HE MAY HAVE watched his side produce their biggest win of this year’s All-Ireland Senior Football Championship but Dublin manager Jim Gavin refuses to accept they have yet to be tested in 2014
Despite coming out on top by 17 points – just weeks after a 16-point victory over Meath in the Leinster final – the Sam Maguire winning boss was keen to stress his team would have been punished had they not performed to their best yesterday.
“I think it was a stern examination today, if Dublin did not bring a performance to Croke Park, we would not have got the result,” insisted Gavin after the game.
“Any dip in form, Monaghan would have hurt us.
“The success [Monaghan] had was based on hard work and that’s what they demonstrated.
“There are lots of tired minds and bodies in that Dublin dressing-room.”
Gavin went on to praise his team for their resolve after they were held to just three points in the opening 24 minutes; the defending champions scored 2-19 over the remaining 46 minutes.
“The key strength of this Dublin group is their mental resolve and their industry and they’re an intelligent group of men who kept prodding and probing the opposition and looking for gaps to form.
“They kept their composure and found small little chinks of light along the way.
“There was a great spirit and energy amongst then and they’ll have to keep it that way for the next game.”
