The All-Ireland final futures of Bernard Brogan and Paul Flynn are the "biggest test" facing Dublin manager Jim Gavin ahead of next weekend's replay against Mayo, says Meath legend Bernard Flynn.
The Blues veterans' poor displays in Sunday's drawn decider against the Connacht side were well below their past big-game performances, but were unfortunately typical of their under-par seasons.
We need your consent to load this SoundCloud contentWe use SoundCloud to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Neither player found the target as Dublin struggled to score from play and two-time Royals All-Ireland winner Flynn believes Gavin will be taking a huge risk by showing continued loyalty to the duo.
"I think this is the biggest test facing Jim Gavin, and I really do mean this," the RTÉ analyst said on 2fm's Game On.
"Think about the scenario - let's say the likes of Flynn and Brogan, and whether you like it or not, the best players in the world, when their confidence is drained, when that goes, no matter what your name or how big a player... you thrive on confidence.
"Let's say he starts them, and he has to take two or three of them off again. I'm telling you, Mayo will win."
The 51-year-old also believes that the incredible success enjoyed by Dublin in the last half-decade might finally be catching up with some members of the panel.
"We're starting to see some of the Dublin minds tiring, with all due respect to what they've done. They are around a good while. Flynn has been immense and dragged that team through the gutters when no one else was doing it. Brogan has been brilliant."
Fellow analyst Conor Mortimer argued that Gavin's persistence with his misfiring stars is an indictment of a lack of options within his supposedly deep squad.
"You have to go back to the squads," the former Mayo forward said.
"Look at the Dublin subs, and Jim Gavin is looking at what they are doing in training. There's not an awful lot of them doing it, bar Paddy Andrews. I wouldn't start Eoghan O'Gara."
