‘I think we still have areas we can improve on’ – Stephen Cluxton

This was just a pitstop for Dublin, nothing more. When the story of 2014 comes to be written, it will be well down the page. Get in, get it done, get out. The fact that they shaped the day so comprehensively to their own liking pleased them for sure but you wouldn’t say it pleased them no end. There was a very definite end. Last weekend of April, nothing but serious business from here on out.

"I am very satisfied to win that game," said Jim Gavin. "Being a national final it is good to win. There were some good passages of play, which is pleasing and I think we took our opportunities in the first quarter and they probably didn't. We got a bit of momentum and they found it hard to come back from. Overall, in a National League final, you have got to be happy to win.

“Probably in the league it was [our best performance]. In patches. There were some areas that we conceded chances to them which we wouldn’t be happy with but I think in the totality of the game it probably was, yeah.”

And the fact that it made them the first Dublin team ever to win back-to-back leagues? A consideration for another day.

"Yeah I'm sure when we look back on it, we'll reflect on those thoughts. I said it was a game to be won, we won it. We move on to the championship in six weeks' time and that's where our spotlight has already shifted."

Reliable
His players were reliably on message too. Stephen Cluxton was asked if the performance was more important than the title or the other way around.

“For me, I’m always looking for a performance. The guys are capable of it, I see it in training week-in, week-out. When they play the way they can, it comes to fruition. The performance for me. You get to look back at your titles when you’re old. I’m old but I’m not that old.

"I think we still have areas we can improve on. That's the bonus. You go out and try to achieve, to play as best you can. You've got to be critical. There's places we can work on. It's important that you don't become stagnant. I think Johnny Cooper said it during the week, if we don't progress, we'll be caught. The onus is on us to keep pushing ourselves as a group. That's the bottom line."

Cian O’Sullivan wasn’t quite as dogmatic about the whole enterprise. Though life as a Dublin footballer since he has been involved has meant boundless milk and honey, there are still enough voices in the panel to recall a time when this wasn’t the case. The oldest of them, for one.

"The title does mean something, definitely. This competition has become more and more competitive so this means a lot to lads. Like, Alan Brogan was saying inside there that he's been playing with Dublin for 13 years and this is the first time he's played in a league final. They don't come around too often.

“It’s great to have another league medal in the back pocket. We pulled away in the second half there and won by 15 points in the end or whatever it was and we definitely weren’t expecting that. It was a tough battle in the first half - we were only seven points up at half-time. And we know from our games against Cork and Tyrone that leads can slip pretty easily. So we’re happy with the way we pushed on and made it comfortable in the end.

“It was a tough campaign. Every year since I’ve got involved with Dublin, the league seems to be getting more and more intense. So it’s not easy to win a title and two in a row is a testament to the team. It’s just a case of setting your own standards and trying not to take your foot off the gas. We did that in the second half and we’re very satisfied with ourselves.

“As much as anything, getting the extra games is a big thing.

“That was a competitive game, the semi-final against Cork was as well. You’re not going to get those games anywhere else in the country at this time of year. So it’s great preparation for the championship.”