Dean Rock took his top off against Mayo and made everyone feel inadequate

Not an ounce of fat

Conan Doherty

Dean Rock took his top off against Mayo and made everyone feel inadequate

We’ve literally run out of things to praise Dublin for.

Conventionally, you could go through every line on the pitch and call them perfect.

Their back seven could be the greatest of all time. Their forward line – whoever they bloody well want to play there – is frightening. Jesus, Conor McHugh scored 1-3 against the second best team in Ireland in 55 minutes. They’re just shitting out these guys for fun.

Brian Fenton, holy Moses. The man is only getting better and everyone has exhausted every superlative in the dictionary and beyond to describe – or at least try to describe – what he has done for Dublin in this his third season now.

But there was a stage on Saturday night during that trouncing of Mayo when Dean Rock was doing his thing, kicking the ball over from 55 metres, kicking the ball over from the right sideline and the only thing you could really bring yourself to say was, “f**k off”.

It was unbelievable, his accuracy and nerve and audacity. It was another masterclass from the best set piece taker in Ireland who finished the night with eight scores, two from play.

As Mayo and Dublin games tend to get though, this one got downright feisty and, at one point in the first period, Rock was grappling with both Colm Boyle and Diarmuid O’Connor.

Things got heated like they do – it was the only flashpoint of the game – but it was the shirt that came off the worst of them all and it got ripped from its neck.

So Rock had to send for a new number 11 jersey and, well, it made for decent viewing.

It’s no secret that these Dublin lads are in good nick or that conditioning is huge in modern day football but Rock’s physique goes a long way to explaining just how good he was in 2016, winning ball on the inside line, holding men off, hanging onto possession and working back when he had to.