I played on Barney in his twilight years and there was no way he was going to get a dunt. Heād more or less hang out on the sideline and have a chat and would only advance to take a free.
Thatās how I remember him too. In fairness he was plenty brave before Harnan busted him but he lost his bottle after. It was a ferocious hit. He broke his collar bone and dislocated his shoulder with the one hit. Rock was out for nearly a year after it
It was the culminating act in a vile final played in bad weather and worse spirit. Even so kicking somebody in the head, even if only a flick will never play well on a showpiece occasion.
Barney Rock was pretty much done as a real force for Dublin after 1986. But apart from having perhaps the best name of any player in Dublin history, I donāt think he was ever that much of a real folk hero though, and he certianly never had much of a name as a ābraveā player. Mick Holden famously pulled him up off the ground in the 1984 final after he got a clatter from a Kerry player.
Duff and Joe McNally were much bigger folk heroes with the Dublin support. The first big Dublin game I attended was the 1987 League final against Kerry and Duff got a goal in the first minute. So I loved him after that.
When Cullen came in he pretty much sidelined Rock, Duff and McNally, though all three made fleeting appearances against Meath in 1991 - Rock and Duff were both brought back into the team for the second game, and played well - but they didnāt feature much afterwards and didnāt feature at all in the fourth game. McNally got a point as a sub in extra-time in game 3 but he didnāt feature in game 4 either.
I attended Duffās final game for Dublin, which was a league game at home to Tyrone in November 1991. Tyrone won 4-11 to 0-11. Duff was on the frees and had an absolute nightmare, at least once he barely raised the ball off the ground. I think he was taken off and quit after that game.
There was definitely some disquiet among a lot of Dublin supporters after the loss to Donegal in the '92 final that he was no longer on the panel.