Made for the centre of things

Every manager has those names in who go straight onto the team-sheet, the players whose place and role in the team is always assumed rather than argued. When Jonathan Magee is fit, the centre back position on the Dublin team is invariably his.

Magee awaits a late fitness test on his leg muscle injury but should he pass then no one expects anyone else to "replace" AN Other and wear the number six jersey for Dublin in their opening championship game against Longford at Croke Park on Sunday.

Magee wouldn't be far off the perfect model for a centre back when genetic cloning eventually becomes a reality. From the waist down he appears to measure as much in width as he does in height, and any forward looking for a score will have to say a quick prayer as well.

For over two years now Magee has helped rule the half-back line for Dublin. For most of his underage years he played at midfield but after making his championship debut against Laois in 1999, he played at centre back for the hard-fought Leinster final loss to Meath, and was there again for all four games last year.

Dublin's collapse after conceding two early second-half goals against Kildare in last year's Leinster final was one of the talking points of the championship. However Magee refused to dwell on it. "I just got on with training with the club (Kilmacud Crokes) straight away," he says. "But we've lost two Leinster finals in a row, and that probably means we know better than anyone what it takes to win. It just makes us more determined to win in Leinster this year."

After tearing a quadricep muscle in Dublin's final league match against Galway, Magee hasn't had an ideal countdown to the championship. But this will be his seventh week back on the recovery road, and although his training has been mostly on the bike and in the pool, he has played two games in the last two weeks and has emerged unscathed.

The word also is that team preparations have gone as well as - if not better than - last year. A revised training regime has involved more weights, and if anything the concentration was on the training field rather than on the league games.

"We wanted to get everything perfect in training but the only priority was the championship. We stayed up in the league, fair enough, but everything was building for the summer."

Even though some people see the weeks ahead as make-or-break time for Carr's future, Magee has a simple view on his achievements as manager. "I think he has done a very good job and brought a lot of younger players into championship football. You have to say that some of the results were unfortunate, especially what happened last year, which was a freak really. Those two goals against Kildare would have destroyed the confidence of any team.

"So I would like to see Tommy stay on no matter what happens this summer, because I think he is a very good manager. He has done all his work, and given us all the football knowledge he knows, so it's up to the players now. If we lose on Sunday or whenever then it won't be Tommy's fault, it will be the players' fault."

But for the time being, Magee is concentrating on Longford. "I remember playing against them last year in the semi-final of the O'Byrne Cup and they beat us in extra-time. They are a solid footballing side."

Should he prove his fitness and line out at centre back, he will have a major role to play. But he feels more comfortable there now than ever before: "Well, you can see a lot more of the ball, and you can tell the rest of the lads what to do as well."

With the likes of Kerry, Galway, Armagh and Tyrone already in action, Dublin have been able to get a preview of some of the title contenders: "Galway are looking impressive again, and Tyrone looked very sharp and tenacious as well. If they come out of Ulster I think they will be the team to beat.

"But Leinster is looking very tough as well. Meath have been very quiet, but it's still going to be 50-50 as to who comes out. But it is important that we do well this year, and our objective, like any other year, is to win an All-Ireland. And I don't want to even think about the second chance. This is the championship and if you're beaten then you're beaten. To be honest I don't like it, I want to win the championship straight out and first time."