Former Dublin star Ger Brennan says that the county’s second XV would have been good enough to win a Leinster Championship, when the team was at their pomp under Jim Gavin.
St Vincent’s club man Brennan was a member of the Dubs panel under three different regimes; Paul Caffrey, Pat Gilroy and Jim Gavin.
And he feels that such was the depth under Gavin that the capital’s second-string side would have been capable of landing the Delaney Cup.
“They probably would have won Leinster, the second XV,” he said, in conversation with Enda Varley on Our Game.
Now a coach himself, Brennan knows the challenges of keeping all members of a panel happy.
“I suppose I wasn’t (outside the Dublin XV under Gavin). I got the curly finger when I had a bad game, which can happen. But generally speaking, I started every championship match I was fit enough to start for Jim,” he said.
“When you’re playing in the first XV, the manager is great. When you’re not, the manager is a bollocks, and that comes with the territory of being a manager.
“Where a manager can be up-front and authentic with a player to say, ‘listen, here’s what you’re doing well and here’s what you need to improve on at the moment, who is ahead of you, here’s why he is ahead of you, it’s his jersey’.
“That’s what I do. To be upfront with fellas, so they can improve. Ultimately you’re trying to get the best XV. Most management teams probably agree on 13, 14 players quick enough. And there’s always those positions that you need to have a bit more of a conversation about. But generally speaking, your best team takes to the field.”
You can watch the full, wide-ranging discussion here.
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