Former Dublin manager Paul 'Pillar' Caffrey has hailed the "staggering" run of success the Sky Blues have enjoyed since 2011 but expects Mayo to ask questions no one else has to date when they meet in Saturday evening's All-Ireland SFC final.
Caffrey was at the helm when the Dubs were beaten by Mayo in a brilliant semi-final back in 2006. At that time Dublin struggled badly to deliver when the summer reached boiling point but since 2011, when Pat Gilroy led them to a first Sam Maguire since 1995, the floodgates have opened.
They have utterly dominated the landscape, with a sixth All-Ireland title in a row within reach this weekend.
"It's quite staggering because with all the conversation that's been going around – and I think an awful lot of it has been very unfair on this present crop of players – had we not got over the line under Pat Gilroy in 2011, none if this would have been happening," Caffrey told RTÉ's Game On.
"I think that gave a crop of players a bit of a boost to realise that, 'hey look, '95 now is dead and buried, we can start looking forward'. The players certainly grew in a different direction from 2011 onwards.
"It's an unreal crop of players that's come around but to do what they've done and to create history the way they've done, Dessie [Farrell] has come in this year and kept his foot on the tiller... it is remarkable what we're looking at.
"Even to us Dubs, we're pleasantly surprised that, 'yeah look they've landed another one'."
Farrell believes this team has been liberated by completing the five-in-a-row, with Farrell freshening up his panel further by bringing in the likes of Robbie McDaid, who's impressed over the winter.
"Last year I do think there was a lot of pressure on the camp," Caffrey added.
"They said it wasn't spoken about but it had to be in the background of their every waking moment – could they create history? When they did it must have been a huge relief.
"I remember being there that day and watching Jim walking the pitch and taking the applause. I've never seen him in that limelight before. Stephen Cluxton did something similar.
"I thought, 'that's weird now, they have created something special and they realise themselves, this is the end of the journey'.
"When Jim went I thought five or six of them might say, 'you know what, I've given it enough'. But it's rolled out again this year."
Caffrey expects, and hopes for, a good battle at Croke Park in this year's decider, claiming: "This [Dublin] journey will end. I'm hoping it doesn't end Saturday, but Mayo aren't without hope. I wouldn't say this is a foregone conclusion at all.
"Looking in you're hoping that this will be a real contest because we could do with a good game of football to finish the season off. That will entail Mayo turning up and playing their A game, and staying in this game well past the 50th minute."
The Mill at the Hill & Ciaran McDonald's masterclass - Pillar Caffrey shared his memories of the famous 2006 Dublin v Mayo All-Ireland SFC semi-final on @GameOn2FM this evening #RTEgaa pic.twitter.com/8DPzumfZE2
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) December 16, 2020
Watch the All-Ireland senior football final between Dublin and Mayo live on RTÉ2 from 3.40pm Saturday, listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 or follow our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app. Highlights on The Saturday Game (9.55 pm RTÉ2).
Follow All-Ireland senior football final between Dublin and Cork with our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app (from 3pm Sunday) or listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1. Highlights on The Sunday Game (9.30 pm RTÉ2).
