It’s 36-not-out for the Dubs, but the boss wasn’t happy with the manner of the win over Monaghan.
Kerry await in the Allianz Football League final but Dublin boss Jim Gavin knows that his side will have to produce a far sturdier performance than that which saw them secure a late 2-15 to 1-15 win over Monaghan in Clones on Sunday.
Jack McCaffrey’s late goal secured Dublin’s 36th consecutive victory but it was the performance that was worrying Gavin, who knows that a similar showing against the Kingdom could spell trouble for the All-Ireland champions.
“We probably underperformed there at times this afternoon, and full credit to Monaghan, they really went hard at us,” Gavin told RTÉ.
“They were ahead in the second half and things didn’t look too good, but our boys again showed great resilience and composure and a great grit in the game. We went through the phases and we got a goal to close some of it out and we just pushed on from there.
“We can be very proud of the effort that this team gives. It’s unquestionable.
“The performance is something that we have to reflect on. They’ll know as much as I will that that won’t be good enough going forward.”
In Kerry, Gavin knows his side have a battle on their hands.
“We had a very tough game against Kerry in Tralee a few weeks ago,” he said.
“It could have went either way.
“Over the last number of years, since I’ve been involved, there’s been very little between both sides.
“It’s another great challenge. They’ve got some players coming back from club football as well, so it’s going to be a great game.”
