It is arguably the most high profile vacancy in Gaelic football, the full back position for Dublin, and Jonny Cooper has insisted he's ready for the challenge if required.

Rory O’Carroll’s decision to work and travel in New Zealand for the whole of 2016 has robbed the All-Ireland holders of a current All-Star and a player with an impressive back catalogue of three All-Ireland wins.

To compound the headache, it was an area Dublin particularly struggled in before O’Carroll emerged from 2010 onwards as a powerful and commanding presence.

League opener

Less than a fortnight out from Dublin's Allianz League opener with Kerry at Croke Park, manager Jim Gavin has given little away as to who may ultimately replace the 25-year-old.

Jarlath Curley, full back when St Vincent's won their AIB All-Ireland club title in 2014, currently has the jersey though, aside from Sunday's surprise loss to Longford in the O'Byrne Cup, his lack of experience may hamper his spring and summer chances.

Around half a dozen players, a list that corner back Cooper is high up on, could potentially nail down the position directly in front of Stephen Cluxton and if it is the Na Fianna man that gets the nod, then he will be ready to go.

“Full back? absolutely,” enthused Cooper. “I’ve been incredibly lucky to pull on the Dublin jersey and I don’t have any say in what position I should, or would want, to play in. If he wants to put me in full back and if he feels I can do a job then absolutely, 100 per cent.

“You play there all the time anyhow with the dynamic of the game now because if you’re number two or four, you regularly end up being full back. Rory was injured at various times in the last few years so I played there personally and some other lads have also played there. So yeah, bring it on.”

Gavin argued immediately after confirming O’Carroll’s withdrawal that the significance of the full-back position has been overplayed. In the modern game, according to Gavin, a powerful, high-fielding player isn’t always what’s required.

Cooper acknowledged the point and suggested an inevitable evolution in Dublin’s defensive style will occur in the coming months with a different player there.

“Like any other position, I don’t think there’s any like for like player available,” said Cooper. “If you’re talking about Rory’s presence in his capacity to fill that role, the number three jersey, yeah, he did it very well.

“Is there a like for like replacement for that? No, probably not directly. But there’s probably someone who has a different skill that Rory didn’t have and vice versa in any other position.”

Cooper said he can envisage opposing teams tailoring their attacking strategy to account for the fact that O’Carroll won’t be at the heart of Dublin’s defence.

As for the greater issue of a top intercounty player leaving a potential All-Ireland medal behind him in favour of a year out, Cooper shrugged.

“He might regret it if he never went,” said Cooper. “It’s a call that he’s made now and I’m sure we’ll get him back in the not too distant future and get him back in the jersey at some stage.”

Dublin’s league opener on Saturday week is the more pressing concern for Cooper right now. It will be on home soil and after drawing and then losing the two O’Byrne Cup games they played away from home – in Wexford and Longford – perhaps that’s no bad thing.

“And we’re away in June, is that what you’re getting at,” joked Cooper, referencing Dublin’s Championship opener against Laois or Wicklow in Kilkenny, their first summer game away from Croke Park in a decade.

‘On the road’

“It’s a little bit different from our point of view. It’s something that we have to get a bit of a handle on. But it was good to experience going away, we’re obviously going to play an away game in June so it was good to get experience on the road.”

Dublin trailed Longford for virtually all of last weekend’s Bord na Móna O’Byrne Cup semi-final tie, eventually losing by a surprise six-point margin.

“We have Kerry in two weeks’ time, if we thought we were doing everything right, maybe we have to re-evaluate now and have a look in the mirror again and see where we’re at,” said Cooper. “All credit to Longford but it wouldn’t be the standard of performance that we demand of ourselves when we put on a Dublin jersey.

“Did it hurt? Yeah, absolutely. We don’t go out to lose any game, it doesn’t matter, challenge match or otherwise. There are a few people who need to look in the mirror this morning, myself included.”