Gavin praises his side's character

OUR IMPROMPTU interview with Dublin’s winning manager Jim Gavin is briefly interrupted by a load roar, the moment team captain Kevin O’Brien lifts the winning trophy and immediately dedicates it to Ciarán Carr, the young Dublin footballer who died suddenly this year.

Gavin resumes his tale without a beat, given he’d rehearsed the talk of Roscommon’s challenge many times.

“Maybe some of the pundits didn’t take a look at the tapes of their game, because they’re a very, very good side, and have done very well in underage football for the last number of years. And like ourselves, had won two of the last three provincial finals.

“They’re a big side, so we were under no illusions whatsoever this was going to be an easy game for Dublin. Our guys never believed that.”

What Dublin ultimately believed was that patience would get them over the line first: “The game ebbed and flowed, for sure, but our guys have shown they’re very resolute, and showed great character I think as well, to stay with it, when the wind picked up in the second half. So I’m just thrilled for them.”

It didn’t look great for Dublin at half-time, even if they’d just gone in front – so what did he say?

“Well,” he laughs, “I told them to keep their shape. Keep the discipline, but within that framework to express themselves more. If the shots were on to go for it, and to keep the tempo up on the game. Ultimately if it became a dog fight between two teams we’d have enough in the tank in the end.”

Roscommon manager Nigel Dineen had no complaints, rightly proud of his team and the way they tested Dublin: “We probably had a couple more chances that we should have taken and didn’t and that gave Dublin the momentum to come back into it.

“They’d a purple patch then for the last 15 minutes and we were completely outplayed by them. Their bench was very strong when they came on, they were bringing in big men, one after another, and that pushed them forward.

“We tried to change it around at midfield, tried to get players in there but it was just that the momentum was with them and we just couldn’t hold them.”