Cork legend Dinny Allen on modern football and returning to the sideline with Nemo Rangers
Dinny Allen and Larry Kavanagh on the sideline with Nemo Range, during their SFL clash with Ballincollig. Picture: David Keane.
WHEN the great Cork Gaelic footballers are debated in the coming years the name of Nemo Rangers' Denis Allen will surely be in the mix.
Allen was one of the most talented players ever to don the red and white jersey and was known as a devastating finisher and a superb opportunist in front of goal. Dinny as he is affectionally known, won eight Cork counties with his club and four All-Ireland club titles.
On the inter-county scene, he captained Cork to win the All-Ireland in 1989 and in the same year they also won the National Football League, a fine hurler, he also played senior for the Rebels in the '70s.
After taking a break for a few years Dinny is now back as a selector with Nemo Rangers.
“In recent times our team manager Robbie O’Dwyer approached me about getting involved with our senior team and although I am doing no coaching, he wanted me there as a person he could ask for opinion and I gladly accepted,” he said.
The management team also includes Larry Kavanagh and Jimmy Kerrigan, all former players with impeccable records that make a good foundation for the team.
Robbie O’Dwyer, a son of the legendary Kerry player and manager Mick, is not widely known but Dinny explained his pedigree.
“Robbie has been involved with our club for 27 years and the way he has managed minor and U21 teams is a credit to him as he is a great one-on-one manager to the players.
“A lot of people might not know but Robbie has managed minor and U21 championships and it was a great achievement as he dragged everything from the players involved and got the job done.
“It was the way he managed the players that impressed me and our present squad at Nemo is much the same as the players certainly have huge respect for him."
There is no doubt Allen mixed it with the best but looking at the present generation of footballers what is his take on the standard?
“The game has changed since my time but it’s nothing complicated as some games can bore you to death and others can really inspire the fans.
“Dublin to me is the obvious team that are playing the best type of football at this present time but on the plus side I do get a vision that football is coming back.
“In my book when the game is played at a faster pace it's lovely to watch but when it's slowed down by two teams it can be X-rated on the eyes.”
To the present day, and Dinny still takes in some Cork games.
“I have gone to the majority of national league home games and there is progress in the Cork squad who will probably look back on the Kerry defeat with mixed emotions."
The defensive tactics that Ulster teams brought to the table over the years is not a brand of football that Allen finds interesting.
"When I played every northern team believed on an annual basis that they were going to win the All-Ireland and their belief made them very hard teams to play against."
Statistics is another department that Allen finds interesting.
There are a few traits that Allen still believes players need at all levels.
"You got to have passion and the will to win because without them all the other stuff does not matter, and I will throw in loyalty as these aspects of the game haven’t went away."
Hurling is another sport that Dinny loves and his take on the present Cork side was interesting.
“I do think Cork can play some lovely hurling, but the reality is if you are not winning games you could go another 20 years without winning an All-Ireland as time skips by fairly quickly.
"In my time it was dominated by Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary, and Galway might come in the odd time, but now they are seven teams who are targeting the title on an annual basis."
For Dinny Allen, GAA has been a way of life for over 60 years and his return to the top tier shows his love for the sport is still alive and kicking.
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