Pandemics come and pandemics go, but Dublin still forced Mayo to make enough mistakes to win an All-Ireland.
his is their sixth consecutive All-Ireland now. They have confirmed beyond any reasonable doubt that this is the greatest team of all, once again.
Perhaps Dr Dave Hickey, fresh from having cruelly labelled Mayo a 'tragic' team over the weekend, might just be proven right in his prediction that they are going to earn 10 All-Irelands in a row.
Dessie Farrell played for many years before winning a solitary All-Ireland as a player in 1995. Now, he has one as a manager.
Relieved, Dessie?
"I'd say delighted is the word," said the Na Fianna man.
"Obviously there's a bit of relief in there too, just thrilled for the players, so happy for them.
"It's been a long, long year and I'm so happy for them in terms of they've got the result tonight and it's just reward in terms of how they applied themselves throughout the year and stepped up at different stages when it was needed."
Now, seven Dublin players have eight All-Ireland medals. Even throughout the Kerry Golden Years, only five players ended up with that haul; Páidí ÓSé, Ger Power, Ogie Moran, Pat Spillane and Mikey Sheehy.
Stephen Cluxton, James McCarthy, Michael Fitzsimons, Philly McMahon, Cian O'Sullivan, Michael Darragh Macauley and Kevin McManamon are all level.
Next year is but two months away before the National League starts. Most of that crew will be back to try and break all records, in front of a crowd at Croke Park before sailing into the most glorious of sunsets.
It was felt that Mayo were the neutrals' last great hope to bring down this powerful empire. That they would throw in the requisite chaos required, disrupt the natural order of things, force something.
And all that felt as far away as ever after the first play of the game.
Referee David Coldrick threw the ball up. Mayo's Aidan O'Shea went to claim it as is his right, but James McCarthy horsed into him. The ball spilled loose. McCarthy seized it. O'Shea was on the back foot. The players were all in the traditional starting positions. McCarthy advanced, played a give and go with Niall Scully. O'Shea flailed an arm twice, but couldn't drag the Ballymun man back. A handpass to Dean Rock, a palmed goal at the back post.
Fastest goal in an All-Ireland final. Remarkable. And yet... this happened to them in the 2012 final against Donegal's Michael Murphy and Con O'Callaghan in the 2017 final, where they conceded goals in the first minute.
The response was typical of the Connacht champions too. They wiped out that advantage within three minutes, Oisin Mullin announcing himself to the nation along with Cillian O'Connor.
At that stage the evening was setting itself up. Mayo had settled themselves and had the match-ups looking good. Paddy Durcan on Ciaran Kilkenny, Oisin Mullin on O'Callaghan. Diarmuid O'Connor on Brian Fenton. Every time Stephen Cluxton went long with his kickout in the first half, Mayo won it. When has that ever happened?
It all looked good when Cillian O'Connor caught two deliveries in a row to clip over marks at the start of the second quarter to go two up.
And then another Dublin goal out of nothing. O'Callaghan around the fringes of defence, O'Connor tracking him and suddenly lost his footing. Another give and go with creator Scully, a handpass to the back post and O'Callaghan drove his fist through the ball to rest in the net beyond David Clarke.
Soon after, old failings crept in. Diarmuid O'Connor and Tommy Conroy kicked sideline balls away. Aidan O'Shea spilled possession in an attack. Their wasteful streak came back. As good as Ryan O'Donoghue was among their young guns making their bow in a final, the rest didn't come up to scratch.
A lifeline was thrown at them just on the stroke of half time. Jonny Cooper was stroking over a point when Coldrick called back the play for a third-man tackle by Robbie McDaid on Matthew Ruane. Black card and Dublin a man down for the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Dublin weathered that period but got lucky too. On 45 minutes, a Ruane pass found Aidan O'Shea. He was pulled down by Cooper, no question, but Coldrick kept all of his cards in his pocket. Inexplicable really and Mayo will be sore about it. Soon after, Michael Fitzsimons went straight down the middle with a brutal hit on Lee Keegan. Coldrick didn't even see it as a foul.
And really, after 50 minutes, Mayo's race was run. Each substitute weakened their arsenal, while Dublin were bringing on the Brian Howards, Paul Mannions, Cormac Costellos of this world. Mayo may be the best 50 minute team in Ireland even. But there's no prize at stake for that.
Dublin just kept chipping away. From the 51st minute they added five points in 12 minutes to seep the air out of the Mayo balloon. All predictable scores, two Dean Rock frees, Kilkenny lacing over, Howard with a classy effort and a left sided free for Paul Mannion.
The jig was up. There would be no Merry Christmas down in Mayo. It's the hope that kills them and sustains them and will bring them back in a post-pandemic world to frosty nights in Castlebar and sunny away days.
But the day, the night, the year and the last decade, probably this one too, belongs to Dublin.
Their age profile speaks of a team that cannot go on forever. There are years in those legs even if the appetite does not diminish. But they have franked an undeniable claim, that they are the best we might ever see.
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; M Fitzsimons, D Byrne, J Cooper; E Murchan, J Small 0-1, R McDaid; B Fenton, J McCarthy; N Scully 0-1, C Kilkenny 0-3, S Bugler 0-1, P Small, C O'Callaghan 1-1, D Rock 1-5, 4f
Subs: B Howard 0-1 for Bugler (HT), P Mannion 0-1f for P Small (51m), C Basquel for Cooper (54m), C Costello for Scully (71m), P McMahon for Murchan (75m)
MAYO: D Clarke; C Barrett, O Mullin 0-1, L Keegan; P Durcan, S Coen 0-1m, E McLaughlin; C Loftus 0-1, M Ruane; K McLoughlin, R O'Donoghue 0-2, D O'Connor; T Conroy, A O'Shea, C O'Connor 0-9, 5f, 2m
Subs: M Plunkett for Durcan (HT), J Carr for Conroy (50m), D Coen 0-1 for O'Donoghue (58m), J Flynn for Loftus (62m), J Durcan for McLaughlin (71m)
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath).
