It was a battle from the the first ball thrown in two weeks ago. And it was one that Dublin and their throng of fans wanted to win to make history.
And it was no more than you could sense when Marty Morrissey caught up with Diarmuid Connolly shortly after Maurice Deegan blew the final whistle.
Selected in the RTÉ Team Of The Year, the St. Vincents man payed tribute to Dublin’s band of supporters, to the Mayo team that put them to the test over two games, and to his own team who didn’t just defend this All Ireland, they came out, attacked it and won it by any means.
And as cool as Diarmuid is, his explanation of the penalty was as icy as you’d expect…
“It was just take a breath, put it in the corner, and walk away. That’s all it is”
