Back to front, Liam Rushe makes big leap for the Dublin hurling cause

If there is any exception to that cliché of players being delighted just to get any numbered jersey on their back then it could be Liam Rushe. It's not that he doesn't appreciate his Dublin hurling jersey; it's just he'd probably prefer if it had a single-digit on the back.

“It’s an awkward question isn’t it?” said Rushe, when asked if he felt more or less comfortable in the Dublin forwards, compared to the back-line. What is certain is that the former All Star defender will be starting somewhere up front when Dublin play Galway in Sunday’s Leinster hurling quarter-final – most likely wearing number 11.

"I don't know am I more excited or nervous, but I'll take in my stride," he added, with perfect diplomacy. Rushe's switch into attack, originally to full forward, was one of the first signatures of new Dublin manager Ger Cunningham, and despite some initially mixed results, the coach has stuck with it.

“Yeah, and I was like a fish out of water at the start,” said Rushe. “I’m definitely more comfortable in the half-forward line. The full-forward line is an awkward position to play. You have to be so patient and so economical with the ball you get or you’ll be getting the fishing rod early on.

“You have to be mentally strong (at full forward) because if you lose a ball you mightn’t see it for six or seven minutes. You can easily dwell on that ball you lost, and you have to keep telling yourself you are going to win the next one.”

Not that Rushe is a complete stranger to the forward line. This year’s Dublin co-captain (along with Peter Kelly) actually began his inter-county career up front. But it’s clear where he would rather be.

“It was something we tried earlier in my career and I thought we had come to the conclusion that it wasn’t a flyer. It takes a while if you are not playing there underage or with the club and then you’re playing there at inter-county. It’s a big leap to make.”