Dean is a chip off the old Rock

GENERATION GAME: Gavin Cummiskeytalks to legendary Dublin footballer Barney Rock and his son, Dean, who has a hard act to follow

DEAN ROCK has sporting potential and not just in Gaelic football where he has a proven pedigree. After two years impressing at fullback, wing and the place-kicker on the CUS senior cup rugby team, Dean finally made an impact on a football field in the Dublin minors' recent dismantling of Kildare in the Leinster championship.

Was there any danger the son of Barney would be lost to a family tradition? "Ah no, he plays soccer too," says his father, "but both games have always come second best to playing football with Ballymun. There is nothing wrong with young lads playing every sport going.

"Going to a secondary school without Gaelic football was just the way it worked out. We have four girls who we sent to Loreto on the Green and CUS (on Leeson Street) was the most convenient when they were travelling in from Ashbourne. I did take him down to Ballymun from the age of eight as there was no club up in Garristown."

That clears that up then. There are obvious advantages to playing other sports. For starters he brings a commanding physique back to the football field. "Every minor these days is big as they are all lifting weights, be it through playing soccer or rugby. Playing several sports has become a buzz recently. The only gym work we used to do at that age was on the bike. Dean is already 6ft 2in so he is bigger than I was. It certainly helps for taking tackles. He is a good passer of the ball and plays midfield with the club. If someone is in a better position he will give it to them. I was guilty of not always taking that option."

There are obvious comparisons between father and son. Dean is making his mark in the half-forward line. Then there is the matter of free-taking. Dean held that duty with the Dublin minors early in the season but the buck has since been passed elsewhere. "Developing his free- taking was his own decision and he works on it himself. Sure, I advise him but no pressure."

Dean informs us that two nights a week the pair of them hone his placed-ball technique. "Yeah, it is something we do together." Barney elaborates: "He has developed the confidence to step up and take a free in the last minute of a game. He has not been taking them for Dublin recently but scored 1-8 from midfield for the club last Sunday."

Chip off the old rock then.

For those uninitiated with Dublin GAA folklore, Barney Rock was a Hill 16 favourite from 1979 to 1991, winning an All-Ireland in the famous 12 Apostles (of which he was one) side of 1983. Three consecutive All Star selections duly followed.

But hold on a second. The Dublin minors play Meath in the next round of the minor championship. More or less the same side they overcame in the under-16 championship decider of 2006. The Rock residence is perilously close to the Meath border. "I should explain," says 18-year-old Dean. "While our postal address is in Meath, the house is actually still in Dublin.

"It takes on added significance for me as I have been living up around Ashbourne all my life and I know a lot of the Meath fellas. One of my best friends, Mark Battersby, is on the team."

Does he find it difficult following in the footsteps of a Dublin legend? "It brings its own pressure but I don't want to be known as the son of Barney Rock. In the summer time on the way to Croke Park you see it.

"We'd be walking towards the stadium and almost everyone, especially older men, come up and stop him just to say 'Howya Barney'. He has earned that recognition so I suppose it is up to me to get mine."

What about this burgeoning rugby career? "In CUS they tell you to go out and play it in first year but I ended up playing right through including two years of senior cup. I won't carry it on any further though. It becomes too hard to balance sports and my priority now is the Dublin minors."

The Leaving Certificate looms large on the horizon but he also has two league matches with Ballymun Kickhams and the Meath game to further concentrate the mind. Once they pass he can really knuckle down and hopefully get enough points to attend DCU next year, ideally, on a sports scholarship. For Gaelic football of course.

"Football is built around the studies," says Barney. "There is a schedule all laid out for them. If they win on May 10th they have a break until July. Lose and they are on holiday." It sounds so simple coming from someone who has been there, done that.