DUBLIN BECAME THE outright holders of the longest unbeaten run across league and championship last night, but only a fool would expect Jim Gavin to talk up their achievement.
The 2-29 to 0-14 mauling at Croke Park consigned Roscommon to relegation, while Dublin extended their undefeated streak to 35-games and moved back to the top of the Division 1 table.
While Gavin acknowledged that his players “might look back and they might take something” from the record after they finish their careers, for now they’re fully focused on the battles that lie ahead.
It may be rare old times for Dublin supporters, but inside the camp it’s business as usual as the county chases a fifth straight league crown.
“I can’t control what people say about the team,” Gavin said after the 21-point victory. “(The record) certainly has not been mentioned by the players.
“It’s always been about the next game. We’ll review that game obviously tonight and what we can learn from it, and there is some learning from it, that’s for sure.
“You know, games that they’ve performed in like this one are now in the past. They need to regroup again and focus on what’s ahead. That’s always been our philosophy and it ain’t going to change now.”
This Dublin side have become defined by their insatiable thirst for success, typified by their recent two-year stretch without a defeat.
Rather than worrying about records and silverware, Gavin says his team’s only focus is on performance. After that, everything else will take care of itself.
“The currency we deal in is performance and that’s what we try to strive for every day.
“We got a good performance there today but we didn’t get the complete one and that’s what we’re always striving for and what we’ll be going after against Monaghan, which will be a completely different tactical game but one that we’ll enjoy. We enjoy those challenges.
“We’re satisfied with where we’re at, we’re slowly building. I thought Kerry looked very fit for this time of the year last weekend and that game would have brought the players who played on an awful lot in terms of their match fitness.
“We started quite late in January and even out there tonight the players who were on for the full 70 that would have done them good as well in terms of the match fitness piece so we have a week to train now and go to Monaghan and we’ll take it from there.”
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