Pure championship.
At the beginning of the championship Laois probably figured they might be in an All-Ireland qualifier the same weekend as the Leinster final.
Dublin, however, would have been confident that with a new manager and a new impetus that they might be heading out for the parade on July 5th in Croke Park.
Instead after being spanked by Galway in the Leinster replay, they face a team that were also humiliated by the Tribesmen, looking to salvage something from a season that has collapsed alarmingly in the space of a month.
Laois’ season has already had a summer highlight with their win over Offaly, while for Dublin their loss of form since the draw with Galway in Croke Park means Saturday night’s game in Portlaoise has taken on the significance of a final for both players, and management.
Here are five areas that Ger Cunningham and his charges will need to sharpen up in if they are to have any hope of making an impression in the back-door.
Tighten up
Obvious yes but not so obvious that in the space of ten first-half minutes against Galway every tactical plan they could have hoped for fell apart as they leaked goals to hat-trick hero Cathal Mannion.
The return of Peter Kelly at full back, and a fit again Paul Schutte should help ease the pressure on the defence, but Ger Cunningham would do well to look to his predecessor Anthony Daly in how to protect a defence.
The Clare man often played with a sweeper to protect the rearguard, especially if his team lacked confidence and using Liam Rushe closer to his own goal rather than the opposition’s may be just one of the switches that the Cork native will be looking to implement.
Bringing an extra man back isn’t going to solve all Dublin’s problems, but being conservative in the opening minutes while Dublin build up a head of steam may be the right approach.
Prove the critics wrong
The nagging sense in the Dublin camp in the days after the heavy loss to Galway must have been how close they came to winning on day one. An accurate free and perhaps some more composure and they could have been facing Laois in a provincial semi final rather than this weekend in a qualifier.
Instead they got beaten up by a Galway side who sensed a weakness in the Dublin rearguard and bullied the capital’s hurlers and stole their lunch money.
Dublin have had an almost entire month to get things someway back to normal, and the gap may have worked to bring the team together, or perhaps players would have preferred to get the result out of their system straight away and get back to playing.
Only Ger Cunningham can know the mood of his players, but any top side who are shocked usually come back in their next game and lay down a marker early to show that every side can have a bad day.
But good teams never have two bad performances in-a-row.
Penalties
If the 2015 season does end in failure then many fans will probably point to the new ‘Anthony Nash’ rule for scuppering the season.
David Treacy tried to be too clever when aiming for the top corner when taking the 20-metre free one-on-one in the replayed game against Galway, while the second penalty attempt was well saved by Colm Callanan from Paul Ryan.
If Dublin did anything at all in training the last month then you can be sure as a former goalkeeper Cunningham had them practicing penalties.
Granted Galway were so powerful that even if Treacy or Ryan had scored it may not have made any difference, however, to a drowning man any piece of flotsam is worth more than flailing about in the ocean.
Don’t underestimate Laois
This may not so much be for the players but for supporters.
Granted Galway chewed up and spat out Cheddar Plunkett’s side with relative ease a fortnight ago, but that fact that Laois have played more recently than Dublin should be a slight advantage.
They are unlikely to be as open as they were in Tullamore either as their defensive efforts crumbled after 25 minutes. against a Galway side playing with a gale-force wind.
Dublin don’t have a forward in the same class of Joe Canning and that may give the midlanders hope that if they do cut out ball to Schutte and Dots y O’Callaghan as well as limiting David Treacy from placed balls they have a chance.
Get rough
Dublin can respect Laois all they want but we’d like to see a bit of what Paidi O Se called the ‘bit of fu**in’ devilment’ brought into their play.
Choirboys don’t win All-Ireland medals. Just ask Brian Cody
Galway showed that edge to their game in Tullamore and although they did cross the line at times, the physical appetite that they brought appeared to be an incredible shock to Dublin who had no response.
Aggression is a vital part of hurling and everyone loves free flowing matches but championships are won in the trenches.
Maybe it’s time for Dublin to get some mud and blood among the blue.
We’re not advocating total filth and wild pulling all over the place, but Dublin may have an image problem of being a a side that you can push around.
Saturday might be the time to address that.
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