FORMER DUBLIN star Diarmuid Connolly has expressed his concern as the county’s injury worries begin to mount.
Speaking this week, the St Vincent’s club man said: “Dublin’s victory over Kildare was very impressive. They had a few worrying injuries with the likes of Cormac Costello, Jack McCaffrey and Ciaran Kilkenny not starting.
“But I thought they dealt fairly well with it and showed a really strong hand. Paddy Woodgate and Darragh Kirwan were two boys to watch and I thought Dublin marshalled them fairly well.
“Sean Bugler’s been playing out of his skin this year and he’s been the standout for me; himself and Con O’Callaghan at 11 and 14 have been very good.
“But the standout player at the weekend was Colm Basquel. He’s been a bit-start player for Dublin and he came in from the start and got five points from play, which is a huge return from a guy who hasn’t necessarily been favoured in that right half-forward position. Both his feet were on fire at the weekend.”
“Any team who has injuries this time of year and gets a week break to get lads right – it’s going to be a huge plus when they come back.
“If Dublin can get them lads back on the pitch I think we could see a big summer for the Dubs.”
Meanwhile, Connolly asserted his belief that Kerry have become too reliant on the Clifford brothers Paudie and David.
“Kerry are very hot and cold right now. They went out against the Mayo side who were not tipped to beat them down in Killarney and Mayo turned them over, probably a little bit more convincingly than the scoreline suggested.
“Kerry struggled for long periods and it was similar against Cork, only that goal made the difference.
“Kerry only had five scorers in the game and if you take away David Clifford and Sean O’Shea, you’ve only got four points.
“That’s a big question mark for this Kerry side. They’re relying really heavily on David Clifford and his brother Paudie.”
Cormac Costello, in action against Roscommon last month, is one of the injury worries pointed out by former star Diarmuid Connolly
- Thousands of childcare providers protest over funding
- Busy season for Rush Tidy Towns with autumnal events planned
- Balbriggan celebrates Culture Night
- #BeActive Night Family Adventure
- Mincéirí Traveller Cabaret Performance
