Farrell: There is significant transition going on

Dublin manager Dessie Farrell said there was a "significant amount of transition" occurring within the squad following his side's five-point loss in the Allianz League opener against Armagh on Saturday evening.

Having lost their first championship match for seven years last August, Dublin began their 2022 season with a jarring defeat at home to Armagh, after allowing the visitors build up a startling nine-point advantage by half-time.

While they mustered a rally of sorts in the second half, substitute Lorcan O'Dell forcing home a goal with ten minutes left, they ultimately fell well short of rescuing the game.

"It's a disappointing start for us, for sure," Farrell told RTÉ Sport after the game.

"We knew it wasn't going to be an easy challenge. Armagh looked really, really strong physically, conditioning-wise and they'd a very good gameplan.

"We were missing a lot of bodies. We're trying to introduce some new blood into the system as well.

"All told, while disappointing, you have to look at the positives as well. I think the fact that we got game-time into so many new players is something we have to take from this. We created a lot of chances. Our shooting efficiency was poor and that's something we need to work on."

Farrell, who succeeded in guiding Dublin to a sixth All-Ireland title in a row in his first season in charge in 2020, appears set to preside over a period of relative decline for the capital outfit.

"At the end of the day, we just need to focus on ourselves as a group. There's definitely a significant amount of transition going on.

"Our lot of core players have left the squad over the last two to three years. We're trying to replace that quality. You can't replace the experience obviously.

"But the league is going to