Despite having lost a first match in 12 months on Saturday, Dublin football manager

Jim Gavin

doesn’t believe there’s a significant difference between the county’s form at present and at this time last year and sees similarities between the two campaigns

None the less the All-Ireland champions’ two wins have come against the teams at the bottom of the division, Kerry and Westmeath, and Saturday’s defeat by Cork was the first since Tyrone beat them a year ago, also in Croke Park

"In the second half I thought defensively we did quite well and kept them to six scores and that is a very good Cork unit," said Gavin at yesterday's announcement that Toyota Ireland will be the county GAA's official car partner.

"But they put up a defensive wall against us and tried to defend their lead and we prodded and probed and got some shots off that weren't executed well but that's just a lesson to be learned . . . and we need to be more clinical in our finishing.

A bite
"I think the energy is still there. Probably the most pleasing thing in all three games is that there is a bite amongst the squad and that's a quality that you can't really sense in the training field. It's really in the competitive games where that will manifest itself . . .

“We are still trying to implement our game plan and tweak it ever so slightly but I think there are a lot of similarities.

“We are not getting the scores we got last year but we are still creating the opportunities and we had two goal chances in the first half that we could have taken and if we had taken one of those that would have been the difference in the game.”

That aspect of their game hasn't been helped by the absence of two thirds of the All-Ireland winning attack – Paddy Andrews, club-tied Diarmuid Connolly and All Stars Paul Flynn and Bernard Brogan – as well as one of team's prolific replacements Dean Rock.

Blatant fouling
Tyrone manager Mickey Harte said on Sunday he believed the all-out attacking style favoured by Dublin had been having an influence on teams in what has been a conspicuously high-scoring league to date. He said that in his view that was more significant than the new black card, which has been discouraging cynical and blatant fouling.

Gavin believes that both factors have had an impact.

“I think it has been a combination of both – the teams that have been successful like Dublin, Mayo, Kerry and even Tyrone last year were quite offensive. The four teams in the All-Ireland semi-finals last year were good attacking teams so that trend has followed through to this year.

“But I think also recognition has to be given to the FRC for introducing the black card. We haven’t seen that many deliberate pull-downs or blocks or trips in any of the games because if they do that the players know they will get a black card.

“So I certainly would think that has contributed as well. With the type of open football that we are seeing, teams are running at defences and getting their rewards for doing that.”

All-Ireland champions have had a hard time defending the title in the past 25 years and only one manager has achieved back-to-back titles. Asked about the difficulties being champions creates for teams, Gavin focused on the close-season restrictions on training, which don’t permit All-Ireland finalists to return to collective training until the year’s end.

Collective training
"Well, it was more to do with Croke Park, if I'm honest. We weren't allowed to go back collective training until late in December. So that had a big impact. Certainly, for the early stages of the year, you're playing catch-up in terms of the work that has to be done with the players. Whereas some teams can prepare in October and November, you're running into the Christmas season. So that has been enforced on us.

“But no, we’re taking the same approach. We’re selecting the players who we deem to be playing the best football in the county and giving them their chance. Each game we play in, we want to do our very best. We want to get consistency of performance and be efficient and economical in front of goal. . . .

“So, that process is the same. We take each game on its merits. And we clinically review each game, whether we win or lose. The process remains the same. We’re trying to learn our lessons and grow as a team.

"But to concede seven [points from] frees is there to be worked on. But it was an outstanding display from Daniel Goulding – clinical free-taking, probably the best I've seen since his All-Ireland performance in 2010."