Dubs make gains from qualifier route

Dublin have benefited from not winning the Leinster SFC title this year, according to manager Pat Gilroy and team captain David Henry.

Their comments came after the Dubs qualified for their eighth All-Ireland quarter-final in nine years yesterday.

Since losing to Meath in the Leinster semi-finals, Dublin have gone on a three-match winning run, with their best performance coming in Saturday's 2-14 to 0-13 victory over Louth at Croke Park.

Gilroy believes that the loss to Meath last month, which ended the Metropolitans' five-year domination of the Leinster Championship, was a blessing in disguise.

"We are definitely working a lot harder than we did in the early Championship matches," he said.

"Some of football at times has been very good, but we have a big step to make now. When you get into the quarter-final stage, you are meeting the top teams."

The potential quarter-final opponents for the Dubs are certainly top heavy, with provincial champions Kerry, Tyrone, Roscommon and Meath on the other side of this evening's draw.

Gilroy's men are eligible to face Leinster winners Meath, as the arch rivals met prior to the provincial final.

"It's a big step-up for us, but we are probably better prepared than we might have been if we had won the provincial Championship.

"I think we are playing more as a team than this time last year.

"We are not relying so much on certain individuals because the team effort is a bit better, but we have a fair bit to go to push on at the top level.

"We have gained an awful lot over the last two weeks. We have had three fairly decent performances," he added.

Skipper David Henry concurred with Gilroy's view that the back door route has helped Dublin make gradual improvements in their game.

"I think last year, we didn't learn that much in the Leinster Championship, whereas now, at this time of the year, we have been through a few tough games and you learn a bit from the defeats as well," said Henry.

"So from that point of view, we probably know a little bit more about ourselves and we are probably in a better position than we were last year.

"Sometimes, you learn a little bit about yourself in defeat that you mightn't have learned in victory.

"From the opening game against Wexford, which we were lucky to pull through, and from the Meath game, we probably learned a fair bit from that and, I suppose, worked on that a bit and we are probably a little bit more solid for it."

Meanwhile, Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick refused to use the Leinster final saga as an excuse for his side's poor showing yesterday afternoon.

"I hold my hands up - Dublin were a far better team than us," he said.

"It was just very, very disappointing the way we played today. I thought in the first half we were non existent. Dublin played fantastic football and were set on the ball and everything else.

"In the first half things just didn't go right for us. At half-time we regrouped and in the second half we showed more spirit and more commitment.

"I know we were beaten by seven points today, but there is one thing that I would say about this Louth team - it's the 'never-say-die' spirit.

"I just thought that we had a fantastic chance today, but in fairness Dublin came out of the blocks great."