How Dublin lost their innocence - 'Unbeatable' extract

In 'Unbeatable – Dublin's Incredible Six in a Row', Eric Haughan chronicles the Dubs' trophy-laden 2,540-day run without defeat that changed Gaelic football forever.

Back on Top: 2015

2015 National League Division 1
Played 9, Won 6, Drew 1, Lost 2
Final position: League winners

The style of Dublin’s dismissal of Cork in the league final on 26 April 2015 – and Jim Gavin’s words afterwards – provide an insight into what had changed since September the previous year. "To keep Cork to such a low score from play was satisfying for the defence," Gavin said after the 1-21 to 2-07 win. "And in attack, in the second half, to score 12 from 14 shots is a very good return for our forwards and probably a reflection of the work they are doing on the training field."

It was the first hint of the efficient, streamlined, analytics-driven model we would bear witness to over the coming years. Dean Rock sent over ten points, three from play, but the Man of the Match award went to Jack McCaffrey, who was about to embark on a Footballer of the Year season that would see him, if not reinvent wing-back play, certainly take it to a whole new level.

The win/loss/draw columns may have looked identical, and the ultimate reward may have been the same, but the Dublin teams that secured National League titles in 2014 and 2015 were two very different entities altogether. Sure, the personnel hadn’t changed in any serious way. The man at the helm of it all, Jim Gavin, was as particular, focused and driven as ever. But on the pitch, there was an innocence missing. The joie de vivre that had been there in 2013 and 2014 as the Dubs run and gunned their way up and down pitches all over the country had been replaced by a still-dashing but certainly more