Few will have heard it said in city streets, but it provides more comfort than any logistical complaints. The farmer's philosophy.

What's that you ask in our nation's capital. Well, it doesn't matter how you feel, the cows still have to be milked.

That day Dublin felt unwell, they looked weak and underweight. But Caffrey's side plugged away like they hadn't done under others in recent years. They played on like they hadn't against Westmeath in '03. They kept going like they hadn't against Laois in '04. They got the job done and in the end, while the performance could have been better, the result couldn't have been. A two point win. They were caught in the headlights and escaped. They'd suddenly realised where they stood in the greater scheme.

"I think the group of players and management would accept it was a poor performance in Longford, " says Caffrey. "It was enough to get us through on the day but there is room for improvement. We would accept that and a tough task lies ahead of us." At this stage of the season, reality dawning on Dublin leaves them as serious contenders.

And credit the manager.

Unlike his hurling counterparts in Limerick, he didn't burn down the house to get the flies out of the kitchen.

He logically solved the problem with Paul Griffin moving back to the corner, with Bryan Cullen switching to six, with Ray Cosgrove and Jason Sherlock entering the forwards. Suddenly the boys in blue look a much more formidable prospect, both up front and crucially at the back.

"It came apparent after the last day quite a few adjustments needed to be made, " says Dessie Farrell. "The ones that have been made would be very acceptable to most observers of Dublin football.

Take Jason [Sherlock]. He is very good on the big day and has the temperament. That will be a necessity. And it's good to see Ray [Cosgrove] back. Sure, it's disappointing for those that have missed out but it takes a breaking-in period and most players in the past have experienced that. It's not very smooth. And for Dublin there can be more pressure on new guys coming in. There can be a much greater weight on their shoulders. There's always a full house and we are obviously the focus of media attention in this town. That brings its own pressure and so it takes a while to get used to that.

"But there are enough young guys in the attack that have already broken in and it provides a good balance. The thing is, we all know exactly what Jason and Ray are capable of. The management are happy to run with those two individuals and it's a sign of maturity in the Dublin management that they can go back to these guys because they know what they are capable of and it's a move to welcome because it's a big day, big occasion, playing against Laois.

It's not for the faint-hearted and these guys have been around the block and I've a feeling they will perform well enough to support the managements decision to pick them in the first place."

They have in the past. In 2004 Martin McHugh picked Sherlock in his team of the season and he was probably deserving of an All Star. He was at it again last year, giving the Tyrone defence a handful in the drawn game. As for Cosgrove, he already has his All Star. Strangely though, he'll want to forget that. His six goals in 2002 created a hype around him and Dublin that was undeserved. Colin Corkery was a more worthy candidate to take the full-forward accolade that year. The following campaign he hit two points against Laois and five against Armagh. From overhyped to under-performing?

He let the extremes generated by the Hill get in on him and his confidence suddenly disappeared.

"That's true but I was still surprised Ray didn't start the last day, " says Mick Galvin.

"From talking to lads he has been running into some very good form the last few weeks and there was a case to be made for him to play against Longford. And then there's Jason. I would always start him on a Dublin football team, but he has his chance now and I like the look of the forward line at the minute.

There's an awful lot of scores there of they can get the right pattern. I also have a suspicion that there is a big game coming from Alan Brogan. If he gets the supply.

"Problem is, there's midfield. Just take Darren Magee, it's amazing. It's only when you miss a guy like that that you actually find how important he was to the team.

Against any other team in Leinster I think Dublin would do fine. But Laois seem to have one of the best midfield partnerships around. We'd be hoping for a big performance from Ciaran Whelan but there's a lot of pressure on him and Shane Ryan really needs to step up. But if he does, and if we break even we'll be fine, but if we lose in that area we'll be in big trouble."

It has been a long time since Dublin have been in big trouble. More than any other side in the country . . . including the Big Three . . . they have been the model of consistency.

They have been a top five time for the guts of a decade, yet what have they won? Since their All Ireland of '95, only a single Leinster success is etched next to their names.

Consistency is no longer good enough. Now it's about consolidation.

"Dublin needs to be winning, " says former player Mick O'Keeffe. "Now they have their Leinster they need to win another one. But this year, what surprised me was that they only played one challenge match in about six weeks and they looked rusty against Longford. It's very hard to tell sometimes in training how guys are moving because it can be artificial.

He [Caffrey] probably thought subconsciously that they would get over Longford and it would be the right time and place to give guys like [Mark] Vaughan and Niall O'Shea games.

"And it's easy enough to blame Niall O'Shea and Barry Cahill the last day but they were a bit exposed. But in fairness if you are building a team around a couple of guys, especially in crucial positions like midfield and you lose them, you're in trouble. Then that is just bad luck. The one real problem I would have is that they haven't set on a pattern of play up front. Maybe they should have been working on that throughout the year and moved Cullen back to centre-back. But still, they can be thankful to have put in that performance against Longford. There was a positive at the end of it all. They found out there and then that there were problems that needed solving. They could see that changes had to be made. And with no disrespect to Longford, it was the time to find out, rather than today.

Had those problems gone undetected and surfaced against Laois they wouldn't have had a chance. I suppose I would have written them off after the Longford game, but maybe because of that, confidence grows when big games near. That's a Dublin thing."

Thing is, winning All Irelands used to be a Dublin thing as well.

LEINSTER SFC SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW DUBLIN v LAOIS Croke Park, 2.00 Referee B Crowe (Cavan) Live, RTE One, 1.30 Salivating? You should be. You just can't turn your back on this football championship. Walk away grumbling about the standard and it ignites right behind you, burning the hairs on your neck. The Big Three no longer look so immense and come this evening, one of these two will start looking themselves up and down in the mirror, thinking they are it. But which one?

Don't read anything into the last day. If anything, the quarterfinals did more for Dublin despite their wretched performance.

They were out of shape and out of sorts and they can be thankful it became obvious in Longford rather than in today's cauldron.

They've changed things around because of Pearse Park, but they won't start as below. Conal Keaney will move to full-forward, while Jason Sherlock will revert to the 40. His inclusion along with that of Ray Cosgrove gives Dublin a better look while Bryan Cullen, Man of the Match in last year's Leinster final having kicked 0-3, may find himself picking up Ross Munnelly for the afternoon.

There's so little between defences and attacks that it should come down to the ball grabbed in the middle. It's why we've gone for the prediction below. Shane Ryan was immense in last year's Leinster decider. At one stage, six consecutive scores went through him and he won four clean kick-outs. That was game-winning. It was also a different Shane Ryan. And so Darren Magee's loss can't be underestimated (and they may be forcing him back a little quickly). All in all, it puts huge pressure on Ciaran Whelan.

Against anyone else in Leinster he would cope, but if Noel Garvan and Paul Clancy reach top speed, then that pressure may be too great. Tom Kelly will trundle forward to pick up loose ball while Billy Sheehan's return brings great pace and energy to the Laois half-forward line.

But still the question mark remains. Laois's mentality?

They've been the best team in Leinster over the last three years but have lost more titles than they've won. Last year Dublin's first four scores all came from them turning over ball and, at times in the league, they showed they can take neither the pressure of big games nor the fair physicality of the bigger teams. But this side is too good not to add another Leinster and they have to come good on the big day at some stage.

Verd ic t Laois by two DUBLIN S Cluxton; D Henry, B Cahill, P Griffin; P Casey, B Cullen, C Goggins; C Whelan, S Ryan; C Keaney, A Brogan, K Bonner; T Quinn, R Cosgrove, J Sherlock

LAOIS F Byron; A Fennelly, C Ryan, P McMahon; D Rooney, T Kelly, J Higgins; P Clancy, N Garvan; R Munnelly, C Conway, B Sheehan; D Brennan, P Lawlor, B McDonald Ewan MacKenna