Dublin’s 52-year wait ends under Dalo’s leadership

CLARECASTLE GAA Club members and supporters were in celebratory mood on Sunday night and it wasn’t all down to the club’s success in the Division 3 hurling league final earlier that evening.

Indeed, on the way into that game, the big talking point was Dublin’s victory over Galway in the Leinster senior final a short time earlier.

Anthony Daly’s position as Dublin manager has ensured that Clare hurling fans keep a close eye on the progress of the capital’s team. The Clare interest in Dublin’s progress increased this year when Clare’s All-Ireland winning captain from 1995 and 1997 asked former teammate Tony Griffin from nearby Ballyea to join the set-up.

Now in his fifth season as Dublin boss, Daly steered the new Leinster champions to national league honours in 2011 and hopes of championship glory quickly increased after that success.

Things didn’t go too well for them in 2012 and they were relegated from Division 1 of the league. For a while after they were eliminated from the championship last summer, there was a view that the Clareman might not seek another term.

In the autumn, his re-appointment was confirmed and he immediately set about winning back Division 1 league status, which was achieved.

A disappointing league semi-final loss to Tipperary followed and when they struggled to a somewhat lucky draw with Wexford in the opening round of the Leinster Championship, few would have backed them to end a 52-year wait for the Leinster title just a few weeks later.

They showed improved form in the replay and since then, they have got better with each outing, producing superb hurling to beat Kilkenny and then the title holders, Galway, to win the Bob O’Keeffe Cup for the first time since 1961.

Daly was entitled to the praise he received from all and sundry following Sunday’s win. He was entitled to a broad smile as he watched success-starved Dublin hurling followers celebrate during and after the presentation ceremony.

He isn’t the only one smiling this week. GAA authorities must be pleased also, as Dublin’s progress to the All-Ireland semi-final is sure to boost attendances big time.

Daly’s successes with Dublin will strengthen the view that, sometime in the future, he will be prevailed upon to return as Clare manager. He succeeded Cyril Lyons as Clare manager back in 2004 and held the post until Clare’s exit from the championship in 2006.

Subsequently, he managed Kilmoyley to Kerry championship success, before agreeing to take on the Dublin role.

When he agreed to return for this season, he made some changes to the Dublin backroom team, one of which was to introduce Ballyea man Griffin.

Speaking to The Clare Champion this week, the 2005 All-star explained “Anthony approached me last September and asked me to be a selector. I just hadn’t got the time with work creating an organisation working with teenagers. I agreed to take on a role working with a group of the players and I said that to get to know them, I needed to train with them.

“As I got to know them, my role became more defined. I work with the players on a one-to-one basis in areas of self-confidence, on and off the field. We target who is not fulfilling their potential and work on how to get them to do that.

“With my organisation SOAR [founded by Griffin and his friend, Dubliner Karl Swan after he saw a docunentary about the late Jim Stynes, a Dublin and Australian rules footballer] much of the work we do is about getting lads to deal with fear. I apply the same technique; play with freedom as there is nothing to fear,” Tony said.

“I saw the documentary about Jim. I studied his work and went and met him and promised to bring it back to Ireland. We do a lot of work with sixth classes in national schools and TUI students. The first sixth class we dealt with was at Ballyea National School and the first TUIs we met were at St Anne’s Secondary School in Killaloe.”

Paying tribute to Daly, Griffin who was a member of the Clare team managed by Daly, said he “is really amazed how he has grown as a manager”.

“He is more methodical now. He has learned a lot.”

As for Dublin’s win on Sunday he said, “it is brilliant for the guys to achieve some of their potential”.

Resident in Dublin for the past two years, Griffin said, “It’s lovely to see the young players coming through”.