If Tom Gray didn't have to manage his Dublin team in the Eirgrid All-Ireland Under-20 Football Championship final, he would be going along anyway to watch their opposition.
Gray will need to get a near-perfect performance from his team if they are to beat Cork and claim the Clarke Cup in Portlaoise in the decider on Saturday (4.00 pm).
"You'll never get the perfect performance," Gray told Off The Ball's Stephen Doyle. "You're always looking to pick off little areas where you can improve for the final.
"Naturally, having watched the tape of the [semi-final win against Galway] over the weekend, there's one or two areas we'll be looking to pick off for the final.
"And we need to pick them off because Cork are an excellent team and we'll need to improve to beat them in the final."
Dublin aren't the only team that the Na Fianna club man has been studying closely. Gray has been hugely impressed by the performances of the Munster champions en route to the decider.
The Rebels took the scalp of Kerry in their provincial final before dispatching with Tyrone in the last-four.
"Cork are an incredibly exciting team," added Gray. "If [Dublin weren't] playing on Saturday, I'd love to go down and watch them play because they [play] a fantastic brand of attacking football.
"Great support runs from their half-back line, really, really strong forward line. They can score from anywhere. They're an incredibly impressive team."
The young Boys in Blue hammered Longford and Wexford before trimming Laois to win the Leinster title. Gray is relishing the chance to defend their All-Ireland title after beating the Tribesmen last time out.
"I'm absolutely looking forward to Saturday," said Gray, who has taken most of the panel through from minor level. "It's been a long road this year. It's been a long road for this group for the last six or seven years.
"So I'm very much looking forward to it."
Apart from long term absentees, Gray has no further injury concerns ahead of the final.
You can watch the full interview with Dublin manager Tom Gray here.
