By John Harrington

Shane Barrett says Cork’s win over Tipperary last Sunday has reinforced Dublin’s belief that they too can pull off a shock this weekend when they play Galway in the Leinster SHC Quarter-Final.

Much the same as Cork, Dublin’s team is heavily speckled with talented young up and coming hurlers, including U-21 star Barrett himself.

They’ll go in as significant underdogs against League champions Galway, but Barrett is adamant they have the self-belief necessary to take the game to the Tribesmen.

“Yeah, there are similarities to the Tipperary and Cork game,” said Barrett today at the launch of the 2017 Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland Championship.

“Cork were underdogs, came in, and they just sort of threw everything they had at them from the start. That's what we're going to be trying to do against Galway. In the first ten minutes we're going to set up and push on from there.

“We're going to bring it to them from the start instead of sitting back and waiting to see what they will do. We're planning on taking it to them.

“You see that Cork win, it's sort of blown the Championship wide open in that sense. It's given teams that may not been seen as the top teams a chance.

“I think you take confidence from that. Even the younger lads on this Dublin team looking at that, that was a young Cork team that played there.

“So I don't think there's any reason they were looking at that saying they couldn't do it as well.”

As positive as Barrett is about Dublin’s chances this weekend, he’s also realistic about the scale of the challenge.

Galway looked phenomenal when they hammered Tipperary by 16 points in the League Final, and corner-back Barrett knows he and his defensive colleagues will have their hands full.

“I suppose as a defender I obviously focus on their forwards and what they're bringing to the table," he says. "If you look at the names they have, it's quite impressive.

“But you can't look too much into Galway, you have to play your own game. We're focusing on our own system of play but obviously we'll have to adapt that as well to what Galway will bring.

“Look, Galway, I suppose they had a great League when you look back on it. They're going to have confidence and momentum going into the game. A team on a high like that you have to be wary of. They're going in with a buzz around the camp.

“We know what they're going to bring. The forwards they have are exceptional players. We've prepared well, we know what we have to do to beat them. Come Sunday it hopefully works out well for us.”

Dublin’s panel is one of the youngest in the country and you would imagine they’ll go from strength to strength in the coming years as they gain experience, but Barrett sees no reason why they can’t challenge for silverware in the short term.

“Yeah, look, that's what everyone is saying - give Dublin a couple of years they'll be a top team.

“But when you're there you're putting all your time and dedication into matches, you're not looking at two or three years down the line, you're looking at the immediate future.

“So our goal obviously is to go the whole way. We'd be lying if we said we were looking at two years down the line. We want to win and we want to win this year.”

Dublin had to do without their Cuala club contingent for most of the League, and their return to the set-up with All-Ireland medals in their back-pockets has further stoked the self-belief of the Dublin panel.

“Yeah, look, it's a great boost,” says Barrett. “Any time a club like that wins and it stays within Dublin, that winning mentality coming back into a dressing-room, is something that Dublin have lacked over the years.

“So hearing stories of how they won and the celebrations they had, you're almost chasing the feeling and that's what we're looking for.”

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