Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne's aerial dominance key to Dublin's cause
Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne has claimed primary possession under half of the kickouts he has contested so far in the 2025 championship.
For the first time in a decade Dublin are without the retired Brian Fenton in the number eight jersey, giving the towering Cuala man the chance to step up as the county's new midfield general.
Ahead of this afternoon's clash with reigning All-Ireland champions Armagh, Ó Cofaigh Byrne has cleanly caught 30 per cent of the kickouts he has contested. From 26 kickouts in three championship matches he has caught eight and won another five following a juggle, or by knocking the ball down to himself.
On top of that he's also claimed half of the six throw balls he has been in for at the start of each half across Dublin's win over Wicklow, shock defeat to Meath and most recently in the victory in Galway.
So all in all, so far in his first season as a Dublin regular starter (he made only two short substitute appearances last summer) the former UCD student has won primary possession under exactly 50% of his total aerial contests.
Not once has his opposing player beaten him and claimed possession, with the other 50 per cent of the duels breaking away. A Dublin team-mate has won the subsequent breaking ball on five occasions with the opposition team coming away with possession the remaining eight times.
Therein lies the 25 year-old's greatest strength, to little surprise the 6ft 6in midfielder is a powerhouse under a high ball, and while it's unfair for any player to be compared to the incredible all rounder that was Fenton, both players arrived into the Dublin team at the optimal time.
Before this year's rule changes, efficiency, control, and decision making had become the key requirements for a footballer over the past 10 years. Teams prioritised maintaining possession and creating high percentage opportunities with minimal risk.
Fenton had 29 possessions from midfield in his last All-Ireland final in 2023 and he was never turned over. A machine to cover ground and get on the ball, he was consistently comfortable and composed, more often than not picking the right pass or option.
Following the rule changes around kickouts (needing to go beyond the two-point arc) introduced this season, the percentage of contested restarts in the provincial championships rose from 26 per cent in 2024 to 63%. While in Leinster that figure was up to 70% this year.
Before Fenton there was Michael Darragh MacAuley and prior to him Ciaran Whelan, while throughout the six-in-a-row winning seasons Dublin never lost sight of the importance of Denis Bastick and the presence and physicality he brought to their midfield.
So while Dublin have always appreciated the need for primary ball winners and leaders in the middle third, Ó Cofaigh Byrne is thriving even more so given the current environment he's playing in with kickouts galore often deciding games.
Nevertheless - Dublin have kicked out 60 long or contestable kickouts in their three championship games to date. Meaning there is still scope to further trust and involve their most dominant ball winner.
In his final competitive game playing the old rules, Cuala's club All-Ireland final victory over Errigal Ciarán last January, his goalkeeper only kicked two long kickouts to him. He caught both. Of 41 kickouts in the game, he only had three contests, with Cuala retaining possession each time.
He also scored 1-1 in that final, as well as assisting another goal, winning a throw-in and making three crucial interceptions. One to cut out a scoring chance, and another to turn over Darragh Canavan. All within just eight possessions and 12 involvements.
For Dublin so far this championship his overall possessions - especially in comparison to Fenton over the past 10 years - and involvement in the general play is quite low. Rather than linking or starting moves, he often gets ahead of the play and looks to enter attacks in and around the D area.
He's assisted 0-03 but yet to have a shot this summer. As he grows into his role and seeks more responsibility Dessie Farrell will expect him to kick on in those aspects. In three matches he's had just 25 possessions.
Ultimately however the importance of his aerial dominance can't be understated. Meath, particularly in the first half playing with the wind, decimated the Dublin kickout. Which along with their ability to shoot two-pointers, was the winning of the game.
Against Galway Dublin's long kickout game was far more complete. Up against a much stronger opposition than the Royals they caught five clean possessions - Ó Cofaigh Byrne with three - to the Tribesmen's zero.
Armagh will present a strong physical challenge around the middle sector - with big Ben Crealy likely to provide an interesting match-up.
As much as Brian Fenton was a generational talent, he grew into the position game-on-game in his early years.
If Ó Cofaigh Byrne can build on his start to the season and deliver against the current champions, it'll be a big step to making the number eight jersey his own.
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