GAELIC GAMES: Seán Morantalks to the Holden brothers who were on the Dublin team that lost to Galway in the 1972 under-21 final
The parallels between then and now are oddly precise.
When Dublin faced Galway in the 1972 All-Ireland under-21 hurling final, then as now they had defeated Offaly in the Leinster final and the Ulster champions in the All-Ireland semi-final.
They even had a suspension problem with current football selector David Billings unavailable. The past departs from the present in that the punishment had been imposed by the county board in response to incidents arising from the then colourful rivalry between St Vincent's and Erin's Isle.
Dublin's team was notable for the presence of three brothers from the Cuala club in Dalkey. The Holdens occupied central positions on the team: Mick, who would go on to win a senior football All-Ireland medal and was only 17 when playing in goal 35 years ago, PJ at centrefield and Vinny at centre forward.
The match was lost by a narrow two points but the subsequent trajectories of the teams diverged sharply with Galway players going on to win National Hurling League medals and in 1980 a senior All-Ireland whereas Dublin fell away and until this weekend could boast only one appearance in an elite All-Ireland final, the 1983 minor decider, also against Galway.
PJ Holden believes the future for the current crop is brighter. "I wouldn't say they're necessarily better than we were but there's more behind them and they should go on," he says.
It marked the end of an optimistic decade for Dublin hurling. In the 1960s the county had reached a senior All-Ireland final against Tipperary, won the 1965 minor All-Ireland and contested the 1967 under-21. Two years later the Holdens were on the minor team that lost the Leinster final to Kilkenny (with Mick in goal at the age of 14).
Mick Holden has particular reason to remember the 1972 Leinster under-21 final. "With five minutes to go we were down by two," he says. "I was sent out of goal and went up the field. Near the end PJ whipped the ball across for me. I probably miss-hit it but I buried it. Immediately I was switched back to goal but the match was over by the time I got back."
The team was managed by Crumlin's Jimmy Boggan, who went on to manage the seniors, and Noel Doolin from O'Toole's.
According to PJ, one of the problems was that the seniors didn't call up enough of the under-21s sufficiently quickly and they eventually drifted away.
Curiously, he says that the imminent rise of Dublin football, under Kevin Heffernan had very little impact in the aftermath of 1972.
"We used always say that football was a game for lads who can't play hurling. Most of us weren't that interested. Michael was the worst footballer in Ireland!"
But when Heffernan called Mick into the football panel in the late 1970s he went on to give sterling service in the full-back line, winning his All-Ireland medal in 1983 against - inevitably - Galway.
"I was more of a hurler," says Mick. "But hurlers could always play football. The hand-to-eye co-ordination and the reading of the game meant you could but it wouldn't work the other way around."
Coach to the Cuala minors, who he believes will have a cut at this year's county title, he says the situation is better nowadays because Dublin hurling prioritises on skills.
"People concentrate on hurling. Back then if a player was any good the answer was to cut the shit out of him rather than try and encourage the skills. That never worked for any team."
Although tomorrow's team are underdogs PJ Holden still hopes for the best. "I would thoroughly enjoy it if they won," he says. "I'd love to see it. It would be great for them."
