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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Michael Scully

Jonny Cooper cites Dublin's coolness under pressure as final decider

No team knows better than Dublin what to do when it's squeaky bum time - and Jonny Cooper says that was the making of their latest All-Ireland final victory last night.

Two points up as half-time approached, when Robbie McDaid was black carded it meant that Mayo would have an extra man for nine minutes at the start of the second half.

Brian Howard won the throw-in - his first act after coming on as a half-time sub - and Dublin played keep ball for two minutes.

So it went until McDaid returned, with Mayo winning that period by a point but still finding themselves behind on the scoreboard.

"There’s a little bit of experience there as well, so we’ve been in these situations before and just know to stay composed and calm, keep the structure and order to our game and what we’re trying to execute," explained Cooper.

"Obviously it’s not going to be perfect, and it wasn’t - especially playing against quality opposition. So a bit of experience but also trying to execute under pressure was a key one coming out in the second half.

"Mayo are a savage team, they've always got that level of force and intensity. We probably expected it to some degree but it's only until you're in it that you start to try figure it out.

"So half-time obviously a man down, we had to readjust and, to be honest, up the tempo a bit.

"We managed to control it for a couple of minutes at the start which gave us a little bit of a footing.

"They were coming at us in waves so had to readjust a little. When we got the full complement back, it gave us a better opportunity to settle things down.

"It was probably nip and tuck for a while."

Cooper is not part of the seven-man gang who have won eight Celtic Crosses now, but he's only one shy of that total, having not featured in the 2011 breakthrough triumph.

Dublin manager Dessie Farrell and his backroom team lift the Sam Maguire (©INPHO/Morgan Treacy)

In his first year in the hot-seat, Dessie Farrell reacted: "It’s all about the players, I’m just thrilled for them.

"We had 10 new players to come in. Some had left. We brought in some fresh faces, new blood, and that was important as well.

"It was trying to get the dynamic right, the chemistry right, and there were challenges to all of that, because it’s not easy to come into a dressing room that has the type of characters in that dressing room and the success they had.

"I’m so happy in the way they went about their business."

As for the appetite to keep coming back for more, especially when the three and four in a row bids went to plan, Cooper puts that down to a lack of complacency due to competition from younger lads breaking in and to ever-demanding backroom set-ups.

"We were under a couple of managers the last few years that you need to drive those standards and those behaviours 24-7," he said.

"So that’s obviously important. It’s easy to say it, but I guess doing it is a different thing.

"There’s probably a hunger and a bite there particularly from the younger crew of guys who are pushing the senior leaders.

"Who knows what will happen for a few of us in the future, it’s a competitive squad and obviously a new coach and management team that’s keeping us all on our toes as well.

"You have to work on it, it takes a lot of discipline and effort. That’s what you sign up for, but personally you have to keep it going as much as you can.

"You’re not perfect every day, you're reliant on other guys. But personally I’m in that senior leadership category so you have to front up as much as you can".

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