Dublin manager Dessie Farrell paid heartful tribute to his late selector Shane O'Hanlon after his side beat Roscommon "under difficult circumstances".
The Dubs secured their first points of the 2024 Allianz Football League at Croke Park on Saturday night but the win was scant consolation after the sudden death of the St Vincent's man, who had been involved for the county's last eight All-Ireland victories, in Spain last weekend.
"We can't believe it still, we’re in a state of shock that he’s not with us," Farrell told RTÉ Sport.
"It was a very very tough week for players and backroom. For Shane's wife Mary and his wider family… it has been such a sudden shock to everybody.
"People outside the camp won’t realise how important Shane was to us. He was across everything, involved in every aspect of operations and logistics. He was also a selector.
"But he was much more important than that to us, he was such a close close friend to so many. He knew some of the senior players for 10,12 years and cultivated so many great relationships. He had time for everybody.
"We were expecting to see him in the hotel this afternoon, and on the bus and in the dressing-room. All his little ways and the things he did.
"He’s sorely missed and has left a big hole in all our hearts that will be very difficult to fill."
Farrell was satisfied with the 1-19 to 1-12 win after successive defeats to Monaghan and Mayo.
"We probably deserved something against Mayo," he reflected. "It was a very good performance, it just went awry on us a little bit towards the end of the game.
"The two points tonight will be very helpful going forward. I think we were a little bit wasteful in terms of the shooting efficiency, particularly in that first half, a little bit of it cropped up again in the last quarter. But I thought we should have been maybe a couple of points up at half-time [they led by just one].
"Started really well, the first 20 minutes in control, and allowed Roscommon come into the game.
"They took their opportunities very well. They weren't creating that many chances but were nailing any ones they did and it kept them in the game right up until the last five or six minutes. But we saw it out and we were happy with that."
Rossies manager Davy Burke rued the ruling out of what looked like a legitimate first-half goal - Dáire Cregg's handpass glanced off Seán MacMahon and into the net - but felt Dublin were good value for their win.
"It was probably a good goal and it's the second time in three weeks that we’ve had good goals disallowed," he said. "In Division 1, it’s not easy.
"Still, we created five goal chances overall and only took one so a lot of it is on ourselves.
"It probably got away from us just at the end. Both teams legs started to go and it turned into a bit of a challenge-match feel.
"It's early in the season, fitness levels aren’t where they need to be for both sides and cohesion isn’t there.
"It’s Dublin in Croke Park. We needed to be absolutely on it and we just weren’t. They were slicker than us today and fair play to them.
"I was proud of the lads and the effort we put in but we need points. We have one on the board so next Sunday in the Hyde becomes even bigger for ourselves and Monaghan."
Burke revealed that Ben O’Carroll had missed out after picking up a knock in the All-Ireland club final but might be back to face the Oriel County.
