UPDATE
Tomás Ó Sé has since withdrawn his comment, saying instead that the Dubs have a few 'scamps' in their ranks, and that all great teams do too.
Five-time All Star Tomás Ó Sé gave an extremely interesting take on the the seemingly inconquerable Dublin footballers earlier today.
The Dubs won their fourth National League title on the bounce last month, and their cresounding defeat of Kerry added to the sense of impending doom for the rest of Ireland's footballing counties ahead of the Championship, when Dublin will aim to take home the Sam Maguire for the fourth time in five years.
Speaking at the launch of RTÉ’s coverage of the 2016 Championship, Kerry legend Ó Sé was full of praise for their tough mentality, and indicated that the added element of 'divilment' in their makeup is what separates them from the chasing pack.
This Dublin team is mentally tough. They can win, they can lose, they can win dirty, they can win when they play poorly,
he told RTÉ Sport.
They have a mixture of great players. They have a mixture of - for the want of a better word - 'a scumbag', when they need somebody on the team to do the nasty things.
It's clear Ó Sé intended his remark to be taken as a compliment, although the cute hoor in Ó Sé was surely aware it would ruffle a few feathers. And, naturally enough, it went down like a led balloon with some concerned fans from the capital.
I suppose a man doing this in a game would know what a scumbag is. https://t.co/TIldDg4MsN
— Sean Lee (@34seanLee) May 8, 2016
Ó Sé, however, continued to wax lyrical about the side which destroyed his native county in the final two weeks ago, but stopped short of labelling them the greatest Gaelic football team the country has ever seen:
It’s not only that they have the great players, they have a system of play and everyone is buying into that system.
They have good management and they are strong all over the field. They have everything you need to make a good team great.
At the moment they are the best in the land. Whether they are the greatest ever I’m not too sure.
The five-time All-Ireland winner also indicated that he believes Dublin will reign supreme once more in September, but suggested that if anyone is to stop them, it might well be Mayo.
They haven’t done well in the League but I think that might suit them. With the Under 21s winning as well it will give them a boost.
Nothing other than an All-Ireland will do for them at this stage. I would rate them ahead of Kerry in terms of being fully equipped to deal with the Dublin style of play.
[RTÉ]
