Level-headed and ruthless, Dublin’s newest star has it all

They already speak about this lad in awed tones in county Dublin.

Ciaran Archer. Under-20 sensation. It's strange to think now that two years ago, very few had heard of him. A sub on the county minor team, he appeared late on in their Leinster final win over Louth. Had potential alright, but hardly a shoo-in for stardom. Two years on and the lightning St Maurs attacker has filled out. He's a couple of inches higher too and along with the speed and strength came the confidence and the skill. Now he's one if the brightest, most precariously talented forwards they've had since the likes of Paul Mannion and Ciaran Kilkenny. At the beginning of the Leinster championship they had high hopes for the full forward with the golden gun of a left peg. He'd been turning heads in the championship for his Rush based club. He's more than brought that form into Leinster with him, dismantling Longford, Wexford and then capping it all off with a blistering Leinster final display against Laois in O'Connor Park Tullamore on Friday night. All around Dublin, they're getting excited now. It's no wonder why. Archer has been unmarkable in the county's campaign to date for Tom Gray's side. First up against Longford, he hit 2-8 of Dublin's 4-21. Then it was Wexford, against whom he hit 1-8 of 1-17. And he kept it up in the final too, hitting Laois for 3-8 in a remarkable display. His first goal was the most impressive of the lot, with the behind the goals camera showing the level of anticipation that allowed him to intercept the Laois goalie's kickout before finishing ruthlessly. Throughout the game, Archer carried himself with confidence and pace and you just knew that every time he got on the ball, something was going to happen. https://twitter.com/GAA__JOE/status/1152526134606741509 His scoring average is absolutely lethal now.

• 6-24 (5-5 from play) in just 3 Leinster championship games.

Next up is Galway in the semi-final on July 27. The Tribesmen will have to have a plan in place for this fella. His post-game interview was just as impressive, his level-headedness clear as day.

"Perfect balls in, can't ask for much more.  "I think it goes down to the hard work on the training ground, we're pushing each other every single training session and it really shows then when games are coming down to the wire..."

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