A Dublin victory in Sunday’s All-Ireland final would have been tantamount to daylight robbery, according to former Sky Blues stalwart Ciaran Whelan.
The All-Ireland champions were held to a draw by Mayo in the first instalment of this year’s decider at Croke Park this afternoon, as Cillian O’Connor hit a last-gasp point to take the game to a replay on Saturday week.
And two-time All Star Whelan believes that Dublin’s performance was not worthy of an All-Ireland title, as he deemed it one of the worst under the tenure of Jim Gavin.
“It was a poor game but it was pulsating." - Whelan
In fact, the Raheny man believes that Mayo “left it behind” at Croke Park today and may rue that missed opportunity to land their first All-Ireland title since 1951.
“Dublin didn’t play to the level that we expected them to,” said Whelan, speaking on The Sunday Game.
Whelan referenced the fact that the Dublin's starting forwards only got two points from play, while Gavin’s side went 29 minutes in the first half without getting a score and a further fifteen minutes at the start of the second half.
“Any team that goes those long periods really doesn’t deserve to win a game,” Whelan added.
“It was a poor game but it was pulsating and it kept you on the edge of your seat.
“If Dublin had of got over the line, it would have really felt like daylight robbery. It was probably one of the poorest performances under Jim Gavin.”
And while Whelan was full of praise for the game-plan and intensity that Mayo brought to Sunday’s final, he believes that Dublin will not play that poorly again, and the Green and Red missed a real opportunity to land the Sam Maguire.
“Mayo went for it. They came up and they brought an intensity,” said Whelan. “And they went at the Dublin team; they got in their faces today.
“They were very solid defensively. They mightn’t have been as great at the other end of the field and they will feel there were missed chances at their end as well.
“In my opinion, they left it behind. Dublin were there for the taking today and they left it behind them.”
Tomás Ó Sé, Dessie Dolan and Ciaran Whelan offer their thoughts on the All-Ireland football final. https://t.co/gdWzr5geST
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) September 18, 2016
