By Niall McCoy

FORMER Armagh and Mayo footballer Billy Joe Padden has said that James Horan’s men must not allow their story’s highlight to be ending Dublin’s dominance of the All-Ireland Championship.

The Connacht outfit won an extra-time semi-final thriller at Croke Park on Saturday to end Dublin’s ambitions of lifting the Sam Maguire for a seventh year in-a-row.

Kerry or Tyrone await in September’s showpiece event, and Padden said that the final must be where the real high arrives.

“It’s a big achievement and I think James Horan himself described it as a significant achievement after the game considering what Dublin have achieved over the last number of years.

“The question now for the Mayo team is do you want to be remembered for the team that has stopped that historic run but didn’t go on and win the final or be remembered as the side who became champions?

“That’s what they’ll be focussing on and I’d say that transition has happened already.”

Padden doesn’t feel that Dublin’s star is fading rapidly, but he feels that it’s absolutely vital that Dessie Farrell places his trust in youth next season, just like Horan did when he was reappointed in late 2018 having previously brought the county to two All-Ireland deciders.

“I think what we have seen would tell you that their younger players have not arrived at the same level that maybe the Mayo younger players and the Kerry younger players have coming into their squads,” said Padden, who played with current Mayo trio Aidan O’Shea, Rob Hennelly and Kevin McLoughlin in his final year with the county in 2009.

“I think it has been very difficult the last two years with Covid. Where did those younger players get the chance to develop their own game with game-time?

“Mayo were doing it by throwing young players into championship games, but Dublin weren’t doing that because they have James McCarthy, because they have Philly McMahon, because they have Jonny Cooper.

“Before we can write off Dublin or even say that their group of players is not as strong, we have to see a league campaign where those young players can develop and we can see their full potential.”