Another quiet off-season for the Dublin hurlers.
Say what you like about Ger Cunningham’s management, it has been eventful. During the 2015 hiatus we had the dust-up with Galway in Fenway Park before a major shake-up of the panel saw All-Star Danny Sutcliffe and goalkeeper Alan Nolan among others leave the set-up.
Twelve months on and once again the Dublin hurlers find themselves in the news after the departure of a good portion of the team that made history by winning the 2013 Leinster championship.
Forward Paul Ryan made the decision to leave, while former full-back Peter Kelly had become frustrated with the direction Dublin were taking under former Cork goalkeeper Cunningham. More, like Johnny McCaffrey, Daire Plunkett and Niall Corcoran have been deemed surplus to requirements.
Ger Cunningham’s squad shake-up ‘not the easy way out’ as more pressure now on remaining players, according to Liam Rushe #GAA pic.twitter.com/tjZXO4NEsk
— SportsJOE GAA (@SportsJOE_GAA) November 15, 2016
The cull means only six of the team that beat All-Ireland champions Kilkenny on their way to winning their first provincial title in 52 years are still involved.
With this turnover 26-year-old All-Star defender Liam Rushe is among the most experienced players on the panel and the St Patrick’s Palmerstown man insists there was no ill-feeling contributing to a disappointing 2016 season.
“I think it could have been a very different year. We started off with three great wins in the league, cemented our status, and had one bad game against Limerick.
“A bad half and an unfortunate sending off and that was your season – it could have gone differently had [Chris] Crummy not been sent off [against Dublin]. I thought that was a poor decision on the referee’s behalf and had that not happened we could have got up a head of steam and gone on a roll through the qualifiers,” said Rushe, speaking at an event organised by Dublin GAA and All Blacks sponsors AIG.
“I wouldn’t say it was a bad experience or a bad year, it is just the nature of sport.”
Dublin’s failure to spark in two years under Cunningham has led to comparisons to their success under his predecessor Anthony Daly, who put together the most successful Dublin hurling team in half a century – winning the 2011 Allianz League as well as that 2013 Leinster title.
“There was a good atmosphere under Dalo. It took a few years to put that together,” said Rushe. “They forget 2009-10 and remember 2011 and ’13. So we had our good times and our bad times back then as well.
“2016 has been a disappointment for us. Maybe that was why Ger was thinking we needed a change – if we regressed from the year previous maybe they thought we needed to shake something up and I suppose they proceeded to do so.”
Bringing in impressive club performers like Canice Maher and Alex Quinn, plus a host of minors such as Donal Burke, Cian O’Sullivan  and Paddy Smyth, Cunningham may struggle to find the right mix and hit the ground running in February.
Liam Rushe says those criticising Ger Cunningham should remember it took time for Anthony Daly to build his Dublin hurling team too #gaa pic.twitter.com/v6ULVkPF0H
— SportsJOE GAA (@SportsJOE_GAA) November 15, 2016
“He didn’t take the easy way out,” said Rushe of Cuningham, who is entering the third and final year of his term. “In terms of experience it puts more emphasis on the few lads who have been around a while, to take up leadership roles and take it up and run with it.
“If nothing else, a couple of lads who have been let go have been injured for a couple of seasons for whatever reason but they certainly brought a wealth of experience and sometimes it can upset a team to lose that. From the get go we are going to look for lads to step forward. The management team know too what they have to provide, with a panel that young they have to provide a lot more direction.”
Citing the examples of the young Clare and Waterford teams that have taken the Championship by storm in recent years, Rushe is confident an influx of fresh blood plus the message it sends out will reinvigorate Dublin.
“We can make an impact. I am frustrated with people telling me [2017] is a write-off already,” he said. “It is not like we have dropped our whole full-forward line. We’re still around, we’re still intact. There are still stronger hurlers there, the Cuala lads will gain from their current experience.
“As regards Ger being cutthroat I suppose, some people appreciate that I suppose. Young lads are probably enthused, thinking they might get their chance,” added Rushe, who is keen to put the latest tale of upheaval behind him as soon as possible.
“If for whatever reason players don’t see eye-to-eye with management or don’t agree with the direction or the style, or don’t think they are getting enough of a chance. It happens, people fall out,” he said.
“If lads want to withdraw that is up to them. We’d love to have everyone gunning to be involved. Unfortunately some lads decided it wasn’t for them for whatever reasons.”
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