The Dublin hurlers have been written off by all and sundry ahead of their meeting with Tipp next weekend, but their opponents should be wary of one of their own clad in sky blue: Ryan ‘Rambo’ O’Dwyer.
If the bookies are to be believed, the Dublin hurlers haven’t a snowball’s hope in hell of upsetting the odds and dethroning reigning All-Ireland champions Tipperary on Sunday week.
Odds of around 9/1 are being bandied about for the League Champions to do the business and for the particularly optimistic/blind amongst you, how about a tenner on a Dublin/Waterford double at around 75/1?
It’s unlikely, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Sure, weren’t the bookies spouting similar guff about Mayo before their annihilation of Cork on Sunday?
Anthony Daly’s side are no mugs and in Cashel man Ryan O’Dwyer, not only do they have one of the players of the year so far, but they also have a man with intimate knowledge of what makes hurling tick in the Premier County.
Kamikaze
Having netted a hat-trick against Limerick in the quarters, Ryan is bound to be the subject of some special attention from his former compadres, but that’s unlikely to bother him, if you take on board his recent comments about his somewhat, eh, kamikaze approach to battle.
“Look, to be honest, I’m the type of lad that when I’m on the field I don’t care about myself. I just throw my head in. If I lost my hurley, I’d throw my head in,” said O’Dwyer while simultaneously doing a one-armed press-up and tying a blood-soaked bandana around his forehead.
“If it means stopping them getting the ball up the field or scoring a point, I’d gladly do that for the greater good. I know that might sound a bit ‘ah yeah, he’s talking shite’, but I actually do believe that. Scars heal; bruises heal; bones heal.
“I’ve a history of broken bones and scars. I actually counted them up there the other day with my brother, all the scars I’ve had, and in my body I think I’ve had one hundred stitches. Most of them are this year alone.”
Ouch.
Short-term memory loss in Donegal
It seems that they have short memories in Donegal, meanwhile, after the county board stated that there would be a full round of championship games going ahead this weekend with the blessing of Jim McGuinness.
It is, after all, only a few weeks since a plea by McGuinness to postpone a round of club games in the interests of the county team fell on deaf ears. Subsequently and somewhat inevitably, Leo McLoone ended up in hospital with quite serious facial injuries after a mass brawl between Naomh Chonaill and Glenswilly and the Tír Chonaill men were without a key player for the Ulster Final.
While McGuinness’ stance on the potential side effects of full–blooded championship games on the well-being of his squad has softened, it is rumoured that he has banned press photographers from all club games this weekend, following the vicious attack from a camera-wielding maniac that left him with a bloodied nose after the victory over Kildare at Croke Park.
