Gilroy: We're in bonus territory

Dublin manager Pat Gilroy praised his side's level of performance as they inflicted a five-point defeat on Tyrone and booked an All-Ireland semi-final clash with Cork on August 22.

"I said it during the week, you never know what will happen if an underdog can give a performance and that's what happened - we got the performance," he said.

Gilroy admitted that the Dubs are are now in 'bonus territory', having put their Leinster Championship defeat to Meath firmly behind them with successive victories over Tipperary, Armagh, Louth and Tyrone.

"As a group we probably see ourselves in bonus territory now. Maybe beating one of these teams, we weren't so sure we had enough in our armoury this year, but we certainly expected to be closing the gap and it took us over the line (against Tyrone)."

Unusually for a Dublin side, Gilroy's charges did not carry the favourites' tag with them into Saturday's quarter-final.

Man-of-the-match Bernard Brogan, who scored 0-9 (0-5f), said the low key approach to the game certainly suited Dublin.

"I think coming into the game as underdogs stood a lot to us," he said.

"Obviously we have been talked up for the last couple of years and we have been stuffed because of it.

"I don't know if it gets to our heads or what, but coming in under the radar in the qualifiers was great for us.

"We got a few games under our belts, we were never hot favourites or anything so we could go about our work, we could put in a bit of training and get momentum in all those games. Four games in-a-row is huge.

"I know for the lads in there it will be a happy dressing room and it's been a very tough road for us against Tyrone in the past. It's great to beat them at Croke Park."

Brogan agreed that the 1-15 to 0-13 victory banished bad memories of those heavy quarter-final defeats to Tyrone and Kerry in the past two years.

"Personally, and for an awful lot of lads, it's a big day. There's a lot of monkeys on the backs and we've been part of big defeats in the past couple of years in quarter-finals.

"It is a huge win. It just shows the team work - we've been criticised in the past for individuals playing on their own - and you saw out there the team is working together for once."

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte, meanwhile, was left picking up the pieces after his side's second loss to Dublin this year. The Red Hands also succumbed to the Dubs in the final round of the National League in April.

"We had 17 or 18 wides and you don't win All-Ireland quarter-finals with that many wides," he lamented.

"By the law of averages we would have expected a better return from the chances we created. The team that got the goal was going to win the game as it was such a tight affair, and it was a boost for Dublin.

"Nobody likes to lose in the quarter-finals - we had just won our provincial title and then you are dumped out with no second chance.

"These players believe in themselves. They were looking to stay in the Championship and now it's gone.

"You have to credit Dublin as they were in a fight and they stayed in the fight until the end.

"They fought for every ball and we were never secure in possession. They have been doing that all year and they have now got the fruits of their labours."