarmuid Connolly, Paul Flynn, Michael Dara McCauley and Bernard Brogan were all eased back in by Gavin.
NFL Division 1 winners - form: L-W-L-D-W-W-W-W-W
O’Byrne cup winners - form: W-W-W-W-W
Dublin have used 48 players in 2015
Five players played in every league game; Dean Rock, Jack McCaffrey, Jonny Cooper, Kevin McManamon, Tomás Brady.
In all, Jim Gavin has used 67 different players since January 2014.
Dublin top-scorers in 2015
Dean Rock 1-90 (65fs, 4 ‘45’s), Tomas Brady 0-15, Kevin McManamon 1-12 (1-00p)
Dublin have had 24 different scorers in their 14 games.
Longford’s 2015
Promoted from Division 4 following successive relegations in 2013 and 2014, the one slight on their league this year was the heavy defeat to Offaly in Croke Park in the final. Jack Sheedy’s men corrected that result where it mattered when they met weeks later in the first round of the Leinster Championship.
It’s hard to read much into the wins over Antrim, Carlow, London, Waterford and Wicklow. Overall it’s been a campaign where Sheedy has been able to blood emerging talent.
NFL Division 4 - Promoted - Form: D-W W-W-W-W-W-L
O’Byrne Cup Group Stage - Form: L-L-L
2015 Championship - Leinster first-round: Longford 0-16 0-13 Offaly
Longford have used 35 players in 2015
6 players played in every League game: Barry Gilleran, Barry O’Farrell, Francis McGee, Padraig Gill, Paul McKeon and Ronan McEntire
In all, Jack Sheedy has used 50 different players for Longford since January 2014.
Longford’s top-scorers in 2015
Brian Kavanagh 0-38 (22fs), Francis McGee 2-26 (5fs), Paul McKeon 1-22 (13fs)
Longford have had 20 different scorers in their 11 games.
Recent Championship History
We all know what happened the last time these two met
2006 Leinster Quarter-final - Dublin 1-12 0-13 Longford - Pearse Park, Longford
2005 Leinster First round - Dublin 2-23 0-10 Longford, Croke Park, Dublin
2004 Qualifier Round 3 - Dublin 1-17 0-11 Longford - O’Moore Park, Portlaoise
2001 Leinster Quarter-final - Dublin 2-19 1-13 Longford, Croke Park, Dublin
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