It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone was meant to push Jim Gavin’s Dublin to their limit.
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After cruising through Leinster, again, a quarter-final test from Monaghan never materialised.
But Tyrone were different, they had accounted for all Ulster opposition by an average margin of 14 points.
The theory was that if any man could outwit the Dubs it would be Mickey Harte. This will be tight, the Dubs will be pushed to the pin of their collar.
It wasn’t supposed to be this easy.
But it was.
And that’s because, according to Sunday Game analyst Tomás Ó Sé, they made a "mockery of blanket defence", that famed Tyrone weapon.
Speaking on the Sunday Game Live Facebook special, Joe Brolly did not mince his words when assessing the Tyrone effort.
"Once their primary system was destroyed, there wasn't anything else there," he said.
On Sunday night’s programme, former Dublin midfielder Ciarán Whelan detailed how the hosts got around that particular trap.
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"Dublin stay out of the danger zone," he said.
"That D zone. Dean Rock and Paddy Andrews are inside, Tyrone are getting their two sweepers back to get their structure in place but the lads play with phenomenal width, they hug the sidelines, they’re willing to be patient.
"Paddy Andrews drifts out and comes back in, takes a great angle, he was instrumental in the first 20 minutes.
"Here, out the sideline, they’re willing to go from one side of the pitch to the other. They pull the Tyrone lads out of position, it makes it very difficult.
"I think Jim Gavin picked a particular set of forwards to play this type of game, lads with quick hands, pace, there is space inside, they didn’t kick the ball into that space once all day where the sweepers were. They were happy to go around the edges.
"In this example it’s like a rugby situation. McManamon is hugging the touchline, the ball is going out there once they get across to the central position, it’s instinctive, there’s the zone, we’re not kicking in there.
"We’re going to retain possession, we’ll pull Tyrone defenders out, use the full width of the pitch, go across the line, straight away out to McManamon, he sees a one-on-one and comes in.
"Philly McMahon and the other defenders were drifting in from deep, hoping that Tyrone defenders wouldn’t pick them out and Dublin players might pick them out but they were keeping their key players around that semi-circle.
"It’s something we’ve seen before but they’re just getting better at it and it pulled the Tyrone defence all over the place."
