Seán Moran: Little unfinished business left to inspire Dublin stalwarts

It was nearly six years ago when the GAA held a promotional event to flag their plans for commemorating the 1916 rising.

Out on the pitch in Croke Park were two contemporary Kellys – Clare hurler, Tony and Niall of the Kildare footballers – plus a couple of armed Irish Volunteers, a pair of Wolfhounds and Cúchulainn.

This historical tableau notwithstanding, I remember the event primarily for the words of Niall Kelly, which again came into focus last weekend. He had just won a Sigerson Cup with UCD, captained by then Footballer of the Year Jack McCaffrey, who had subsequently erupted into the news for his plans to take some time out to travel.

Kelly’s perspective on his colleague’s plans was inevitably sought. Could he see himself doing the same thing? His reply reflected both a natural ambition and a timeless truth.

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“I feel there is unfinished business for Kildare,” he said. “I would like to be successful first before I made any decisions like that. Someone like Jack, he’s won pretty much everything with Dublin and on an individual level as well.”

After Saturday's O'Byrne Cup win over Offaly, Dublin manager Dessie Farrell demonstrated one of the lessons a difficult 2021 had taught him.

That's what makes the GAA unique: mass-spectator sports played by amateurs on a recreational basis and consequently not always life's priority

Having spent much time last year after matches gazing into the distance like a character from Beckett, pondering when absent players might return, he clearly decided there’d be no revivals of what last summer had been termed ‘the great existential drama, Waiting for Clucko’.

Not alone was Stephen gone for this year but so were Jack (McCaffrey) and Paul (Mannion).

Now the cases are different. Stephen Cluxton is 40 and after two decades developing and becoming seasoned by disappointment, he had become the most influential player on the most successful team in GAA history. Even those of us who don't know him can imagine that he probably feels he's done his bit.

The other players are more intriguing. They have decided that they’ve had enough, for the moment at least. That isn’t supposed to happen to players who were not only part of a top team but whose presence would make it even more formidable.

Yet that’s what makes the GAA unique: mass-spectator sports played by amateurs on a recreational basis and consequently not always life’s priority even for multi-decorated performers.

Mannion has become the exemplar of this. His displays for Kilmacud Crokes have been weekly demonstrating his continuing aptitude for the game but he has clearly had no intention of returning to intercounty.

Busy career

Crokes manager Robbie Brennan felt certain enough to say as much after November’s county final when asked did he expect to see his star forward back in blue: “My own opinion, no, I think that’s it, I think that’s the last you’ll see of Paul [for Dublin].”

The player confirmed as much last week, which was a kindness to Farrell, who would have been persecuted with references to Mannion’s club form – prior to his knee injury – in post-match interviews.

He is someone with a busy career, who has found club involvement sufficiently fulfilling and without the stratospheric demands of intercounty.

It was coincidental that, on Saturday night in Croke Park, Kilmacud won a first Leinster title in 11 years with Mannion injured but based on a defensive effort masterminded by Rory O’Carroll, another of those for whom life was larger than intercounty football.

The best fullback in the country when Dublin regained the All-Ireland in 2015, he departed for New Zealand a few months later and although Jim Gavin brought him back on his return after a few years, by then his moment had passed at the highest level.

There are those who find this attitude unfathomable. Some former Dublin players will say privately that they see it as almost a dereliction of duty. You only have so long in the Dublin jersey and that time should be spent putting your talents at the disposal of the county.

It’s hard to imagine Kevin Heffernan tolerating – let alone understanding – players in their prime no longer interested in winning All-Irelands.

Dublin's fall last year was in some ways as precipitous as Icarus's even if the melting of the wax that held the wings together took a number of months

Last July, Farrell addressed the situation with greater sympathy indirectly, as he was talking about Kevin McManamon and Philly McMahon, both of whom have since retired.

“These are amateur players at the end of the day and they’re not contracted to play for their county. Work and career is really, really important.”

Also on Saturday, Farrell denied that Brian Howard and Con O'Callaghan were in doubt for the season ahead. Before Christmas, Brian Fenton had to dispel rumour that he was about to go travelling over the next year.

Major disappointment

It appeared that there was now an environment where the departure of anyone – no matter how influential or important to the team – was deemed prima facie plausible.

Dublin’s fall last year was in some ways as precipitous as Icarus’s even if the melting of the wax that held the wings together took a number of months. No team has previously fallen from such a height so we’re short of comparisons when trying to weigh up what happens next.

Teams who bear comparison with Dublin’s eight All-Irelands in 10 years, Kerry – eight in 12 – and Kilkenny – 11 in 16 – came back after major disappointment to win further titles.

Their major disappointment was, however, failure to become the first team to win five successive All-Irelands. Dublin achieved that and added a sixth for good measure. How much disappointment is left?

e: smoran@irishtimes.com