‘We did a lot of video work, but we hadn’t seen that’ - Dublin evolving with every passing game

Dublin are evolving game by game.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT: Brian Howard of Dublin in action against Diarmuid Murtagh of Roscommon during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1 match between Dublin and Roscommon at Croke Park in Dublin. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

So the sun starts to set on a football championship that never really emanated any warmth. After some bright rays in the previous two campaigns, 2023 has materialised like a relapse, so much so that the quarter-final provoked an ominous question: Are Dublin back?

In several senses, this throwback season has not been met with unanimous approval. All of the negative hallmarks of the prior decade appeared once again to chill neutrals. If it wasn’t dull spectacles, it was one-sided affairs. We’ve travelled this gloomy road before. These conservative styles and hammerings are recognisable. At their country-ruling peak, Dublin delivered destruction. Matches felt inevitable. The opposition felt helpless. In 2018, the average margin of victory in Dublin’s championship games was 12.