Dublin face Tyrone on Sunday in this year’s Allianz League football division 1a final, and it promises to be an intriguing game, as the two sides that have impressed most so far this year come head to head.

Tyrone are the only side to defeat the Dubs so far in the league season, and Mickey Harte’s men are looking dangerous; whereas Jim Gavin’s tenure as manager of Dublin could barely have started better. Dominant wins and scintillating performances punctuated the story of Dublin’s league games and they now head from Spring to Summer as potentially the most feared side in the country.

One of the notable factors of Gavin’s work so far has been a willingness to experiment with his line-up, as he has used a wide array of players but not yet, seemingly, settled on his best side.

Barney Rock, Dublin football legend, spoke with Newstalk’s Oisin Langan this morning and explained the benefits of Gavin’s approach.

“What you’ve got to remember – the football game nowadays is a 20 man team game on the day. Dublin will play 20 players to freshen it up and keep the tempo going
“And you can’t just play the same 20, there has to be a balance of a team there and what Jim is trying to do is get 30 players playing the same way and no matter who is put its going to inject that bit of impetus into the game.”

Another wise move from Gavin, in Rock’s view, is the appointment of Stephen Cluxton as captain.

“Realistically the big key is –putting Cluxton in as captain.

“He delivers all the time.”
Rock emphasised the importance of the fixture, in particular for Tyrone who will go from this game to an Ulster Championship firs round tie with Donegal.

“They’ll come to Croke Park and they will believe they have a chance against Dublin.

“It will be a real test for them and probably the last test they have before Donegal in the championship,” Rock said.

Listen to the full interview with Barney Rock via the player below

Image: ©INPHO/James Crombie