Dublin victory gives Gilroy breathing space
After a dreadful opening 50 minutes against Wexford, conceding five goals against Meath and a few uneasy moments against Tipperary, this was Dublin’s best performance of the championship.
The victory gives Pat Gilroy some breathing space and there are many aspects from Saturday he will be pleased with. Firstly, the manner of their win. Dublin were trailed by four points after 27 minutes but clawed back to draw level at half-time. When Armagh reeled off three points in succession to level the match at 10 points apiece after 57 minutes it was Dublin who outscored the Ulstermen by four points to one in the remaining quarter. Rory O’Carroll had a great duel with Steven McDonnell and finished honours-even which will be a huge confidence boost. I was also very impressed with midfielder Michael Dara MacAuley. He has one of the longest names in the game but I think he can become one of the biggest in time. He turned over a huge amount of ball in the tackle, was very mobile, used possession very well and when catching a vital kickout near the end showed he is a potential leader of this team.
