Mayo will face no Croke Park sanction over the three members of their management team who gained unauthorised access to last month s All-Ireland final.
His team left every fibre, every cuticle out on that field and yet, for the last 10 minutes or so, Dublin were rolling home with all the ease of a pleasure steamer. We are just stenographers in their world now, tasked with transcribing the small detail of outlandish numbers.
They are an imperious, undramatic team built to work through these days logically and without fuss.
It’s true that nobody rattles Dublin physically quite like Mayo, yet where is the comfort in that after eight years without a league or championship win against the city team? So just take some pictures and place them in plastic like the others.
On the evening of May 19, 2012, Dean Rock was engrossed in the Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich when his phone lit up with a call from Pat Gilroy.
Dublin were due to play Louth in a couple of weeks in the opening round of the Leinster SFC, the first game of their All-Ireland SFC defence.
The optimist in Rock assumed the manager was giving advance notice of his championship debut, sufficient time to get his head around the occasion. Turns out, he was being dropped from the squad. It just transpired that, for whatever reason, I wasn t deemed good enough at the time, Rock shrugs now.
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Dr Mick Loftus. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILE
Dr Loftus says the build-up to this All-Ireland final is different from other years and everyone is more subdued.
“I don’t believe there isn’t the same excitement. It’s different definitely this year with all that is going on.
“Everything is a bit quieter because we all have to watch it at home.
“Mayo people always go to Croke Park. Mayo has the greatest supporters, so this is strange to have to be at home.
“I do think the excitement is building up now that it is drawing close.
Admitting he is disappointed not being able to attend this final in Croke Park, Dr Loftus thinks it could be good for Mayo.