Roscommon's gameplan frustrated Dublin in Sunday's All-Ireland SFC round-robin clash, according to Éamonn Fitzmaurice, with the former Kerry player and manager adding there was "no mean skill and athleticism" from the Rossies as they earned a share of the spoils at Croke Park.
Stoppage-time points from substitute Conor Cox and Donie Smith did the trick for Roscommon who have put themselves in a strong position to advance to the All-Ireland group stage. Indeed, Cox had a chance to win it late on.
Afterwards, Rossies manager Davy Burke was a little disappointed his troops did not bring away both points from Jones' Road, in what was another performance to indicate that the Kildare native has the Primrose and Blue going in the right direction.
Meanwhile, former Mayo star Lee Keegan, was full of praise for the Roscommon effort.
"They had high energy levels and are going well all year," he said, speaking on the RTÉ GAA Podcast.
"They brought the gameplan we associate them with but they were very comfortable in the first half. You take the last score before half-time from Ciaráin Murtagh, they had the ball for nearly six minutes before that. They probably ran out of a bit of puff in the second half but finished strongly.
"Ciaráin Murtagh was my man of the match. They deserved the draw and could have got the win late on."
On how Roscommon made life difficult for Dublin, Éamonn Fitzmaurice, also a guest on the podcast, added: "The teams that have done well in the league, that have had a few weeks to eye up the opposition, they are coming with a very specific plan that they have practiced and rehearsed.
"It reminded me in ways of a Jose Mourinho approach to a game of football. A lot of it was based on frustrating Dublin with the way they played"
"Davy Burke has a very good backroom team and has proven himself to be an able operator. He has Mark McHugh involved, Eddie Lohan and Gerry McGowan, who would have done a good bit of work with Clare before. They have a good bit of experience in the backroom team.
"Since the draw was made Davy Burke has been getting ready for this game. In many ways they out-Dublined Dublin. The score that Lee mentioned before half-time. Often times you could have a good 25-30 minutes against them and then they put on a bit of a power-play coming up to half-time. Roscommon didn't allow them to do that and frustrated the life out of them and frustrated the Hill.
"It reminded me in ways of a Jose Mourinho approach to a game of football. A lot of it was based on frustrating Dublin with the way they played. They deserve huge credit for that and with no mean skill and athleticism.
"There is clearly a serious spirit within the group because when the Dubs went ahead, we've seen it a 100 times, they come back and somehow get it done. Roscommon just wouldn't go away and could have won it late on with that shot from Conor Cox."
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As for Dublin, Keegan felt it was a "strange" day at the office for a side who are expected to top a group that also has Kildare and Sligo involved.
"There is a lot of discussion around where Dublin are at at the moment. I was kind of highlighting their inconsistencies throughout the year - trying to get back-to-back performances. We've alluded to the challenge of not playing Division 1 teams. Yesterday was a strange one, particularly the first half. They were very passive. You take the last score before half-time.
"I never associate a Dublin team with not getting like that before. In their pomp, they were hands on, aggressive, and in your face. You never had one second on the ball, never mind six minutes. I found that a strange moment in the game."
Fitzmaurice feels Dessie Farrell side needs an occasion to motivate them again, "to get the juices flowing".
"There are two things that are kind of emerging: they seem to play to the level of the opposition and the other thing that is becoming a pattern is that they've won so much, have seen it all, they now almost need an angle. When we look at their big performances over the last 12 months, Kerry always brings it out of them; the sight of the Kerry jersey in the All-Ireland semi-final.
"They put in a huge performance. This season they played very well in the Leinster final against Louth, that was after Louth put it up to them in the league. If they were to meet Roscommon again I think we'd see a different Dublin. I don;t think it's a motivation thing, I just think they need something to get the juices flowing.
"They have work to do; they are a bit of an imponderable at the moment."
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