Jake Malone says the Dublin hurlers are still shooting for the stars.
Over the last decade, the capital’s hurlers have failed to really build on their National League (2011) and Leinster Championship (2013) triumphs.
They have been competitive some years, less so others, while certain seasons have produced frustrating false dawns. It has led to a sense of Dublin drifting, missing their chance and getting overtaken in the pecking order.
However, since 2010 Dublin have won four Leinster Under-21/20 hurling titles and four Leinster minor championships. Cuala were crowned All-Ireland senior club champions in 2017 and 2018.
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he challenge for Dublin remains unchanged, to translate that potential to become a consistently competitive force at senior intercounty level.
The latest manager to step up to the test is Micheál Donoghue, who succeeds Mattie Kenny as Dublin hurling boss. And Malone, who was involved in Cuala’s two All-Ireland club triumphs, says the end-goal for Dublin remains the lofty ambition of trying to win the Liam MacCarthy.
“Yes, I think so, to be honest,” says Malone. “We’re not here to win a league or to win a couple of big games, we want to be winning a Leinster title and to be progressing and contesting and winning All-Irelands.
“I think if you ask anyone in Dublin, they’ll say that’s the aim, that’s the goal. So it’s a case of taking it training by training, week by week, game by game, and just trying to get in those consistent performances that we know we’re capable of and which we have done in the past. It’s just to consistently do it when it matters.”
The arrival of Donoghue brings with it increased expectation. He managed Galway to an All-Ireland title in 2017 and Dublin hope he proves to be the missing link in the capital.
“Delighted with Micheál coming in,” says Malone. “There’s huge interest at the moment in Dublin hurling and when we heard the news I think everybody was excited. We had a very good couple of years with Mattie and I think there was huge development made within that.
“But we just weren’t able to get over the line, unfortunately. If we look back on the development and the performances we put in, there were huge improvements.”
Kenny was the Cuala manager when the Dalkey outfit tasted All-Ireland glory and while he was unable to replicate that at intercounty level, Malone feels the Galway native made huge strides with the squad during his four years at the helm.
“We would have been looking for a Leinster title and moving on and progressing from that so it was disappointing in that sense,” admits Malone.
“But if you look at the performances we had over the couple of years, there were some really big performances and some really big wins as well that in years gone by probably hadn’t happened.
“So there’s definite progression in terms of the age profile of the team but also the performance levels. We feel, or I feel personally, it’s probably a consistency thing, being able to consistently deliver high performances on big occasions. There’s a huge mountain of work that Mattie and the team put in that we’re reaping the rewards from now.”
Dublin did win the Walsh Cup this year, Eoghan O’Donnell captaining them to the pre-league competition in late January. When the Dublin’s hurlers exited the championship during the summer, O’Donnell was added to Dessie Farrell’s football squad. However, he has committed to the small-ball code with Dublin in 2023.
“Eoghan put in a message before he joined the footballers and he made it very clear that Dublin hurling is where he wants to be and where his future is,” says Malone.
“I think if your season finishes early and if you have an opportunity to play with one of the best teams in Ireland, you’re mad not to, just to gain that experience.
“You see a lot of people learning from other sports, going over to rugby or AFL or whatever it is but just that chance to learn, do something new and to see if there’s any nuggets or info that you could take from other sports or teams. I think it’s a smart thing to do.”
