Dublin must not forget past lessons

THE bones of this captivating modern drama will have been all but picked clean by the time David Coldrick throws the ball in at Croke Park for the second of this season’s All-Ireland quarter-finals this afternoon.

It has been a mini-series laced with the good (Owen Mulligan’s wonder goal five years ago), the bad (Dublin’s disaster in ‘08) and, occasionally, even the ugly (the Battle of Omagh in ‘06).

Contrary to popular wisdom, the balance sheet is remarkably even since Mickey Harte assumed command up north in the winter of 2002, with Dublin managing to win four and draw one of their 10 meetings since.