Dublin footballer Paddy Andrews has insisted that his failure to shake the hand of Mayo's Cillian O'Connor ahead of the All-Ireland SFC final was an accident.

Footage of the incident showed Andrews walking past O’Connor without extending his hand to him, a gesture which prompted many to suggest that he had deliberately ignored the Ballintubber man.

Andrews, who went on to help Dublin to a third consecutive All-Ireland title that day, says he has seen the clip but says that it was an innocent mistake, and that there was no intention to disrespect his opponent.

"No, I didn’t mean to do that whatsoever, I can clarify that," he told RTÉ Sport at an AIG Heroes Event in Dublin today.

"I’ve a lot of respect for Cillian O’Connor, I think he’s one of the best players in the country and a phenomenal player for Mayo.

"I’ve seen the clip, "he continued, "someone showed it to me back that night, but I genuinely didn’t notice (the mistake) at the time.

"I absolutely didn’t mean to do that, I wouldn’t be a fan of that type of thing. If anyone’s watched me play for 10 years, that’s not what I get into. It was just a mistake and I’m sure Cillian won’t be too bothered about it either.

"You don’t pay too much attention (to the pre-match handshake), as you can see," he laughed.

Despite the fierce competition among the Dublin forwards, Andrews continues to make a strong pitch for a place in Jim Gavin’s team.

The St Brigid's man kicked two points from play before he was substituted in the 44th minute of their All-Ireland semi-final victory over Tyrone, and posted three scores before making way inside the hour mark of the 10-point win over Monaghan in the quarter-final. He also provided the assist for Dean Rock’s second half goal in that fixture.

Andrews however, was withdrawn at half-time in the All-Ireland final clash against Mayo, having been held scoreless in the opening period.

But the 29-year-old is keen to keep learning, and is grateful for whatever stretch of time he gets to prove himself in a Dublin jersey.

"Whatever time you’re on the pitch, you’ve got to try and make it count as much as you can," he said.

"There’s no throwing the toys out of the pram, whether you’re on the pitch or off the pitch"

"And whether that’s from the start or from the bench or from wherever, you’re only one part of a whole team. You’ve got to leave your ego at the door. There’s no throwing the toys out of the pram, whether you’re on the pitch or off the pitch.

"I was happy to play quite a bit of the games, I tried to play and help the team as much as I could. Could I have played better? Yeah, absolutely of course but no-one has it cracked.

"You’re always trying to become a better player. The main things was that we won the All-Ireland again, that was the key and ultimate goal.

"Whether you’re playing the whole time or not playing at all, every player that was in that panel and in that dressing room was over the moon that we achieved our goals."