Dublin must stop looking like a team trying to defend a title

All-Ireland SFC final match preview: If you’re led to believe some of the commentary this last week and a half, much of Mayo have been doing rain-dances on top of their traditional pre-final routines of spitting on horseshoes and rubbing rabbits’ feet.

We jest although we can’t rule out strong reports of them stealing into the back gardens of Dublin supporters last night and robbing their Child of Pragues statuettes.

So much was written about the first game, which delivered so little, it left a vast vacuum which, from a media perspective, was welcomingly filled by the ex-Dublin players coming to the aid of Diarmuid Connolly followed by their Mayo counterparts defending Lee Keegan.

It may have irritated some but there was genuine reason to question the timing and modus operandi behind those comments.

What is slightly grating, though, and almost hilarious is the determination to blame Dublin’s below-par show on the conditions.

One commentator ran with the idea of new balls on the wet surface being a recipe for disaster. It has since been carried by others when in fact the chances of the teams playing with new balls were one in three.

For All-Ireland finals, a dozen new ones are put into circulation with another 24 from previous games. It’s unlikely there will be a call for “new balls, please” this evening but it’s quite stunning just how many are willing to make excuses for Dublin.

They haven’t been shy of doing it either. A bad workman blames his tools. Considering just one of Dublin’s SFC games in his reign has come out GAA HQ, Croke Park has been one of them for Dublin so for Jim Gavin to criticise the pitch as he did it was surprising.

In terms of how they’ve won games if not weather, Dublin have shown themselves to be men for all seasons. They’ve learned to slog their way to success although their preference is to sashay.

Yet they seem almost spooked by the need to preserve. It’s Mayo who looked the most unshackled but then their limitations up front mean that will not always be truly reflected on the scoreboard.

It’s difficult not to believe this one will go the distance and may even require extra-time and Mayo should take something from being the steelier of the two last Saturday week. Their defence should prepare not to have so much go their way on this occasion but they can at least be able to avoid the concession of freak goals. Dublin must stop looking like a team trying to defend a title.

If this truly is a season being prepared for and considered in isolation, they must go back to what they’re good at, which is attacking. Gavin’s buzz word this year has been control.

Now it must be chaos. In a shoot-out, they are peerless. Many will look to Ciarán Kilkenny as the true indicator. Retreat into their shells as he has and Dublin can be hurt.

They can’t be so careful again.

Verdict: Dublin.