Dubs For Clones!

Monaghan host Dublin this Sunday in Clones in the National Football League and will be hoping to kickstart their climb up the Division 1 table, writes KEVIN CARNEY
The Dublin senior football think-tank is hoping that a repeat of the tally of scores garnered by the Dubs against Kerry in the last round of the NFL will be sufficient to overcome Monaghan in Clones this Sunday.
The Metropolitans notched 3-10 in the win over the Kingdom at Croke Park – a result which maintained their 100% record in division one of this year’s league.
Dubs’ selector Paddy O’Donoghue says another 19 point tally at St. Tighernach’s Park would be extremely welcome:
“You’d have to say that if someone asked you would you take a repeat score this Sunday, you’d have to say yes ’cause 3-10 would win most matches, especially in the league.
“I’d prefer if we were posting 19 points though in these matches. That would indicate that we had more of the possession and more of our lads were getting in on the scores. “But if a team manages to score 16 or more points in a match, things shouldn’t be happening behind (in defence) which results in the team losing the game.”
The Kilmacud Crokes clubman is a disciple of the adage that ‘hunger is the best sauce of all’ and he believes that the team who wants the points enough will triumph this weekend.
He rubbishes the notion that the Pat Gilroy-managed crew might approach the game in Clones in a complacent, nonchalant fashion. “There’s no way our lads will not be up for the game because we’re only a couple of bad displays away from heading southwards in the league.
“Not being motivated is not something we would accept for a start from the players but we’re satisfied that they know themselves that there’s a lot to play for this weekend.
“Division one is so tight this year that you can’t say that even eight points would leave you safe because every team is capable of beating each other.
“We’re unbeaten so far but I can’t see any team in the division going through the season without dropping any points. I just hope we get both (points) on Sunday.”
O’Donoghue is quick to acknowledge that Monaghan’s football stock has soared over the last handful of years to the extent that football’s traditional flagship operators like Dublin are uber-cautious about supping wine from the same glass as the border county.
“We know Monaghan well having played them a few times over the last few years in the league and we’ve had a couple of challenge matches against them too with our development squads locking horns.
“We played them in Carrickmacross and in Inniskeen and last year in Parnell Park and they were all tough matches to varying degrees.
“Monaghan have beaten us on and off in our recent meetings so there’s no way we would be taking anything for granted anyway.”
Any suggestion that Dublin or any other team have scant regard for their league innings this year is given short shrift by Kilmacud Crokes clubman O’Donoghue.
Instead, he is wont to talk up the value of the much-maligned national football league.
“Every single manager wants to win the league; let no one tell you otherwise.
“The reality is that we have learned from last year about just how important it is to get a few wins under your belt early in the season.
“The temptation is there to maybe underestimate the importance of the league but laying a good foundation for the championship is what the league allows you to do.”
Interestingly, O’Donoghue believes the capital county’s results “have been better than the performances” and he gives his charges just six out of ten for their 2011 innings to date.
Full report in The Northern Standard