Dublin need to prioritise skills with minors

John O'Sullivanpoints out whoever succeeds Paul Caffrey as Dublin manager might have to go back to basics because players lack the skill set

A COMMON criticism levelled in the wake of Dublin's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tyrone at Croke Park last weekend centred on a deficiency in the skills base of the Dublin forwards.

It's a recurring accusation that has hovered over the Dublin team in light of their failure to translate four successive Leinster football titles into a single All-Ireland success during Paul Caffrey's reign.

The athleticism and power that underpinned Dublin's pre-eminence in Leinster have earned plaudits in victory but the counter-balance in the scales of judgment has been the failure of their forwards to consistently play to their potential in the knock-out stages of the championship.

Their skill set is considered anaemic in comparison with that of the market leaders, so to speak; the forwards of Kerry and Tyrone in particular this season.

Given this perceived shortcoming and the statistic that Dublin's last All-Ireland minor football title dates back to 1988 - their sole success at under-21 level came in 2003 - the spotlight tends to linger on underage football in Dublin and specifically whether there is sufficient emphasis on honing skills rather than physique.

Minor trophies alone are not a guarantee of, or a prerequisite for, senior success - Kerry, in this season's minor semi-final, have not won the Tommy Markham Cup since 1994 yet have won five senior All-Irelands since - but what is expected from that level is that skills are cultivated to a high level.

Paraic McDonnell was manager of the Dublin minors in 2006. "We lost one game all year, to Offaly by a point," he says. "That season in challenge matches we beat the All-Ireland champions Roscommon by 13 points and Kerry, who made the final, by eight. The structure in Dublin (football) means a management is appointed to the county under-16 team and takes them through to minor level.

"You only get one year at minor level irrespective of whether you win an All-Ireland or get knocked out in the first round. I know there are one or two things that I would have done differently second time around if I had the scope.

"There is an issue for players that are talented in both football and hurling codes as they have to divide their time working on the skills set for two sports whereas in other counties there isn't the same distraction. There are a lot of good people working in the underage scene in Dublin football but if you're asking me whether there should be a greater emphasis on skills, I would have to agree. We do not spend enough time on skills in the formative years."

McDonnell would also point to certain fixture scheduling issues that have compromised preparation of the county minor team, a state of affairs with which the 2008 Dublin minor team manager Gerry McEntee would empathise.

He too would accept a three-year term for the manager of the minor team in which he could monitor under-16, under-17 and under-18 talent would facilitate the introduction of a common style of play throughout the age grades and the consistent identification of talent. It would provide the scope to bring in players capable of playing minor football irrespective of age.

McEntee elaborates: "If you were to only get one year you wouldn't get a chance to mould them into a team. Having the team from under-16 is a good thing but I suppose a three-year tenure with overall responsibility leading up to minor would give you greater latitude. I would say the cross-communication in a county like Tyrone, for example, would be much better than in Dublin. The powers-that-be in Tyrone would have a greater handle on players coming through; they'd know everyone and there would be a continuity of tenure at that level."

An interesting aside to the Dublin-Tyrone contrast relates to the 2001 All-Ireland minor football final. Eight members of that Tyrone minor team, including Seán Cavanagh, were on the panel for last Saturday while the Dublin squad contained just three.

It's instructive to note that in the last 10 years four Dublin clubs have won the All-Ireland under-14 football Féile, a tournament for elite young players. So there is obviously no discrepancy in skill for the Metropolitans at that point in their development.

McEntee continues: "From the 16 age group we won a lot of the matches but we didn't convert that (at minor). Meath - they are in this year's All-Ireland minor semi-final - beat us in extra time. I wouldn't say we lacked skill at that level."

He does, though, make an interesting point: teams like Kerry and Tyrone have an easily discernible style of play and the players are comfortable with the demands imposed from a young age; from underage up to senior there is a similarity of style.

"If you look at Tyrone, they work to a system and the priority is not to give the ball away.

"The top counties are meticulous about developing a skills base for young players that will sustain them through their careers. They learn how to kick with both feet, pass off both hands, tackle without fouling, and that skill development is more important than winning at underage level. They're just looking to bring through two or three players every year but these are of the highest calibre."

It's reminiscent of the halcyon days of the great soccer academy at Ajax where winning was a distant second in priority to providing youngsters with the playing tools to maximise natural talent.

It is not just Dublin that needs an internal review into structures and fixture scheduling to ensure a commonality of purpose.

Dublin have dominated Leinster for four years but whoever succeeds Caffrey may have to go back to basics in pursuit of that elusive All-Ireland title.

All-Ireland MFC Roll of honour

County Overall titles Last title

Kerry 11 1994

Dublin 10 1988

Cork 10 2000

Tyrone 6 2004

Mayo 6 1985

Galway 6 2007

Down 4 2005

Roscommon 4 2006

Derry 4 2002

Laois 3 2003

Meath 3 1992