Dublin can only beat what is put in front of them, says Dessie Farrell
Dessie Farrell is unconcerned about the facile nature of Dublin's wins thus far in the championship; the Sky Blues await Mayo or Tipperary in the final; you can watch the second All-Ireland semi-final live on Sky Sports Mix from 2:30pm on Sunday
Sunday 6 December 2020 14:25, UK
Dublin are hot on the heels of a sixth consecutive All-Ireland title after a facile semi-final victory over Cavan.
The Sky Blues have swept Westmeath, Laois, Meath and now Cavan aside by a combined 69 points to reach an eighth decider in 10 seasons, but manager Dessie Farrell feels they have been tested in the championship.
"I'd say we have [been tested] to be fair. At this stage of the competition, every time you progress onwards the competition is stiffer and I think we have applied ourselves and prepared accordingly," he said.
"All we can do is get ready for whatever opposition presents and we work hard in terms of the stuff that we need to do and we get ready for that. How does that set you up for a different type of an All-Ireland final against stronger opposition? Who can tell. But all we can do is stick to what we have been doing and continue on as we are.
"[There's been] a lot of speculation about the standard of Leinster competition. That's out of our control. All we can do is play the opponents that come our way.
"With each game, those tests get stiffer and stiffer. And I have no doubt the winner of [Sunday's] game will prove a massive challenge to us in an All-Ireland final in two weeks' time."
The Na Fianna club man was pleased with the manner in which his side swept the Anglo-Celt Cup winners aside.
"Cavan were Ulster champions for a very good reason. We had the utmost respect [for them] coming into this game, and delighted to get out the other side," he said.
"They bring a level of intensity that we probably wouldn't have encountered. And we looked for that to be matched, if not overcome. The fellas worked really, really hard today."
Graham: We came up against a far superior opposition
Meanwhile, opposite number Mickey Graham was in a stoic mood following his side's defeat, noting the Breffni County must strive to match Dublin's standards in the coming years.
"We came up against a far superior opposition," he said. "They were playing the game the way it should be played. And we will look at the standards they have set, and look at trying to get up to those standards because they were very, very impressive.
"People talk about the players they have, and the quality they have and the skillset they have. But what impressed me about Dublin was their work ethic when they didn't have the ball, how every man put their shoulder to the wheel to get it back. That was a collective effort from all over the field from every single man. That probably goes unseen at times.
"A wee bit like Barcelona under Pep Guardiola kind of thing, that's a credit to them and that's the standard they've set.
"It's up to other teams to try and get up to that level.
"Hopefully we can build on this season. To win an Ulster Championship, I'm 45 years of age and it's only the second one I've ever witnessed. So to do that will give these lads great confidence. But also, for lads doubting was it worth playing football for Cavan again might say, 'Do you know what? That's what I want to do'. If it inspires the next generation of Cavan footballers, it will be a success."
So can the Dubs be beaten in the decider?
"It's sport. Anyone can be beaten," said Graham. "It's how you go about doing it. But it's going to be a big ask for whoever gets there, Tipperary or Mayo. We've had our turn at it and we've failed. So it's up to one of them to give it a go the next day."
