A Dublin win over Donegal will not bring redemption - but it will help

The last thing Paul Flynn describes it is some sort of All-Ireland semi-final rematch, especially given he’ll play no part himself. That’s not saying Dublin haven’t a bone to pick with Donegal in Croke Park on Saturday evening.

Because the impact of Donegal ending their All-Ireland defence last August is not easily forgotten – so much so that Flynn still compares it to “a bereavement”.

Like most people, not just in Dublin, Flynn didn’t see that defeat coming, and while an Allianz League victory might help lift the mood in early February true redemption awaits.

“In many ways, and it’s horrible to say, losing that game was like a bereavement,” says Flynn. “If there is a bereavement in the family the people you want to be around are your family.

“In a case like that the only people you want to be around are your teammates because they are the only people who really know how you feel. So the days afterwards it’s always good just to meet up with the guys, and reflect on, it or not reflect on it, whatever it may be.”

Groin injury

Flynn was actually carrying a groin injury into that Donegal game, and while he reckons it did not impact on his performance it did require an operation, the four-time All Star forward going under the knife of surgeon Gerry McEntee on the first week in January.

The problem was Gilmore’s groin, still inaccurately referred to as the sportsman’s hernia (it has nothing to do with a hernia). Flynn missed Dublin’s opening round defeat to Cork on Sunday, and expects to be in rehab until the middle of March.

“It was a fairly straightforward procedure, and, as of yesterday I’m back running, so it’s going well. It’s one of those injuries that you can play on, if you warm it up, but for the Monaghan and Donegal games last summer I got painkilling injections, and for the club championship as well, which was a bit outrageous.

“I went to see a few specialists after that, tried rehab programmes first, for six weeks before Christmas. But it wasn’t getting much better.

“ So in I went to Gerry McEntee and got the job done. It does result from high volumes of training, so it could be down to the amount we’re doing.”

Indeed defender James McCarthy is also returning from similar groin surgery, while Cian O’Sullivan is also coming back from a hip operation which he also puts down to wear and tear.

What is certain is that Dublin won’t be close to full strength until well into March, when Flynn himself hopes to resume playing duty.

“I’d say I’ll be back mid-March. It’d be nice to get back for the first game after the break (against Kerry on March 1st), but if there are no setbacks mid-March is the target.”

Meanwhile, while picking over the bones of that semi-final defeat to Donegal last August, Flynn accepts that Dublin were possibly lured into a false sense of security early on, and once Donegal hit them with a third gaol (winning 3-14 to 0-17) there was no way back. Indeed Flynn got off to a flying start, hitting four long-range points.

“Yeah, and Diarmuid Connolly got a few as well. So you are thinking ‘this is going great.’ But realistically it wasn’t going well, if we had to be kicking from out there, and weren’t creating the opportunities in the big scoring zones from 20 or 30 yards out. It was kind of low-percentage scores we were getting.

Third goal

“When their third goal went in I knew it had turned. Or when Kevin McManamon had a goal chance and it ricocheted out. If that went in it could have been different. In the past if things were going well for us, they were going in, so.”

Flynn was still rewarded with a fourth successive All Star (although he missed the awards ceremony to attend his sister’s wedding), and is still anticipating Dublin to make a serious effort to retain their Allianz League title for the third time, with or without his services.

“I remember a time when people said Dublin never win the league. Or Dublin never play well in the league. I was probably more of a supporter at the time. But it is hard to just switch it on in the summer.

Great platform

“I think the league is a great platform, to get games against Division One teams, and they are all competitive. Whether you knew everyone who was playing on all the teams is beside the point. If you’re winning these games, beating the likes of Cork, Kerry, etc, it has an effect come the championship, when you play them.”

Indeed, Flynn is still attending all of Dublin’s training sessions even if he’s not playing any active part. “It’s good to be around the panel, knowing what we’re doing, who they’re tactically setting up, so when you do come back in it’s seamless. It’s difficult, these last couple of weeks, when it’s snowing, and you’re standing on the sideline. But it has to be done.” Saturday’s game (Croke Park, 7pm) is broadcast live on Setanta Sports as part of its continuing live coverage of the 2015 Allianz Leagues. For more see www.setanta.com