Who is the first player that comes to mind when you think of Dublin’s marquee player?
It’s probably Diarmuid Connolly. A couple of years ago it was Bernard Brogan.
They have a lot of them, year after year Dublin get better and better and a new star emerges.
Most people didn’t know Con O’Callaghan a few months ago, the same with Brian Fenton or Niall Scully.
Connolly was on the bench for the All-Ireland final, so too was four-time All-Star winner Paul Flynn. Nobody is undroppable in that team but one man that gives it a good go is Cian O’Sullivan.
For all the hype surrounding Dublin, O’Sullivan seems to quietly go about his business at centre-back. Having started six All-Ireland finals he’s tried and trusted. Three All-stars tell a story in themselves.
These are the four young players that could make a huge impact for Dublin next year https://t.co/zKH8SnVgqw
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No other defender reads the game as well as the Kilmacud Crokes man.
He’s composed both on and off the pitch, when you meet him it’s telling. He seems relaxed and stress-free. Evidently, O’Sullivan is someone that manages himself well with a high-pressure job in PwC as well as the equally high pressured involvement with Dublin:
“It has been great since the final,” O’Sullivan told SportsJOE “You get to share those moments with the guys after all the hard work and sacrifice you put in the whole year, it’s very important to celebrate those moments and we’ve had a great time.”
O’Sullivan carries himself in the same manner that Jim Gavin does, calm and measured. You can tell that in the aftermath to their All-Ireland win that he enjoyed it. He’s not going to gloat but rest assured it has been savoured by the 29-year-old.
And it’s clear that how O’Sullivan speaks of his manager that there is a high level of respect between the two:
“Jim’s success as a manager speaks for itself,” O’Sullivan says “It is no surprise the success he has had at under-21 level and at senior level with this team, he’s an incredible manager
“He probably doesn’t show much emotion to the fans or to the media for people watching games at home but that’s just the way he is, he’s very calm and collective individual and that is how he goes about his business.”
There are always question marks surrounding Jim Gavin. Was dropping the likes of Diarmuid Connolly an ego trip for him? Was it to show how much he has brought Dublin on and how much better they are to everyone else? Absolutely not according to O’Sullivan, it’s all about the team and how they can best find success and you wouldn’t doubt him:
What does benching Diarmuid Connolly say about Jim Gavin? https://t.co/wTJjI3PQHO
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“The key strength and thing I admire most about him is that it’s all about the team, every decision that he makes is for the betterment of the team, he is really passionate about Dublin football and Dublin GAA and he wants Dublin to be in the best position that they can possibly be and that’s the basis for all his decisions and he’s ruthless in ensuring that.”
What was it that Michael Corleone says in The Godfather? It’s not personal it’s strictly business and Jim Gavin goes about his team selection in just that manner.
“When you know that’s what you get from him you can respect that all decisions he makes is not to go after the limelight or boost his ego, it’s not about him at all.
“He’s a top, top manager strategically and tactically and all that stuff he’s very impressive as well so there’s no surprises that he’s brought this team to where they’re at over the last couple of years.”
O’Sullivan noted that all the lads on the Dublin team have ‘bought in’ to what Jim Gavin was trying to achieve. It’s not about the individual but about the team.
So, when O’Sullivan picked up his third All-Star in 2017 he acknowledges how great it is to be recognised for your individual performances but you couldn’t help but feel he was genuine when he says that it is the team first.
“It’s a cherry on top of the cake,” O’Sullivan remarks “It’s about the team whether it’s the league, a division title or whatever you’re setting out at the start of the year that is the most important thing.”
But the five-time All-Ireland winner is not an emotionless robot, the achievement of winning an All-Star still means a lot.
“To get the individual bit of recognition it’s really nice but we’re coming from an environment where it is all about the team and that’s what you are hard wired to really care about but it’s not an individualist sport so these individual accolades, while they’re really nice and flattering it’s the team medals that you really look after.”
“Winning an All-Ireland title was the most important thing for us this year and to do that it doesn’t get any better than that and to share them moments when the final whistle goes with your teammates on the pitch and to go into the dressing room after and the cup and the couple of days after there’s no better place or feeling in the world.”
When you do these sort of interviews, players are often afraid to give their opinions and speak honestly about anything in fear that they’ll make headlines for the wrong sorts of reasons. Not O’Sullivan though.
He’s always adamant in giving credit where it’s due and highlighted Bryan Cullen, former Dublin captain and their strength and conditioning coach, out in particular.
“September is where you want to be playing your best football in September, we’ve a great strength and conditioning coach in Bryan Cullen and obviously a lot of the players would have played with him over the years.
“He went off and did his PhD and worked with Leinster for a couple of years and he’s really up to speed on all the latest developments in strength and conditioning and if you looked at how our guys were performing in the gym and how they were performing on the pitch and even injuries, we didn’t have many bad injuries this year.
“I think it’s a testament to the great work he did with the team going into the final we were probably at our peak levels and I’ve been involved in campaigns where you’ve been involved in your peak fitness coming into the end of the league and there’s only one place to go from that point and that’s down.”
Cian O’Sullivan was speaking to SportsJOE in September at the #AllIrelandSmiles campaign ran by Corsodyl and Sensodyne.
