THE ODDS OF them lifting Sam Maguire have been shortened to evens and there has been talk of the ‘double-double’ in the wake of last Sunday’s league final win.
But ex-Dublin legend Barney Rock refuses to subscribe to the theory that Jim Gavin’s current side are streets ahead of the rest of the country and that it’s a fait accompli that they will claim the All-Ireland by next September.
“Cork came out in the first-half of the league semi-final and blitzed Dublin. Last Sunday then Derry were overawed on the day. If it had been played outside Croke Park it may have been a closer game.
“Dublin perform very well in Croke Park. It is their natural home and they do play their best football there. But the league is only one part. You see Cork in recent years, they won three league and only one All-Ireland after that. They probably lost a few more than they won.
“There’s going to be challengers. You’re going to have Cork. I don’t know how much of a setback it was for them in the semi-final. I’d still believe that Mayo will be there and are a good, solid team.
“You’ll have the likes of Kerry as well. Kerry even without the Gooch have looked good at times when they had to win matches. O’Donoghue is playing very well and Ogie Moran’s son is back, he’s a big plus.
“You could have the pick of your North in the sense that you’ll have Monaghan, Derry, Tyrone. Leinster meet Ulster this year in the All-Ireland semi-final.”
Rock identifies Dublin’s strength in depth as a key component of the current setup and does agree they have enhanced their displays in 2014.
“The excellent thing from a Dublin perspective is that no one is guaranteed their place. If your performance is down the Dublin management will move or change players. From Jim Gavin’s point of view he doesn’t be long in that if he sees a problem he addresses it.
“They have taken it to a new level in their last few games. It has been a very good league campaign for Dublin. Certainly if you take the last game and a half, they were awesome in the second-half of the semi-final and then again in the final.”
