There was a real dispiriting tone to some of Sean Cavanagh's comments following Tyrone's crushing defeat to Dublin on Sunday. Many had expected the All-Ireland semi-final to be a tight game but Dublin blew away the Ulster champions in a 10 point victory.
Speaking to Newstalk's Oisin Langan after the game, Cavanagh - who retired from inter-county football on Sunday - said that Tyrone have given everything to their county's cause this year and it still was not enough to beat Dublin.
The 34-year-old is unsure what more Tyrone can do in the future to close the gap on Jim Gavin's side.
I don't understand how Dublin are so far ahead because in Tyrone we have given everything and I mean everything; in the gym, on the pitch - we have literally hurt our bodies every single night. We have gone out for nine, 10, 11 months and that still isn't good enough.
I believe we have some incredibly skilled players. I don't know how the game can go to any more time commitment for players, it's incredibly hard for players. I just don't know where the game goes, how much more professional it can become.
Obviously, Dublin are way ahead and I have no idea how they are able to do it. To try and do a 40-hour-a-week job and just be blown away from another team who... and maybe they aren't doing 40-hour-a-week jobs similar to what other counties are, maybe that's one of the reasons they're so far ahead.
The support they have, it must be incredible. In Tyrone we've done everything we possible can and we've sacrificed so much over the last nine, 10, 11 months and there's a lot of people who don't even get game time who do the same. It's really difficult to take that.
Cavanagh went into Sunday's game with a belief that the Tyrone panel were up there among the best athletes in the game. He left Croke Park knowing that Dublin were well ahead of the pack.
The game has changed so much. It's the pace and the power and the energy that Dublin have that has them at such a high level. It's not all about the catching and the kicking and the high-level execution of skills anymore.
I've been blown away by how far they are ahead of us because I believed we were up there with the top athletes in Ireland. I don't know how far they are ahead, it's just left me speechless.
You can listen to Sean Cavanagh speaking on Newstalk below.
Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
