Gavin Cummiskeysays Dublin's manager has quickly consigned the Armagh defeat to the past as his team prepare to host old rivals Meath
"CAN I SNEAK off, Nickey?" jokes Paul Caffrey.
"No, you're cornered now," replies the president of the GAA.
Caffrey has been a constant supporter of the VHI/GAA Cúl camps initiative that was launched for a third year in Croke Park yesterday. Perhaps being away from the post-match spotlight allowed him to expand a little more on the progress of the Dublin footballers in 2008.
Now in his fourth year at the helm, and after three previously as a selector under Tommy Lyons, it is no secret this will be the definitive summer of his tenure. Leinster has been annexed three times in a row but it is defeats thereafter that have haunted both Dublin players and supporters alike.
This season Caffrey has been proactive in ensuring the team evolves or as he put it: "invested heavily in the depth of our panel". Several senior players abdicated in 2007, while at least two others are expected to follow once the championship runs out of steam. Or when Dublin lift Sam Maguire for the first time since 1995.
Considering the blooding of several new players, the results have been impressive, that is, until last Sunday's comprehensive defeat up in Crossmaglen.
"We were roundly beaten and have to accept it, take it on the chin and move on. It was a great display by Armagh and a very poor display by Dublin and that's what you get, a nine-point swing around."
Caffrey indicated that such a blip in form can be perceived as beneficial pre-championship.
"We've had a good run of it. We've had our share of luck throughout the O'Byrne Cup and the National League. We are where we are. One defeat.
"We'll see if it is going to be a blessing in disguise going forward or how quickly we can learn from it but it was a resounding defeat.
"The great thing about sport is that no two days are similar. When you get a setback like that everybody has to look at themselves and see where it went wrong. We'll do the forensic analysis during the week."
The annual media storm has already been and gone. In the drawn match with Monaghan at Parnell Park on March 23rd, statistician Ray Boyne was found guilty of striking Tommy Freeman and suspended for 16 weeks. In the same match, Mark Vaughan and Bryan Cullen were sent off for second yellow cards. Caffrey was criticised for shaking Vaughan's hand as he left the field. Dublin did, however, accept the Boyne suspension and a deputation even went up to Monaghan to apologise in person to Freeman.
Alan Brogan is absent this Sunday for the last Division Two fixture, against Meath, after receiving a straight red card against Armagh. "It was on the word of a linesman so probably the less said about that the better. But suffice to say I would think Alan was very hard done by."
Caffrey went on to put the recent player incidents in some perspective.
"Well if you look at the guys who have received reds, they are not your typical combative players. Anyone that knows football knows that Alan Brogan doesn't go out looking for trouble on a football field. He was only on the field eight or 10 minutes, so enough said about that.
"Mark Vaughan, you know, a clumsy tackle for a second yellow. Second yellows can happen to any player in any area of the field so I wouldn't be over-indulging in terms of all of a sudden we are trying to send out Mark Vaughan and Alan Brogan to be hard men on football fields.
"Bryan Cullen's record at club and county is exemplary so no, I don't think that will stand up going forward."
Does Meath's arrival provide an ideal tonic to recover from a first defeat? "Anyone is perfect," said Caffrey in typical fashion. "Dublin- Meath, everybody loves that game. It's like Galway-Mayo or Kerry- Cork. It has its own importance. It was just important that we had a game next week. A lot of guys will be hurting in relation to their own performance so we'll see what reaction comes. We look forward to getting back on the field."
