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Dublin coach Dessie Farrell accepts his team had a comfortable passage to the Irish final, but has warned his players that Mayo will present a much tougher challenge.
The Dubs have won all four of their championship games by an average of 17 points and had 15 to spare over surprise Ulster champions Cavan in the semifinal.
In his first season in charge, they appear to be sailing towards a sixth title in a row, but Farrell is wary of opponents who raced to Dublin to a point in 2016 and 2017.
“We are not concerned, but it is a fact that there is now a big step up in the standard,” he said of his team’s unhindered progress to date.
“Invariably, when you get to this stage of the competition, more is expected and demanded of you in terms of your own level of performance.
“Having seen Mayo play (Tipperary) and having seen them overcome the Connacht campaign, they have been tremendously impressive.
“James Horan has done a great job transitioning so many new players. They have been playing a lovely form of football and bringing a level of intensity, injecting a lot of rhythm into their game.”
“They are a formidable opposition. There is a great rivalry between Dublin and Mayo over the years and Saturday will be no different.”
May has five goals and it was Cillian O’Connor shining again in the confusion of the Croke Park fog #RTEGAA @ Rte2 @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/1VNFks5SKL
– Sunday’s game (@TheSundayGame) December 6, 2020
Mayo crushed Tipperary 5-20 to 3-13 in their semifinal, and Farrell has focused more on the “for” column at that score than the “against.”
“It was a great score for Mayo,” he reflected. “Cillian O’Connor had a fabulous solo performance.
“They have added some new players to their forward division. Tommy Conroy is on the full forward line and has also been an exceptional player this season.
“They have injected rhythm at all times. They are formidable up front and will put us to the limit on defense.
“I know there has been some speculation about the Mayo defense, but to be fair, I think they knew the game was in the bag.”
“They have some really solid seasoned defenders and the new guys that have come in have done a really good job all season as well.
“So we will not be reading too much about possible weaknesses.”
Covid-19 has ensured that Saturday’s final will be the closest to Christmas Day, overshadowing the decisive one in 1916, which was played on December 17 of that momentous year.
Farrell says the unusual moment adds to the feel of the occasion at the end of a season that was feared would not be completed.
“There sure is a sense of excitement,” he said. “It’s an all-Ireland final on Christmas week, something very different.”
“It has been a difficult year for many people, but there is a lot of optimism and light at the end of the tunnel, in terms of the launch of the vaccine and perhaps a very different 2021.”
“It has also been a challenge for the players, but it is great to have started again and to have reached this point. It has been important that people have something to look forward to.
“Players on both sides would very much welcome a nice Christmas present this year.”
Watch the all-Ireland senior soccer final between Dublin and May live on RTÉ2 starting at 3:40 PM on Saturday, listen to the commentary live on RTÉ Radio 1 or follow our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ app News. The highlights of Saturday’s game (9:55 pm RTÉ2).
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