WHEN ALL AROUND were losing theirs, Jim Gavin kept his head on the Croke Park sideline.
The Dublin boss — in his first year as senior boss — held his nerve and stuck to his gameplan despite intense pressure from Kerry in their All-Ireland SFC semi-final this afternoon.
A late salvo of 2-2 eventually saw the Dubs run out seven-point winners and set up a final showdown against Mayo later this month.
“It was a great game, two teams that really believed they could win,” Gavin told RTÉ’s Clare McNamara, “and they showed that in the way they played football in the way we believe — and Kerry believe — it’s meant to be played.
“Both teams really went at it and it could have went either way at the end. It was a great contest and we’re happy we’re into the final.
He added: “There’s great resolve and determination and willingness never to quit in this team. Certainly when we got down to the final quarter we had great belief in ourselves and our ability. And we knew they were going to keep going strong. They kept the intensity of the game up at a great level throughout the entire 70 minutes. And it’s a credit to them for doing that against a Kerry side who really threw everything at us.
“As I say it could have gone either way but we’re happy to get out of here with the result.”
Gavin insists the Dublin dressing-room was a focused one at the break despite a breathless first half.
“The game ebbs and flows and we accept that these things will happen. We just need to keep at and keep to the gameplan and even at half-time there was no sense of panic; it was very calm actually and focused,” he says.
“The feedback from the players was positive so they were looking forward to the second-half challenge and thankfully we came through it in the end.”
I was thinking the same yesterday. Can you imagine a player like Aidan O’Shea was left on the bench for a whole game. There would be a mutiny the day after their championship campaign ended.
@Ned Flanders: cheap shot. O’Shea showed he is the ultimate team player by switching to a totally new position over the last 2 games to help the team get over the line. I guess haters are always gonna hate though
@Pepper Brooks: ultimate team player? That particular tactic nearly blew up in mayos face. In the replay he was soloing around his 21 half way through second half and trying 40 yard outside of boot passes that ran out over the line. If kerry hadnt panicked and had taken points earlier rather than going for goals when 7 down it could have been a very different
@Pepper Brooks: O’Shea wouldn’t make the Dublin bench.
Juniors maybe
@johnnyA the game is also about opinions,for you it’s bitter and twisted against Dublin,while us Dublin fan’s are enjoying every minute of this great Team,so happy days for us Ha Ha ha
@alan dodrill: *fans
It’s a great achievement to show humility when you’re strolling through the championship. Fair play to the Dublin/AIG players for being such good winners. If Gavin exerts such control he must endorse or at least turn a blind eye to the playacting. Cooper at it again yesterday. McCarthy and McCaffrey at it the last day – good footballers but while their fans have brought the worst aspects of UK terrace culture to Gaelic Games the players have brought Neymar type playacting into our national sport. Great lads all the same.
@Johnny A: Why not just enjoy the football instead of always having a bitch , life is too short
@Tony Talbot: the football championship used to mean something. Now it’s completely hollow. Very few meaningful contests – certainly none when Dublin/AIG are involved. Instead of mitigating their natural advantages – population, money, home advantage – the GAA have bolstered these and set them in stone. Teams like Tyrone and Monaghan now come up to Croker with ridiculous defensive systems just to keep the score down. The GAA have to look at the population and reconsider a split – for example Dublin North/AIG & Dublin South/HSBC. There should be an equalisation process with the corporate loot – they should be allowed keep 20-30% with the rest being redistributed. And they should be kept out of Croker a lot more – why not make them play an away semi final for example. I’ll enjoy it then.
@Johnny A: have to hand it to you mate you have bitterness to a new level. Short memories like most non dubs. This golden era has more to do wirh jim gavin than anything else.Maybe he should only be allowed manage smaller counties?
@Johnny A: explain 1995 – 2011??
If you split Dublin now you’d risk an all Dublin All Ireland final and that would be worse! Did you see the bench. Dublin A Vs Dublin B would be some game!
Other counties need to stop making excuses… Kerry has the same population as Wicklow as is the most successful football county by far
Also, let’s split Kilkenny into North & South and actually while we’re at what about the most successful football county, Kerry…well over due a split!!
@Brendan Farrell: if you think a 2 way split isn’t enough and they’d still be too strong then a 4 way split would be ideal. Could be 4 Dublin zones – AIG1, AIG2, AIG3, AIG4. Have their own provincial championship. The metropolitan cup or something like that.
@paddy: I wouldn’t call it bitterness – more like constructive hate.