Former Dublin manager Mickey Whelan says he is confident that the All-Ireland champions are peaking at the right time ahead of their semi-final against Mayo.
Dublin meet Mayo on Sunday at Croke Park and Whelan, who stepped down as coach following last year’s All-Ireland success, believes Dublin have timed their preparations perfectly.
Whelan, who was being inducted into the All-Ireland Kick Fada hall of fame this morning, admitted Dublin now target the latter stages of the Championship, saying: "It is a risk, but that’s what we live for.
"I mean, what’s the point in being at your best and winning the first round and getting beaten in the second round? You have to make judgements.
"Guys are fluting around with racehorses all the time and dogs - they’re holding them back. I’d say Kerry are the experts of that. They bring guys out of the woodwork every year.
"These are the only two games that count. Nothing else counts up to now. We could have been hammered in Leinster and you’re still in the back door. Last year we took a chance, we didn’t focus on Leinster, but we still won it because we’re a good enough team."
"These are the only two games that count. Nothing else counts up to now" - Mickey Whelan
Whelan also believes the All-Ireland win will help Dublin to victory on Sunday saying: "Mayo are a very good team in their own right, and James Horan is doing a fabulous job with them. But when you’ve an All-Ireland under your belt, there’s an innate confidence there.
"Certainly, we worked at changing the mental profile. If people scored against you, this team doesn’t die."
Whelan added: "The team now is beginning to have a unity of purpose. They know what each other’s doing. If one guy makes a run, the guy with the ball knows whether he’s making the run to get it or if he’s making the run to open it for somebody else.
"So they’ve become more telepathic over the last couple of years so they’re on the same wavelength and a team like that, with an All-Ireland under their belt, are always in the running.
"Most teams that didn’t win two-in-a-row went before this stage, I think. They were caught in knockout provincial championships, one-off, gone."
