Kieran Shannon: As Mayo cast off old fears, Dublin must remind rivals of the hierarchy
Mayo's Aidan O'Shea shrugs off Dublin's Michael Fitzsimons of Dublin during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between the sides at Croke Park last weekend. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Back when Kilkenny were out in front of everyone else in hurling and Tipperary were the best of the rest, there was a term they sometimes used heading into any league game against Galway who they obviously perceived as the best — or at least the most dangerous — of the rest of the rest: Remind them of the hierarchy here.
For the most part they did. From Liam Sheedy’s first year in charge when they would face a Loughnane-led Galway in the league final up to the same two counties meeting in the league decider 10 years later, Tipp only lost twice in 13 encounters against the Tribesmen. Even in a year like 2010 when Galway won the league, Tipp had beaten them well earlier that spring, something that gave them a small but decisive edge when they would pip Galway later that summer en route to winning it all.
