‘Second To None In Preparation’ – Diarmuid Connolly Pays Tribute To Dean Rock
In the wake of Dean Rock’s retirement from inter-county football, former longtime Dublin teammate Diarmuid Connolly has paid tribute to Rock’s career.
The Ballymun Kickhams star enjoyed a career to rival any after making his competitive Dublin debut in 2013 under Jim Gavin. In the decade since then, he cemented himself as a Hill 16 favourite and notably as Dublin’s all-time leading scorer on the way to 8 All-Ireland medals.
There are few better to tell the story of Rock’s career and what he meant to Dublin football than Diarmuid Connolly who shared the pitch with Rock during Dublin football’s golden era.
Connolly, a BoyleSports Ambassador and 6-time All-Ireland winner, speaks glowingly as he recounts his experiences of being a teammate of Rock and the impact his loss will have on this Dublin team.
Connolly’s Tribute To Dean Rock
“What an unbelievable career Dean Rock had. He finished as Dublin’s top scorer of all time, which is unbelievable.”
“His free taking was second to none and that was down to pure preparation. His work behind the scenes was also second to none in regards to any preparation that anybody on that Dublin squad did.”
“His career has been magnificent, he’s won eight All-Ireland medals. At the start of your career you’re thinking of maybe getting one and to get eight is just unbelievable.”
Premature?
“Over the last couple of seasons, he didn’t get as many minutes and that’s probably down to injuries rather than his actual physical capabilities. I think injury took a bit of a toll on him and he wasn’t getting the game time that maybe he wanted to get and it’s very hard to put in that work when you’re not getting the end results.”
“He has a young family, his wife retired from the ladies game only last year, but for me it probably is a little bit premature. At 33 years of age, maybe he could have done a couple more years.”
How Will Dublin Fill The Rock Void?
“Dublin are top of the tree again, they won the All-Ireland last year, but…
Dean Rock is going to leave a huge hole behind because Dublin don’t have a consistent free taker at the moment.
“Cormac Costello did a bit last year and there’s a couple of new lads Dessie Farrell’s been looking at in the O’Byrne Cup like Cian Dunne, a young lad from St Vincent’s who’s a free taker.”
“So it gives an opportunity for somebody else, that’s the nature of sport. The next man’s up and you have to grab it with both hands. So there’s an opportunity there for somebody to step into that role. It’s a huge hole left behind, so someone’s got to fill it.”
Dublin are 3/1 second favourites to win the 2024 All-Ireland Football Championship per the latest Gaelic Football odds at BoyleSports.
*Prices subject to fluctuation.
Related Articles