Dessie Farrell insists his players remain “remarkably positive” despite a fourth successive league defeat of the season for Dublin.
Farrell had just watched Kildare plunge his side deeper into relegation trouble with a hard-fought Division 1 victory in Newbridge.
Dublin now have to go to Omagh to face All-Ireland champions Tyrone in a fortnight.
Lose at Healy Park and Farrell’s side will almost certainly be relegated to Division 2 for the first time since 2008.
This is also the first time since 1973 – just a year shy of half a century – that Dublin have lost their first four league games.
Farrell has run the rule over 48 players this year already.
Following the defeat, in front of a sellout crowd at Newbridge, the Dublin boss was asked if talk of transition has been overplayed.
“I’d ask you what you think?” he said. “There’s still a very talented bunch of players – the core group of this panel. A lot of experience, a lot of know-how.
“I think the challenge for us is to get everyone fit and healthy.
“We need to work out a couple of things. Build in a little bit of cohesiveness into our play and I think we will be very competitive.
“Where that gets us, we’ll know in the course of time. There wouldn’t be too many backing us now at this stage.
“But you know, I’m confident in the players. I’ve faith in the whole group to find a way – and that’s what we intend to do.”
Farrell wouldn’t be drawn on when James McCarthy, Con O’Callaghan or other absentees including Paddy Small, Cormac Costello and Eoin Murchan would return to action.
As for the Dublin players who did line out in yesterday’s defeat, Farrell said: “They’ve been remarkably positive.
“This is a great test of character for us all, a huge opportunity to build resilience and through adversity come to greater strength.
“It’s been a baptism of fire for new players for sure and a very different environment for the senior players.
“It’s all new. All you can do is embrace it and run with it – navigate your way through it and that’s what we’re about.”
There is little doubt Dublin’s aura of invincibility, built up through the historic six-in-a-row, is gone.
“I think people would say that was inevitable – it was always going to happen,” said Farrell.
“It doesn’t make it any easier of course. We’ve just got to suck it up. Do what we need to do. Stay positive, stay focused on the task at hand, and that’s what we will do.”
It was Kildare’s first win over Dublin, not including two O’Byrne Cup games, since the 2000 Leinster final replay, when Mick O’Dwyer was in charge of the Lilywhites.
At the final whistle there was a huge outpouring of emotion from the Kildare fans as their players celebrated a win that gives them a real shot at Division 1 survival.
It took a late save from goalkeeper Aaron O’Neill, from Aaron Byrne, to deny Dublin a draw.
They were also denied by O’Neill just two minutes in when he smuggled Brian Fenton’s effort away, and by a goal line clearance from Kildare full-back Shea Ryan on 13 minutes, off a Dean Rock effort.
Towards the end, Kildare goalie O’Neill overshot a high delivery, but Brian Howard and Rock were unable to get the goal Dublin needed to blow the game wide open.
Dublin also had nine wides and dropped four efforts short as their uncharacteristic sloppiness continued.
“We need to be converting some of these good performances into league points,” continued Farrell. “That’s for sure.
“Again, the focus for us has to be on the performance and take each performance game by game and continue to layer in improvements.
“We’ve been unfortunate with some of the senior personnel who have been injured for a sustained period.
“When they come back into the mix, it adds options and strength but as well, it brings an air of calm.”
The return of McCarthy, O’Callaghan and Co can’t come quickly enough for Dublin.
They were better defensively here with more protection for their full-back line as Jonny Cooper started at right half-back with John Small at number six, Tom Lahiff in midfield and Howard moving to the half-forward line.
But Kildare really dug in during the second half, despite struggling to get their own kick-out away. A few hairy short ones almost backfired but overall the hosts probably deserved the win.
“Having the return to play list that we’ve had – the amount of injuries – it has been difficult to explore combinations of players, different things like that,” continued Farrell.
“The remainder of the League will be very important for that.”
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