Daly happy to say 'job done'

SOME ERRANDS are for fools only. We stood outside the dressingroom area in Parnell Park routinely gathering the quotes which drop so freely from Anthony Daly’s tongue, but keeping an eye open for the emergence of the big kahuna.

When Justin McCarthy did emerge he moved more quickly and more tight-lipped than a scandal-plagued politician to the party bus. Luckily Anthony Daly is always good value. Looking for a Limerick angle to fill the sort of vacuum which the media abhors we asked him for his view.

The question brought forward some nice footwork. “It needs a Limerick solution to a Limerick problem. It’s not my business, but it’s sad to see a Limerick team being beaten that much.”

So what about having beaten Limerick by 31 points? Not too upsetting for a Clare man surely.

“Listen, all ye lads that were ringing me this week, I felt a bit pissed off that we were doubted. I felt we would win. I was confident all week. Felt we were better than what Limerick had available. We had to bring a little intensity.

“A lot of teams didn’t bring intensity to them in the league. We felt if we could play championship-paced hurling we could do it. Some people wanted to see us fall flat on our face, but there are various agendas out there. Especially with the Limerick thing.

“So job done. If the match came earlier in the schedule, none of ye would be here today.”

While we worked out that proposition of logic, Daly spoke of the nuts and bolts business from the afternoon. “In the first half we were unlucky not to get a couple of goals. The goalie made a good save and Paul Ryan hit the post.

“The key on days like today is that every man be winning his position, for fellas to be dominating their position. Then, eventually, that will tell on the scoreboard. After 10 or 12 minutes you could see we were on top.

“Coming from a Dublin, Clare or Limerick-type base you always worry. The three boys inside looked very good when the ball went in to them today, but they were on a class of player that they wouldn’t usually be on at this level. We won’t be reading too much into it either, we are happy to get the job done.”

And the second-half deluge of goals. There have been Dublin teams in the past who wouldn’t score six goals in an hour of shooting against traffic cones.

“Six goals in nine minutes! Haven’t seen that maybe since an under-15 final! I must have been corner back that day too! Ah to be fair, it was hard for the Limerick lads to keep going. It was good to see Shane Ryan coming on and scoring a goal and making one.

“He has seven tough weeks’ hurling to do. Got the chance to give a few lads a run. It was good.”

The Dublin panel were due to fly to Portugal this morning for a week of warm weather training.

Victims of Iceland’s revenge on the world economy however, they are now off to Breaffy House on the Costa del Mayo.

They are not alone in their suffering.

Tipperary, who were due to fly to the sun, are now heading to Carton House near tropical Maynooth for their week’s break.

The proprietors of both hotels may well feel every Icelandic volcanic ash cloud has a silver lining.