Dublin manager Dessie Farrell says their relegation to Division Two of the Allianz National Football League gives them 'food for thought' going forward.
A last-minute Jack McCarron free gave Monaghan a 3-13 to 1-18 win over the Dubs in Clones on Sunday, meaning they finish bottom of the top tier.
That marked a fifth loss for the Boys in Blue in this campaign.
Farrell gave his reaction while speaking to OTB Sports at full-time.
"To be honest that [relegation] is not the most concerning thing. I think our disappointment is mostly based around an inconsistent performance again.
"To put two decent performances back-to-back, you would have thought we were on a decent enough trajectory at that point.
"The second half today was better, we were flat in the first half; that's more disappointing I think, we're looking towards the summer at this point in time."
Sunday was a case of déjà vu for McCarron and Monaghan, who needed a win on Sunday to avoid the drop themselves.
He scored a last-gasp winner 12 months ago, almost from the exact same spot, to relegate Galway.
Farrell said they knew preparing for the game that Séamus McEnaney's side are capable of finding a way to win when required.
"They've been known to do this in the past. We knew the challenge, we weren't surprised by anything they threw at us.
"It was always going to be tough in Clones but you know, it was a good day for football.
"We put two decent performances back-to-back, we would have liked to have had a string of performances heading into the championship, that would have been nice, there is obviously plenty for us to look at."
Disappointment for our Senior Footballers here in Clones 💙#UpTheDubs pic.twitter.com/1lkxnsMVc9
— Dublin GAA (@DubGAAOfficial) March 27, 2022
The Dubs must now prepare for a Leinster Championship quarter-final against Offaly or Wexford in five weeks time.
Farrell says they have a lot of analysis to do before that but also that some points they've to work on are glaringly obvious.
"I think we turned the ball over too much, there was some poor execution at times.
"It's still a big score, in some ways when you look at the scoreboard you have to ask how did we concede goals like we did.
"It's front and back, there's plenty of food for thought and plenty for us to look at in the coming weeks."
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