Ryan: No talk of Dublin doing the double
Dublin hurling sharpshooter Paul Ryan has downplayed any talk of a potential All-Ireland senior double for the capital, insisting it would be "stupid" to look beyond both teams' next matches.
Dublin enjoyed a hurling and football double in the Leinster Championship earlier this month and Jim Gavin's footballers could join the hurlers in the All-Ireland semi-finals if they overcome Cork this Saturday.
Top-scoring forward Ryan, who shot 2-7 in the Leinster SHC final win over Galway, is keen to keep away from the hype building ahead of the hurlers' All-Ireland semi-final clash with Cork on Sunday week.
Indeed, the Ballyboden St. Enda's clubman has admitted that unlike a lot of the footballers, both he and his hurling team-mates are mostly not recognised by the GAA public simply "because you have your helmet on the whole time!"
Asked about coping with the hype surrounding Anthony Daly's men currently, Ryan said: "We've kind of kept to ourselves and we know to keep away from all that because last year we started to pay attention to it and look what happened - we got relegated!
"So, it would be stupid. We've no right to talk about an All-Ireland yet. We're talking about the semi-finals and that's as far as we've been going."
Ryan would obviously love the footballers to join the hurling side in the last-four of the Championship, and he will be cheering on some of his club-mates and friends as they look to overcome the Rebels at Croke Park this weekend.
"I love watching the football. I won't go to the Hill (on Saturday), probably the Hogan (Stand). I know Mick Macauley very well, I know a lot of the other lads as well.
"I hope they do it, I really do. I think they're a really great team and if we could replicate what they did two years ago (in winning the All-Ireland), it would be great."
Bookmakers have priced Dublin at 10/1 to win both the All-Ireland SFC and SHC titles come September, while Daly's charges are joint second favourites with Cork (5/2) to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Limerick are currently out in front at 9/4.
Although Ryan has established himself as a regular scorer for the Dubs in recent seasons, he struggled for form earlier in the year and looking back now he admits that losing his starting place was a turning point for him personally.
"You are devastated at first, but then you have to get your head around it very quickly," explained the full-forward.
"I didn't have the best of form at the start of the year and he (Anthony Daly) dropped me and deservedly so. But then I came back into it and I suppose I had a bit of motivation there to keep my place. I suppose you don't realise that until you get dropped."
