Former Dublin footballer Ger Brennan has given under-fire Dublin forwards Paul Flynn and Bernard Brogan his backing ahead of Saturday’s All-Ireland final replay at Croke Park.
Flynn and Brogan have been mainstays of the Dublin attack for many years, but both have come under the spotlight after indifferent performances against Mayo in the 2-09 to 0-15 draw.
However, Brennan, who hung up his inter-county boots at the end of last season, expects little or no change in the Dublin line-up.
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"If you make more than one change during the championship period it can alter the dynamics of a whole team," the St Vincent’s clubman said.
"I think Bernard and Paul have, and continue to be, massive servants to Dublin football.
"What a lot of supporters may not be aware of is their massive influence in the dressing room.
"Their leadership is immeasurable and to have their influence off and on the field, I think is a massive asset for Dublin to have going into the game.
"If there is a change there may be one, but I’d be surprised if there is."
Reflecting on the draw, and Dublin’s underwhelming display, Brennan said: "From a Dublin perspective, the guys would have been disappointed in terms of how they performed and I think had they won the game in that manner, I don’t think it would have tasted as sweet as previous victories.
"So, here’s hoping Dublin can put things right come this Saturday.
"I think a draw was certainly the fairest result. You’d have to commend Mayo’s strength of character and how they finished off the game.
"I think there are a couple of different factors that would have influenced the poor Dublin performance.
"One of the biggest factors would have been maybe the outside conversation going on around the team in terms of this being possibly one of the best Dublin teams ever going for the double.
"Those type of things as a player, although you’re trained and prepared in dealing with those external factors, they do eventually creep in on you in some shape or form.
"Sometimes you just have a bad day and I don’t think we’ve had a bad day in maybe 23 games since the All-Ireland semi-final against Donegal."
Dublin’s players have largely been absent from the public eye since the drawn game, but Brennan believes their withdrawal from the gaze of the media is understandable, saying: "With such a short gap between the draw and the replay, it’s important that players are recharged mentally as best as possible, and staying away from the media is probably a good thing to do from a player’s perspective."
