Focused on moving forward In Focus Dublin forward Senan Connell

Ian O'Riordan talks to the left-half forward who says the team aims to build on last year's success

All this week the Dublin footballers have dared not to look back to last year and that memorable run to the All-Ireland semi-finals. Instead the focus is entirely on Louth, their opponents on Sunday when they embark on a new campaign.

For some thoughts on the new mood of Dublin footballers there is no one better qualified than Senan Connell. At 29 he's the oldest of the current line-up and one of the models of reliability. His leadership is now accepted and - with two team-mates his former pupils - his influence runs deep.

Before looking ahead to Laois on Sunday at Croke Park though, he makes it clear no one in Dublin is looking back.

"What we did last year has hardly been mentioned. I'd say since we began the hard training back in March we talked about last year maybe two or three times. And that was in talking about getting back to the same level of fitness.

"All we're doing is looking at the games coming at us. If I had to look back on last year at all then I'd say it was a platform, and a platform only. But it really has been forgotten about. And we'll know after just a few minutes on Sunday what level we're coming back at."

There are many reasons for sidestepping talk of the past summer. Dublin then were an unknown quantity. Instead of trying to reclaim the Leinster title they're now out to defend it. In a few words Connell can sum it all up: "We feel this year that everyone is going to want to beat Dublin."

The image too is slightly altered. Young faces have filled out. Ciarán Whelan is captain and Coman Coggins starts on the bench. And on the sideline manager Tommy Lyons is no longer a novelty.

Effort-wise things have changed as well. Players have sweated a little more these past few weeks, and walked towards a little more suffering.

"I think they have all pushed themselves on a bit more. That comes from management down. Some of that comes from that taste of success last year, and how you don't want to leave that behind.

"So our aim this year is to try and win Leinster again, and the way we see it we had success along the way last time, but ultimately we failed. I'd say 31 counties failed because they didn't win an All-Ireland. Armagh were the only ones that really succeeded.

"And we did over-achieve a little with the team we had. No one expected us to get to the All-Ireland semi-final. But we don't feel any more pressure this year. You just put that in the back of your mind anyway. Inside the four walls of the Dublin changing room you'll always have 30 players and the management with a job to do, and everything else like pressure and hype and any talk of last year is locked away."

Whatever changes from last summer were discussed, Connell's position at left-half forward was probably the least considered. While Lyons searched out new players during the league, Connell remained largely untouched. Nothing there needed fixing.

His breakthrough in football came late, a call-up by Tom Carr while helping start the new era with Na Fianna back in 1998. He played that season's National League but suffered the dreaded cruciate injury, which delayed his championship debut until 2000. Since then it's been all about steady progression, and last summer he started in every championship match for Dublin.

The commitment though is never questioned. For six years now he's been back teaching in St Declan's in Cabra and that gives him a little breathing space between work and training. But only a little.

"I'm luck enough, with the three months off for the summer. But during the year it can be hard. You find yourself going in some mornings just thinking about getting through the day, getting to training, and getting into bed at 10 o'clock.

"And that's expected now, in every county. I mean you are a hermit for the summer. For as long as you're playing in the championship you eat, drink and sleep football. And do whatever work you have to do around that.

"But it's a personal commitment as well, so you'd never question it. There's a goal at the end of it. To win with Dublin.

"So you can talk about sacrifices, but you'd sacrifice anything to walk out in front of a home crowd like we did last summer. And to be able to win. Right now that's our goal in life."

Two Dublin players, Barry Cahill and Alan Brogan, have been looking to Connell for advice for longer than most, as they were still second-year students at St Declan's when he started teaching.

"It's funny alright," he says, "and I haven't heard it happening too many times before. But they were class acts in school, and it's great to have players like that part of the team now."

Connell seems certain the younger players like Brogan and Cahill can move up another gear this year, and that the league has uncovered the sort of players Dublin needed to improve their strength in depth throughout the field.

What matters now is beating Louth: "We know if we don't perform on Sunday then we're straight into the qualifiers. And you've got Armagh and Cork already in there. That would mean in two weeks we could be looking into playing down the country somewhere. That's the reality facing us.

"And Louth are going to have their homework done on us, every single player. We have to be ready for them, and have to be hungry to win. We know they're going to be snapping on our heels.

"After what happened with Armagh and Monaghan, and Cork and Limerick, I think the surprise factor also is gone. So it's going to come down to attitude. And we've been working hard to get that right."