In today’s Hospital Pass, the Dublin hurlers are making no excuses (even though they could make loads of excuses), and is it the beginning of the end for a great Tyrone team?
The Dublin hurlers could be forgiven for getting their excuses in early ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final against holders and red-hot favourites Tipperary.
But they’re adamant that they won’t be making any. Even though if any side could get away with making excuses, it’s the Dublin hurling team of 2011.
They’ve won the National League for the first time since 1946. They’ve reached the All-Ireland semi-finals for the first time since ’48. Kilkenny have beaten them just once in four competitive meetings in 2011.
And Dublin have done all that against a backdrop of injuries to key players which would have tested counties with a far stronger recent tradition.
Conal Keaney, Stephen Hiney, Tomas Brady, Conor McCormack and Joey Boland have all missed quite a bit of action this year. Hiney and Keaney, big-game players at either end of the field, will play no part in the rest of the year.
But Brady says they’ll have no excuses. “There could be a temptation there if you suffer injuries to make excuses. But we made a vow at the start of the year that we’d make no excuses.
“Stephen Hiney’s injury, mine, Joey Boland had his and no one has made any excuses. It’s worked well for us and anyone who has come in has done exceptionally well. Even lads who have lost form and gone out of the team have worked twice as hard and got back in. It can be an excuse if you let it in. But I don’t think this team will [do that].”
Red Hands wave bye-bye
The Tyrone manager, Mickey Harte, has already committed himself to the county team for 2012 – but it seems that a few of his troops won’t be heading back into the trenches with him.
Philip Jordan, an All Star winner on four occasions in the past eight years, has already retired once this year and he admits he’ll be thinking about bowing out again following their Championship exit at the hands of Dublin last weekend.
And you feel it’s not just because losing to Dublin is so bitterly disappointing. It seems several of the Tyrone team, who have been more worn old pink glove than fearsome Red Hand this year, will be on the way out, with Owen Mulligan – who like Jordan was also lured out of retirement once this year – Brian Dooher, Stephen O’Neill, Conor Gormley and Kevin Hughes also considering calling it a day.
And if they’re not, they probably should be.
Jordan told the Belfast Telegraph, “A right few of us have a few decisions to make, but we’ll sit down over the winter. We’re going to have along break now, county football is not back until January.
“We’ll take our time, get the club season finished, and we’ll all review our situation. But I’m sure there’s going to be a few changes.
“I won’t be on my own [thinking of retirement]. There’ll maybe be six or seven of us, but we’ll take our time over that. There’s no point in rushing into decisions like that. We’ll see where it takes us in January.”
