Pat Spillane has praised Dublin for their ability to win tight games.

And he puts this down to their ‘warrior-like spirit’ which was once again evident in their All-Ireland SFC final defeat of his beloved Kerry.

“One cannot underestimate their character and warrior-like spirit which manifests itself in their ability to eke out narrow victories on the biggest days,” the Kingdom legend wrote in his Sunday World column.

“Their average winning margin in their nine All-Ireland wins is 2.3 points. Four of their victories: 2011, 2013, 2016 (a replay) and 2017 have been by one point. Last Sunday, they won by two.

“They had four points to spare over Kerry in 2015, five points against Mayo in 2020 and two six-point wins – against Tyrone in 2018 and Kerry in the 2019 replay.

“Why are they able to do this? It is a combination of composure, game management, belief, muscle memory and leadership.

“When push came to shove at the business end of the game, they had leaders such as Brian Fenton, Paul Mannion, Stephen Cluxton and Mick Fitzsimons who stood up to be counted.”

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