By John Harrington

Ciaran Kilkenny is turning a deaf ear to his critics outside of the Dublin camp and instead taking his counsel from those within.

Some found fault with the manner in which his game evolved in 2016 as he took on more of a play-making role in the team.

That was partly to do with his relocation to wing-back for the second-half of the Leinster Final against Westmeath and the entirety of the All-Ireland Quarter-Final against Donegal.

But even when he was selected in the half-forward line Kilkenny played more like a conductor of the attack, spraying passes around to others rather than running the deep channels to get on the end of them himself.

His possession and completed passes statistics were through the roof, but some suggested he was taking the safe option and passing laterally too often.

The criticism didn’t sting. All that mattered to Kilkenny was that he ended another year as an All-Ireland champions.

“It wouldn't bother me as long as the team is performing,” says Kilkenny.

“Being successful is all that bothers me at the end of the day.

“The criticism that I enjoy getting and listen to is the criticism from my fellow team-mates.

“If my team-mates or management or family start saying something to me about my game I'll listen to them and I'll try to improve.

“Outside of that you keep as focused as you can. I remember Padraig Harrington saying a couple of years ago that if you do listen to that criticism then you can let that affect you. So you're better of staying focused on how to improve from the guidance you're getting from your management and team-mates.

“Any time I did have the ball I was probably doing what I thought was best for the team.

“Sometimes you're playing against defensive systems and you just have to be a bit more patient with the ball because if you do turn the ball over because of they have such a defensive set-up, it gives the other team a great lift.

“So you just have to wait and be patient for the right opportunity for when to penetrate.

“That comes down to making the right decision for the team, whether it's going forward and adding a bit of pace, or whether it's slowing it up and waiting for someone else to come up.”

Kilkenny is unlikely to be asked to play in the Dublin half-back line this summer because they have more options there now than they did in 2016 now that Jack McCaffrey is back in the country and Eric Lowndes is fulfilling his potential.

But is he is asked to show his versatility again, Kilkenny is happy to oblige.

“I'll play wherever I'm needed for the team,” he says. “Everyone has such a love for it. All of us would have went with sandwiches to the game on the train and would have dreamt of playing in Croke Park.

“I was lucky I got to represent at Cumann na mBunscol level at eight or nine years of age, so ever since then I just wanted to put the blue jersey on in Croke Park.

“My mind-set is to do whatever I have to do for the team to help Dublin perform and be as successful as they can be.

“So wherever Jim or the management team see where I need to play, then I'll play there and do my role for the team.

“I actually enjoy playing in different positions because you get a flavour of all of the different areas on the field and it's good to learn what half-backs do and what half-forwards do and what they do and don't like.

“You have a better understanding of the game from playing in different positions, midfield as well.

“I suppose the game is evolving, you see a lot of defensive teams playing half-forwards as half-backs and half-backs as half-forwards. It's around the same area and in the same sector so there's not that much adapting I suppose.

“It all comes down to getting the performance and getting the win. Doing whatever it takes has always been my mindset and ethos towards it.”

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