Chris Crummey
By John Harrington
Chris Crummey might be just 23 years old, but he already feels like a veteran of this Dublin hurling team.
Almost an entire generation of players have either retired or not found favour with manager Ger Cunningham, who has invested heavily in youth.
Six of last year’s Leinster minor panel are already part of the senior panel, so when Crummey looks around the dressing-room he realises he has little choice but to assume a leadership role.
“It’s good to have lads like Gary Maguire and Ryan O’Dwyer making me feel young still but I definitely am above average in terms of age and in terms of experience as well,” says Crummey.
“I’m a year older and a year more experienced. I take that responsibility, I don’t feel any burden. And management aren’t placing it on me.
“But as you get older, you do get more vocal in the dressing-room. I’ve learned so much from players I’ve been involved with; leaders like Stephen Hiney and Johnny McCaffrey.
“Any information that you have, any help you can give to younger lads in the dressing-room, it’s important to pass it on."
Conventional wisdom dictated that Dublin would struggle in 2017 after experienced players like Johnny McCaffrey, ex joint-captain Peter Kelly, Paul Ryan, Daire Plunkett, Niall Corcoran, Shane Durkin, and Glenn Whelan were either dropped our opted out of the panel.
When you hollow an experienced core from a team like that it often takes some time for the younger players to step into the breach.
It’s very early days yet and tonight’s match against Wexford will be informative, but so far at least Dublin have looked energetic and effective in their two wins to date over Carlow and UCD in the Walsh Cup.
Chris Crummey
Newcomers like Donal Burke and Cian O’Sullivan have been scoring heavily, and Crummey has been impressed by the attitude and ability his young team-mates have shown so far.
“Lads like Donal Burke, Cian O’Sullivan, Paddy Smyth…these lads have come straight out of minor. They’re performing. They’ve done so well so far.
“They’re not short on confidence at all, which is great. Hopefully they can continue that now for the remaining games in the Walsh Cup and into the League.
“So far, all I can do is judge them on training and games and they have been performing really well.
“As long as they keep those performances up – they’re definitely able.”
Dublin’s hopes of retaining their Division 1A status this year won’t be helped if Cuala make it all the way to the All-Ireland Club hurling Final because it will rob them of quality players like David Treacy, Mark Schutte, Cian O’Callaghan, Oisín Gough, Colm Cronin, and Darragh O’Connell.
But even though it might hurt Dublin in the short-term, Crummey hopes Cuala can go all the way.
“Honestly, I thought it was brilliant for Dublin hurling. You saw how competitive the Dublin Championship was this year, how many tight games they had and then went into Leinster and won that very convincingly.
“So it just shows you the standard of Dublin hurling and the calibre of players in Dublin at the moment, which is great to see.
“Please God, they can get over Slaughtneil and go a step further. It would be great to see them go all the way.”
Crummey is choosing to adopt a glass half full approach as their difficult League opener against All-Ireland champions Tipperary looms closer.
They’ll be without some of their most experienced players for that match through injury or unavailability, but, as he points out, that means opportunity knocks for others.
“It’s such a great opportunity for every lad on the panel. Obviously we’d love to have those Cuala lads. We’d love to have the lads who are injured in the squad.
“But it’s just a great opportunity for those lads to stay in the team for the Walsh cup and into the league and give Ger as many headaches as possible coming into the Championship.”
