Dessie Farrell hails character of players as they win 'big prize'
Victory over Mayo secures a ticket directly into the All-Ireland quarter-finals while Kevin McStay's men go the scenic route.
Dessie Farrell’s Dublin have “the big prize” following a pulsating draw with Mayo at Hyde Park.
Cormac Costello fisted over a last gasp equalier to secure top spot in the group and automatic passage through to an All-Ireland quarter-final in a fortnight.
Mayo must to return to action next weekend, and if they win there they face a third championship game in 14 days against a table topper, which would be against Kerry, Donegal or Armagh.
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A Mayo victory would have blown the championship wide open with Dublin potentially vulnerable if they had to go the route Kevin McStay’s side now face.
“(There’s) a big prize for finishing top of the group,” said Farrell. “I think that’s the consensus across the board.
“Either way, we would have dealt with it. If it didn’t work out that way, we were going to use the momentum of a couple of games please god.
“We are getting a level of intensity that we hadn’t encountered in the Championship. We had set our sights on that if it hadn’t turned out that way. Thankfully it didn’t.
“To be honest we would prefer to have the two weeks and be more in control of what is happening.”
Farrell hailed the character of his side to carve out the late equaliser after Ryan O’Donoghue had won and converted a free to put Mayo ahead in the 72nd minutes.
It was the first time they’d led since the 9th minute in a game where the sides were level 11 times.
“It showed great character,” said Farrell. “It’s something we talk about a lot. You are never truly tested in that department until the fat is the fryer so to speak.
“It was last ditch stuff and they showed their composure to make it happen.”
Farrell said there was no panic on the sideline, and there clearly wasn’t on the field either as Ciaran Kilkenny won a long Stephen Cluxton kickout and set Jack McCaffrey on his way.
Colm Basquel was involved two and McCaffrey again, before Costello fisted the vital equaliser.
“We have practised these situations in training. Every team in the country is doing that.
“There is a lot of experience there within the 15 that finished, a lot of youth as well in terms of newer players bringing the energy and bringing that vitality that we knew we needed.
“We knew we had enough nous on the pitch to be able to figure it out. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Thankfully it did today.”
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