Dublin need to make tough but necessary Con O’Callaghan decision

Nothing against the young Dublin star at all, but he could do with a break.

• 1-4 vs. Wicklow
• 0-2 vs. Longford
• 0-2 vs. Laois
• 0-0 vs. Longford
• 0-0 vs. Tyrone

For Con O'Callaghan, this summer, it has been a case of diminishing returns and performances. As a 21-year-old, last season, the Cuala clubman scored 2-20 in six games for Dublin. 2018 has proved a tougher challenge for O'Callaghan as he has found markers paying him closer attention and teams working out ways to neutralise his attacking bursts. Having Bernard Brogan and Diarmuid Connolly out of the picture has added pressure on O'Callaghan and Paul Mannion and both have had it put up to them this summer. For O'Callaghan, who has been an undoubted star for club and county over the past couple of years, the sheer relentlessness of is training and playing schedule may well be having a knock-on effect. On The GAA Hour, host Colm Parkinson and Conán Doherty discussed a difficult decision [from 49:00 below] the Dublin management team may have to make over O'Callaghan in the coming days. "I think Con's issues are that everything is catching up with him," Parkinson began, as he noted his heavy work-load in football and club hurling.

"I think he's mentally tired, physically tired and there's only so much you can push that young fella. This fella could be on a five-year season at this stage. "He's missed a few chances and that may now be inside his head. He was so reluctant to take chances when they were on against Tyrone. He ran into trouble instead of just scoring, and that wasn't the Con O'Callaghan, who was just fearless, that we remembered last year."

Parkinson feels Mannion is working and chasing back harder than ever before but has lost for of that attacking verve that makes him such a dangerous forward to mark. "Maybe having that high-profile superstar also helps," said Doherty, "as they were the ones that are now being occupied. Con O'Callaghan had this amazing year, last year, and so did Mannion. Now that Brogan and Connolly are not there, sides are like, 'Right, we'll get these two lads picked up here'." Doherty notes how O'Callaghan would have went from schools GAA to minors, Under-21s and colleges before playing senior football and hurling [two All-Ireland final runs] with Cuala and breaking into Dublin's senior team. He has been at least four years on the go without a proper break. "Jesus Christ," remarked Parkinson, "give a man a rest!

"There are two ways of looking at this - Do you play him against Roscommon, where he'll get scoring chances, or do you give him a rest and say, 'Con, we want you right'? "I'd be more inclined to give him a rest. I don't know - he's going to start the All-Ireland semi-final but a three-week break could do him the world of good."

As we have seen, so far this summer, it is hardly a case of Dublin paying too high a cost for the O'Callaghan and Mannion dips in form. Niall Scully and Brian Howard have both been impressive while, between then, Ciarán Kilkenny and Dean Rock have scored 3-35. If O'Callaghan and Mannion hit their straps for the run-in, the champions could well canter to four Sam Maguire wins in a row.