Gritty Dubs up ante to send Armagh packing

SUDDENLY the complexion of this Dublin football team has a much brighter hue.

It has been a summer pockmarked with criticisms, but many of those anxieties evaporated in Croke Park on Saturday afternoon as the host’s gritty display shunted Armagh out of this year’s Sam Maguire race.

There were only 25,947 souls present to witness this All-Ireland SFC Qualifier clash, a salient reminder that this duo are no longer the blockbuster attractions of old. But those home fans that made the journey were rewarded with a display which proved Pat Gilroy and company had the requisite stomach for a championship battle.