JIm Gavin: Sunday’s game will tell the tale of where we are

Dublin manager Jim Gavin says Sunday’s NFL Division 1 final against Cork in Croke Park (4.0) will tell the tale of where the Dubs are currently as they begin to turn their attention to the upcoming Championship.

His side finished their regulation league games on a winning streak before edging out Monaghan in their semi-final, while on Sunday they will be hoping of winning the league for the third year in-a-row.

“To win four games on the bounce, at the important part of the league, when it was required, is a great testament to them,” says Jim.

“Coming out of the game next Sunday, we’ll know exactly where we are.”

The Dublin boss says one of their priorities of the league was to give game-time to some new players and test the strength in depth of the panel - “trying to develop new players, and that can be a rough sea. But it’s something that we just need to stick at and get through.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s encounter with the Rebels, Jim acknowledges that Brian Cuthbert’s outfit have arguably been the most impressive side in the country to date in 2015.

“They’ve been very, very impressive. Certainly they’ve worked on their defensive structure. They’re very solid at the back, getting a lot of players back.

“They’ve got quality forwards. Colm O’Neill has been outstanding - his goal tally, points tally, game sense. He’s got balance. He’s a fantastic finisher: I don’t think I’ve seen him miss a one-on-one. That’s how good he is. I know Brian Hurley well from the ‘21s’ - he gave us a lot of trouble then and has grown as a player.”