DUBLIN captain, Johnny McCaffrey, has thrown his voice behind the bid to switch the Dubs’ opening Leinster championship outing with Offaly on May 29 to Croke Park.
The newly-crowed Division 1 league champions are scheduled to clash with Joe Dooley’s men in Parnell Park in under four weeks time but Sunday’s historic victory over Kilkenny is certain to draw a far greater crowd than the capacity of the Donnycarney venue can hold.
Officials from the Dublin County Board have already admitted that the wheels are in motion with Leinster Council about the possible switch and after playing three matches at HQ already this year and going through all three unbeaten, McCaffrey is eager to go back to Croker to face Offaly.
Appetite
“It’s probably a shame it wasn’t fixed for Croke Park in the first place,” said McCaffrey.
“Parnell Park only holds nine-and-a-half thousand people and there were 42,000 there on Sunday. We could nearly get a similar crowd there for the championship so I think it would be great for us to get it moved to Croker.
“Sunday whetted the appetite. A sunny day in Croke Park in front of a good crowd. It’s what you look forward to all year. We’re dying to get going now.
“We know Offaly are waiting for us in the long grass. We’re at the top there now and they’ll be dying to knock us off.”
The Lucan Sarsfields talisman who took over the captaincy following Stephen Hiney’s cruciate ligament injury back in March also reckons the defiant display by Dublin in their opening day draw with Waterford in Walsh Park set the tone for the rest of their ultimately successful league campaign.
“It could have went any way that day,” he acknowledged.
“We drew but we could have lost. They started well and we were trying to atone for what happened in last year’s league game when we went down there and got hammered.
Confidence
“We got off to a good start and it set us up well for the rest of the league. It gave us that confidence to go on and get other results after that.
“But the win will be great for the confidence in the squad,” McCaffrey continued. “The lads that went off injured … other players were able to come in and perform and lift the team. Everyone feels part of the whole thing.
“It’s great going into a big match knowing people are expecting big things and knowing you’re able to produce.
“But it was a massive shock. To be beating Kilkenny by so much in a National final,” he added.
“It’s brought a new power to hurling in the country.”
– Conor McKeon
Article Source: herald.ie
