Dublin manager Jim Gavin
Dublin manager Jim Gavin doesn’t expect the record-breaking exploits of his team go to their heads.
His players are officially the most difficult team to beat in the history of Gaelic Football after Saturday night’s resounding victory over Roscommon extended their unbeaten run in the League and Championship to 35 games.
But, as ever, the inscrutable Dublin manager was keeping his feet very much planted on the ground after the game.
“Maybe when the players finish their careers they might look back and they might take something from it but, you know, games that they've performed in like this one it's now in the past and they need to regroup again and focus on what's ahead,” he said.
“That's always been our philosophy and it ain’t going to change now. The currency we deal in is performance and that's what we try to strive for every day.
“We got a good performance there today but we didn't get the complete one and that's what we're always striving for and what we'll be going after against Monaghan, which will be a completely different tactical game but one that we'll enjoy. We enjoy those challenges.”
The win over Roscommon propels Dublin to the top of Division 1 with nine points from six games, and Gavin admits he’s pleased by how his team have played so far this year.
“Yeah, absolutely, we're satisfied with where we're at, we're slowly building,” he said.
“I thought Kerry looked very fit for this time of the year last weekend and that game would have brought the players who played on an awful lot in terms of their match fitness.
“We started quite late in January and even out there tonight the players who were on for the full 70 that would have done them good as well in terms of the match fitness piece so we have a week to train now and go to Monaghan and we'll take it from there.”
It was a very tough night for a young Roscommon team that simply couldn’t cope with Dublin’s superior conditioning and finishing power.
Kevin McStay
The result confirms their relegation back to Division Two, but manager Kevin McStay is adamant his players still have a bright future if they’re given the time to develop.
“People have to be patient with us,” he said. “I know the patience is wearing thin at home. It’s a young team. They’re three, four, five years behind these big teams in terms of conditioning.
“People just have to be patient. They’re 22, 23 years of age. We’ll get a good season in Division 2. Please God, we’ll get out of that and get back to Division 1.
“And people just have to hold their nerve and stay with it. If they want to chop and change and get rid of half them young fellas and bring back what?
“It doesn’t work like that. I’ll make the point again, we had all those guys last year that everyone is harping on about.
“And we got hammered by Galway and Clare and Mayo and Kerry. And all that experience and know-how and physicality that everybody is dreaming is somehow out there, that was all supposed to be there last year too. And it wasn’t.
“So we’ve moved on to a longer term plan. Three years. I’ve spoken to the board about it. That’s what I want to do. And it would be nice if people hold their nerve and stay with it.
“It is difficult. These experiences…they’re not simple ones, obviously.”
