For a while there, it looked like Mayo could pull off the shock. They put in an incredibly determined first half performance and it was enough to give them a two point lead at the interval.
We got excited about the prospect of the second half, but we really should known better. Dublin would absolutely blitz them in the first 10 minutes of the second period, essentially ending the game as a contest.
It was a depressing sight for most of the country, watching what were supposed to be Dublin's nearest challengers put to the sword with ease. It doesn't bode well for the Kerry and Tyrone ahead of their semi-final tomorrow.
Joe Brolly has already written both of them off. Speaking on RTÉ after the game, he said he couldn't see any way any other team could have a chance of beating Dublin.
'They should cancel the semi tomorrow' - The panel on Dublin's 'scary' and 'vicious' second half display #DUBvMAYO pic.twitter.com/2jIOemXl31
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) August 10, 2019
I think that's the most vicious 10 minutes I've ever seen on a Gaelic football field, that was the Blitzkrieg. We've all been saying over the years 'why have Dublin not done that to Mayo before', well they've done it to them now in style.
Tomas made the point that Dublin haven't had a high octane game, but Cork were in it at half time, loads of teams were in it at half time against Dublin.
That was scary. There was something about that that you can't take a lot of pleasure in.
Tomas is secretly hoping that Tyrone beat Kerry by a point tomorrow and Kerry have a glorious defeat, because who wants to face into this?
It's an incredibly harsh point, but you have to agree with him.
It is not an exciting prospect for GAA fans, but this is quickly becoming the new norm. As Brolly would go on to say, everybody else is playing for second place.
The panel are content to write off Kerry and Tyrone - 'I don't see any hope for anybody... Everybody is playing for second place, that's the reality' pic.twitter.com/sU67a7zQZR
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) August 10, 2019
That level of concentration that they maintain, I've not seen it before. You see teams getting sloppy over the course of a long game. Once they put their minds to it today... it really was scary.
What about young Tyrone players, or Kerry players, watching this at home...
I wrote after the Mayo match last week, that they were playing for second place. Everybody is playing for second place, that is the reality.
Dublin don't have to play for a full half like we saw there.
I definitely am (writing the other semi-finalists off).
Of course, while this Dublin team are a joy to behold, there has to be questions asked about the long-term health of Gaelic football should this continue.
Five-in-a-row now seems all but inevitable, but it is unlikely they will stop there. How long will this continue before the likes of Joe Brolly address the elephant in the room?
