Eoghan O'Donnell has welcomed the addition of Dessie Farrell to the Dublin hurling backroom team.

The former Dublin football star and GPA chief executive has been recruited by manager Mattie Kenny as a performance coach and full back O'Donnell claims he has given the players more belief in themselves.

“Dessie has been great to have in,” he told the Irish Daily Star at yesterday's announcement that Bord Gais Energy has extended its sponsorship of the All-Ireland SHC by three years to 2022. 

“He has looked at culture and has been there in an advisory capacity for the lads. He’s instilled belief among us that we’re one of the teams that can compete going forward, which is great.

“Dessie has a lot of experience playing football himself and he managed the Dublin minors and U21s to All-Irelands, so it’s just having another advisory voice there.

“I don’t think you’d call him a sports psychologist. It’s a difficult thing to nail down — he’s there as a backroom member, as a selector to talk to lads.

"I met him one-on-one for coffee and it’s great to have chats about hurling things, things you think are going well, just to bounce ideas off him really. He doesn’t have an official title as such, he’s just there to give lads a guiding hand."

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