Perspective. It needs to be repeated until all meaning is lost. As media-fuelled imaginations begin to run wild in the capital and far beyond, hurling in the metropolis is not quite where some assume it to be.
Granted, the idea of a Dublin hurling side contesting for All-Ireland and provincial honours at senior level is an exciting prospect for the GAA, the media and many hurling enthusiasts. It’s not a reality just yet.
Times are good, there is no doubt about that. Tommy Naughton and many others have grafted away with the small ball in the capital and have built some strong foundations, but Anthony Daly has been left with more than just the finishing touches left to apply.
Daly has the unenviable task of nurturing Dublin’s new wave of talented hurlers and balancing the growing expectation that will come with it. It must be remembered that the likes of Stephen Hiney, Ronan Fallon and David O’Callaghan- who are now still only in their mid-twenties - will be among the most experienced hurlers at his disposal.
The majority of the panel still have their best hurling ahead of them. If you look at the hurler of the year and All-Star statistics, it is plain for all to see that most hurlers will not reach their peak until after they hit 25 or 26.
To put the age into context, when Dublin were last in a Leinster hurling final, at least half of Daly’s first competitive squad would have had no more than one year of primary education to call on.
The likes of Alan McCrabbe, John McCaffrey, Tomás Brady, Joey Boland and Ross O’Carroll should all be about for years to come, and the prospect of having these kind of players around with four or five years of inter-county labouring under their belt is promising indeed.
It still remains possible that Dublin could provide us with an upset in 2009 in the championship or perhaps a couple of shock results in the league, but they will not be world beaters just yet. You have to learn how to walk before you can run, as they say.
Dublin’s main aim should be to improve on each year as it comes, to blood new players and most crucially, to keep this momentum going.
Essentially, if Daly can bring Dublin to a level where they are at the top of hurling’s second tier in two to three years, then huge progress has been made. Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and a full-strength Cork all look a bit immovable at the moment, but Dublin could cement their place as the most likely to break the mould with a couple of solid seasons.
The same work needs to be done at underage levels to ensure that the hurling selectors do not always face a losing battle when it comes to the county’s dual players. And this is a conflict that they have already finally started to contest.
For the likes of Shane Ryan, Conal Keaney and David Henry, there was never really a decision to make when it came to which code to proceed with. Crucially, that attitude is likely to change over the next few years.
Similarly, Paul Ryan’s decision to go travelling to Australia is one that you are unlikely to see too often down the line. While it must have been a hard decision for the Ballyboden youngster to make, it is probably the best time for him to do it. And it was certainly a decision he was entitled to make.
In the current climate it is somewhat pleasant to hear of a young GAA talent heading Down Under with only life experiences - rather than a lucrative career as a professional athlete - in mind.
In the financial climate we have, emigration - whether temporary or permanent - will become a genuine threat to our country’s footballers and hurlers.
Daly will also have to deal without the O’Carroll brothers from Kilmacud in the short-term as Crokes continue their quest for All-Ireland football glory but there is plenty of talent about with the likes of Shane Durkin, Kevin O’Reilly and Peter Kelly all likely to make a positive impression in the senior set-up.
While those in the capital will initially fear the inevitable comparisons to Clare of the mid- to-late ’90s, in some ways there are certain similarities. The Anthony Daly that stood on top of bus shelters delivering motivational speeches needs to instil a new-found belief in Dublin hurling once more.
But most importantly he needs to create a physically strong side with 15 leaders on the field. He needs to build a dogged side that others will dread to see in the draw.
While the Dubs have been close to a breakthrough in recent years, particularly against Wexford last year, they have perhaps lacked that confidence to bring them through, and that is where Daly is most important, the hurling is already in them.
Dublin fans are sick to death hearing superlatives such as brave, courageous and unfortunate when it comes to senior hurling. Daly needs to take them past defiant defeats but patience is still invaluable.
And that is my biggest fear, that speculation will take over when realism and perspective is really the key.
Dublin (SH Preliminary Panel): Alan Nolan (St Brigid’s), Finn McGarry (Ballyboden St Enda’s), Keith Elliot (Craobh Chiaráin), Derek O’Reilly (Craobh Chiaráin), Ger O’Meara (O’Toole’s), Philly Brennan (O’Toole’s), Kevin Ryan (O’Toole’s), Liam Rushe (St Pat’s, Palmerstown), Cathal Billings (St Vincent’s), Rory O’Carroll (Kilmacud Crokes), John McCaffrey (Lucan Sarsfields), Stephen Hiney (Ballyboden St Enda’s), Tim Sweeney (Ballyboden St Enda’s), Tomás Brady (Na Fianna), Michael Carton (O’Toole’s), Oisín Gough (Cuala), Niall Corcoran (Kilmacud Crokes), Alan McCrabbe (Craobh Chiaráin), Shane Durkin (Ballyboden St Enda’s), Shane Martin (Crumlin) Joey Boland (Na Fianna), Tommy Somers (Lucan Sarsfields), Liam Ryan (O’Toole’s), John Kelly (St Mark’s), Ruairí Trainor (St Vincent’s), Ross O’Carroll (Kilmacud Crokes), David Treacy (Cuala), Simon Lambert (Ballyboden St Enda’s), Peadar Carton (O’Toole’s), Kevin O’Reilly (Lucan Sarsfields), Stuart Mullen (St Oliver Plunketts/ER), Peter Kelly (Lucan Sarsfields), Declan O’Dwyer (Naomh Olaf), Damien Russell (St Vincent’s), David O’Callaghan (St Mark’s), Ronan Fallon (St Vincent’s), David Curtin (Ballyboden St Enda’s), Gary Maguire (Ballyboden St Enda’s).