Dublin footballer Jack McCaffrey at the launch of the 23rd Asian Gaelic Games sponsored by Fexco
By Michael Devlin
A few minutes in the company of dynamic wing-back Jack McCaffrey would soon challenge any assertions that Dublin are simply robots, carrying out their meticulous and diligent game plan.
The Clontarf clubman believes that learning to step back from the seriousness of the game and relax a little has allowed him to get the best out of himself on the field, as well as savouring the experience of Dublin’s current glory days.
Speaking at the launch of the GAA’s 2018 Fexco Asian Gaelic Games, McCaffrey revealed how he shut off from his social circle the run-up to his debut final in 2013.
“I remember I left my friends’ Whatsapp group the week before the final, thinking I can’t have any distractions. I maybe put too much emphasis on it, but it is all part of a learning curve, I was pretty crap that day then.
“Being relaxed around games, it’s definitely how I tend to get a good performance. If I’m overly tense or worked up about it, it can be counterproductive. Everyone on our panel respects that everyone is doing their own thing and it all feeds into a good team performance.
“It’s just really enjoyable. These are special times that we’ll all look back on one day. I’m definitely conscious of enjoying them while they’re here. When I was growing up, following Dublin, there weren’t many All-Irelands being won and there weren’t many final appearances, so these are good times.”
The former Footballer of the Year ruptured his cruciate a few minutes into last year’s All-Ireland final win over Mayo, but he marked his return this season with substitution appearances against Longford and Laois in the Leinster Championship, before regaining a starting berth for all three All-Ireland Quarter Final Group Stage games.
The rehabilitation was crystallised in a swashbuckling performance against Galway in Saturday’s semi-final, rightfully picking up the Man of the Match award, and praises the work of the Dublin backroom team during his lay-off to ensure all boxes were ticked in his road to recovery.
“It’s been a while trying to get back fit, and back to where I was before the injury, so it’s starting to come together nicely.
Jack McCaffrey was outstanding for Dublin against Galway at Croke Park on Saturday.
“There’s a lot of people that have come back from cruciate injuries well, but there’s an awful lot of people who haven’t. You’ve a lot of time alone with your thoughts over the seven or eight months. The medical team, and Bryan Cullen, who is strength and conditioning coach, were excellent at just keeping me in shape.
“I would always have been quite casual about the dietary side of things, and when you’re off your feet for such a long period of time, I would have talked to a nutritionist a lot, and he was phenomenally helpful too. Nothing mad, just kind of tightening things up a bit.
“It gave me an opportunity to work on other areas that I would have traditionally been weaker in. I got to hit the gym uninterrupted for four or five months, which doesn’t happen in the GAA calendar. It wasn’t exactly a good thing, but every cloud has a silver lining and all that craic.
“The way I went about doing it was in smaller, two to three week blocks. At the start it was just about getting full range of motion in the knee, then in the next three weeks being able to squat, whatever the case may be. Having these small goals helped along the way.”
The proposition of a fourth successive All-Ireland title awaits for Dublin, a feat that would cement their status as one of the very best football teams in history. McCaffrey believes the sheer competitiveness within the panel for not only starting places, but also just to tog out on the big day, keeps that hunger and consistency intact.
“The managers have been fantastic, they really guard against it, and we’ve been around for so long now that there’s a really good understanding between the players and the management group. Players take ownership a bit, but it’s all empowered by the managers which is great.
“It’s a bit of a cliché, but everyone is pushing each other so hard. There’s probably 10 lads that are annoyed they didn’t get picked to start the game the other day, and that’s the fine margins there are.
"Sometimes its horses for courses, sometimes its particular match-ups, but you can’t afford as an individual to not be going 100 per cent as you won’t be picked, and when everyone is like that, it just drives the group on.
“We’re obviously very lucky that we have experienced this a couple of times now. The buzz will start to build now in the next three weeks and will just crescendo up. There’s that little bit extra about a final, sorting out tickets and all that kind of craic, and trying to enjoy yourself because it doesn’t come around that often.”
