Former All-Ireland-winning Dublin captain John O'Leary believes goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton will silence any doubters with an “outstanding” display against Mayo after an uncharacteristically jittery performance on Sunday.
The Dubs were cruising in the All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry when Cluxton’s wayward kickout drifted into the hands of Paul Geaney, who launched a swift attack that ended in a Darran O’Sullivan goal.
After sending another kickout straight into touch, Cluxton then failed to deal with Anthony Maher’s long punt, allowing Geaney to steal in and raise a second green flag.
Jim Gavin revealed after the game that the 34-year-old delivered a composed and reasoned half-time team talk in the dressing room as the Dubs went on to squeak a classic encounter by two points, 0-22 to 2-14, but the damage the Kingdom inflicted on their opponents in that period before the break had some observers pointing to a possible glitch in a supremely well-oiled machine.
O’Leary - who lifted Sam Maguire in 1995 - rejected that, and backed Cluxton to prove his class when it matters most.
“He's captain for a reason,” O’Leary told RTÉ Sport.
“By all accounts his half-time speech galvanised the team and they came out fighting again.
“To do that on the back of the two goals that came off his mistakes shows he had the strength of character to put it behind him. I've no doubt he'll come out and have an outstanding game the next day.
"Dublin won 18 out of 21 kickouts. Unfortunately on the other three Kerry got two goals out of it. That's the risk when you're taking short kickouts.
“The forward is trying to mark two players or make you go to one or the other, then try and anticipate where you're going and unfortunately (Geaney) anticipated which one of the two players it was going to. It was unfortunate from Stephen's point of view. I wouldn't get hung up on it.”
Gavin’s frighteningly powerful panel will be hot favourites to capture a fourth All-Ireland crown in six years when they square up to perennial bridesmaids Mayo.
The westerners are looking to avoid a third final loss in five years, and O’Leary - who tasted defeat in two deciders himself - gives them every chance of finally ending their drought.
'Kickout crisis' - Colm O'Rourke on Stephen Cluxton's first-half difficulties against Kerry https://t.co/Gm961gimOk
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) August 28, 2016
"It's now down to a 70-minute game, one shot at it, and from Mayo's perspective they'll be saying, ‘well let's give this a good go, a good lash, and anything can happen',” he said.
"Statistically Mayo are going to win an All-Ireland at some stage. At some stage they're going to win it. Dublin have to guard against complacency. They're going to be red-hot favourites no matter what they try to do to talk themselves down. That's going to be really, really difficult. It's a big task to actually manage the expectations outside the camp. Jim seems to have them in a good space, but they'll have to work on that.”
Painful All-Ireland final defeats to Donegal (in 1992) and Down (in 1994) came before O’Leary got to raise Sam into the Croke Park sky.
The capital had to wait 16 years for another glorious September, but that 2011 victory against Kerry has acted as a catalyst for a golden period that shows no sign of ending.
“They've an edge in terms of the All-Irelands they've won,” O’Leary said when comparing his side to the current swashbuckling Sky Blues.
“The class of ’95 had played two finals before that and a semi-final and lost them all so we were there or thereabouts knocking on the door; that's why we made the breakthrough.
"They’ve made the breakthrough much earlier in terms of their five-year span. They're very consistent.
“They're a better team based on trophies, on the cabinet. They're just a phenomenal team. Sunday showed that they have a cohesiveness and a desire and resilience which no team will win an All-Ireland without.
"It's what you need. They look in really strong condition at the moment.”
