Heffo’s Army still the benchmark, but Jim Gavin’s Dubs on the march

False modesty may be something Jim Gavin can occasionally leave himself open to being accused of, but no such thing is at play when he insists that Kevin Heffernan’s team of the 70s will always hold pride of place in the Dublin football pantheon.

They mobilised a people, galvanised a city, transformed a sport.

The scale of their achievement was brought home again at the weekend in a terrific interview David Hickey gave Paul Kimmage. The same day Heffernan’s unfancied side faced reigning All-Ireland champions Cork in the 1974 All-Ireland semi-final, the match was competing with the Royal Dublin Horse Show for the live outside broadcast on RTÉ — and it lost. Instead of showing Jimmy Keaveney popping frees over the bar in Croker, the national broadcaster opted to show Lady Montgomery hopping over hurdles in Ballsbridge.