Death, taxes and Niall Scully lining out for the Dublin football team. Until just a few weeks ago, all of those were a given.
Sure, when you think of Dublin’s six-in-a-row team your mind wanders to the handful of players that provided the broad brush strokes of genius. Scully, a hard-working half-forward, has always been more about painting by numbers and sticking dutifully to his orders.
That’s not to say he hasn’t added splashes of colour. It was Scully that played the clever one-two with James McCarthy in the build-up to Dean Rock’s goal at the start of the 2020 All-Ireland final, for instance. He also provided the instinctive final ball for Con O’Callaghan’s memorable punched goal 20 or so minutes later.
And for the subsequent 15 league and Championship games that Dublin played, bringing us right up until the start of this season’s Leinster campaign, the 28-year-old lined out every single time. Now, suddenly, the music has stopped.
Dublin have played three Championship games this year and Scully hasn’t started any of them. To put that into context, the Templeogue Synge Street clubman with the Rolls Royce engine had started 66 of Dublin’s previous 73 league and Championship matches, stretching back almost six full seasons.
“I think for me it’s something new, something exciting,” said Scully ahead of tomorrow evening’s All-Ireland quarter-final clash with Cork. “It’s probably not a position I’ve faced before but it gives me something to look forward to every time I’m stepping out into training. But definitely, it kind of excites me more than it daunts me.
“In fairness, over the league, I got plenty of time, I got enough that was needed. For me, it’s all about, and I know we always say it, but it’s always about the team performance and how we can benefit the team the most. If it’s in the starting 15 or if it’s outside the starting 15, coming off the bench, whatever the case may be, it’s just a big thing for me to benefit the team and try to introduce that.”
Dessie Farrell has used 50 different players in the 14 competitive games that Dublin have played so far this year. Relinquishing the Sam Maguire Cup in 2021 has meant opportunities for fringe and rookie performers, none more so than Tom Lahiff who has featured the most this year, starting 13 of those matches and coming on as a sub in the other game. Then there’s defender Lee Gannon who has lined out in each of Dublin’s three Championship games so far and centre forward Lorcan O’Dell, another former Under-20 star, who has begun the last two.
In truth, a straight line can probably be drawn between O’Dell coming into the half-forward line and his Templeogue colleague Scully leaving it.
“Ah look, I’d be the first one to put my hand up and say I’m absolutely delighted for him,” said Scully. “I think he’s done extremely well over the last two games as well. For me, all I can do is go to training and put my hand up and put my best foot forward. I wouldn’t be wishing that it’s me or him or anything like that.”
Holding a player as experienced as Scully in reserve means that Dublin have immediately beefed up their bench. For the player himself, it takes some getting used to and it would be no surprise if Scully had sought the counsel of someone like Kevin McManamon, the greatest supersub of them all.
“Not really,” responded Scully. “I haven’t thought about it in any greater detail than just when I’m coming in I’m trying to perform as good as I can.”
Perhaps Scully paid the price for Farrell’s desire for change after the disastrous league campaign. They’ve certainly looked a far more cohesive, tuned-in team since the Championship started, hammering Wexford, Meath and Kildare to retain the Leinster title.
“Looking at the National League campaign, it was probably just a bit more slow, the way we were playing, than what we’re going after now,” said Scully. “I think a huge factor as well is obviously the weather so that might allow you to play that faster football when you’re looking to kick more and be more direct.”
It helps too that all of Dublin’s big guns, the likes of Brian Fenton and Brian Howard, appear to have returned to their best form. Alongside them, Seán Bugler and Cormac Costello are consistently delivering eight-out-of-10 performances.
‘Going well’
“Absolutely and coming into the stage we’re at now, it’s going to be an extremely difficult game and we’re going to need those players stepping up to the plate,” said Scully. “If they’re all going well, it tends to be that the team is going well.”
Con O’Callaghan, the 50th player to be used by Farrell this year, is arguably the form player of them all. He’s sitting on 2-13 from just three games so far since returning from injury after missing the league. It’s almost like the band getting back together again.
“Con is just a phenomenal footballer,” said Scully. “It’s no big deal to him to come back in and hit those high levels. He’s exciting when we’re able to get him on the ball.”
Cork will heed the warning. Dublin look to be up and running again.
“We probably weren’t as good as we thought we were maybe,” said Scully of their league difficulties. “Over the last couple of months, we had to look at that.”
