JOE McNALLY'S SECOND COMING In a drab and miserable January (aren't they all) the news that Joe McNally was being recalled to the Dublin colours came like a ray of sunshine to the sporting public. One of the most famous Gaelic footballing faces in his prime, he is still one of that uncommon breed of gaelic footballers who stamp their personality on games. The trademark moustache and yes, his portly frame, have long made him instantly recognisable and the punters have had no difficulty in picking him out of some four and half years after he slipped into non-county obscurity. But it is easy to forget that Mickey Whelan wasn't trying to resuscitate the career of some crocked veteran with a couple of campaigns too many under his belt. Joe is still only 31 and he certainly hasn't had too many campaigns. The problem perhaps for him was that his "prime" came too early: when he won his only Senior All-Ireland in 1983 he was just 19. A goalkeeper on Dublin's triumphant Minor team in '82, McNally made the transition to attack under Kevin Heffernan a year later and proved to be a natural. He swaggered through the summer of '83 full of teenage confidence and a sort of innocent arrogance. Dublin were on the march, Heffo was back in harness, so was Mullins, Drumm and O'Toole. The Hill was buzzing with excitement, a return to the glory days beckoned. It was heady stuff, and into this intoxicating brew came electric talents like Barney Rock, Ciaran Duff, Tommy Conroy and McNally. The whole Dublin package of class and charisma energised the Championship as only the Dubs, seemingly, can do. Rock became an instant darling with the Hill when a brilliantly engineered late goal rescued them against Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final. They had seemed dead and buried until that moment. The replay against Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh was played out in brilliant sunshine. The huge travelling Hill had swelled the crowd to 44,000 making it a carnival occasion and a landmark All-Ireland semi-final. The result was a landmark too, this Dublin team - a shrewd mix of young and old - totally unphased by having to desert their Croke Park fastness. In fact, they thrived on it and pulled off a win by the surprise margin of eleven points. In so doing thy buried a good Cork team that never came back afterwards. Dublin scored four goals that day, McNally memorably finishing the fourth soccer-style along the ground with a delightful dummy. The Hill loved it - party time all round. The final between Dublin and Galway was, as everyone knows, a nasty affair. The Dubs won but were robbed of much of the glory by the adverse reaction among public and media. It left a sour taste but they were young and more All-Ireland would surely flow. But they didn't - Kerry held their nerve a year later to defeat them in a match billed as a reprise of those glorious lashes in the 1970s. The Kingdom put them away again in '85 and by '86 the grim shadow of Meath had arrived and Dublin withered in their presence for the next six seasons, bar one. The young team of early achievers grew old and became a team of underachievers. No player wins an All-Ireland without knowing the pain of defeat first. Joe was an exception in that he had won one without paying his dues at this level - he was to pay them subsequently. The 1984 final was a chastening experience, Kerry's hard man Paudie O'Shea, finally shacking the rampant corner forward. Twelve months earlier however, he delivered a tremendous second half performance against Galway that showed a maturity and moral courage way beyond the normal scope of a 19 year old. With Dublin reduced to 12 men and the rest of the team playing deep he was forced to operate as a virtual one-man full forward line. But he showed time and again for clearances and what's more, won them. His footwork and handling on a day of pouring rain was almost impeccable - it was a major contribution on the day. But twelve and half years is a long time ago - and of little relevance to a player trying to hack it in a comeback. What is of relevance however, is the fact that the same footwork and ball skills are still there. When the notion of a recall was first mooted the idea was met generally with disdain. Wouldn't work, they said, too heavy, the game has moved on. And, indeed, the reaction was understandable. Pat O'Neill and Fran Ryder had worked the Dublin players into a squad of thoroughbred athletes, the fittest the game had ever seen, according to some. They were pros in everything but the money and Joe seemed like a throwback in the '80s model when players were fitter than they had ever been before - but not as fit as the '90s version. An Irish Times photograph of McNally in his first comeback game in January seemed to confirm impressions. Less than a month later however, he was giving Cavan's highly-rated fullback Damien O'Reilly a torrid time in a League game at Parnell Park. The previous Sunday he had volleyed home a sweet goal against Louth. Writing in the Irish Independent next day, Vincent Hogan noted McNally's overweight torso but also remarked that "there remains a savvy, an intelligence to his movement that discourages ridicule." How true. Against Cavan a week Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 8th March, 1995 Tweet

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