In time, the full details behind the assembling of Dublin’s comeback crew will emerge, but just four days after the county’s latest All-Ireland triumph there remains a sense their return to the dressingroom changed the course of the season.
Stephen Cluxton was faultless in Sunday’s final, scoring 0-2 and finishing with a 100 per cent retention of his kick-outs, Paul Mannion was his side’s top scorer with 0-5 and named man of the match, while Kerry had nothing to match the spark Jack McCaffrey’s all-action display off the bench offered Dublin coming down the stretch.
Patrolling the sideline all afternoon, clutching bottles of water and energy drinks, was the fourth returnee, Pat Gilroy, who coincidentally was wearing a bright yellow maor uisce singlet emblazoned with the number four across the front.
It displayed a significant lack of ego on Farrell’s behalf to add the 2011 All-Ireland winning manager to his set-up. Former Dublin midfielder Paul Bealin, who was a team-mate of both Farrell and Gilroy when the Dubs won the 1995 All-Ireland, believes the return of the quartet was central to Sam coming back to the capital.
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“It was a masterstroke, a complete masterstroke,” says Bealin.”Firstly, when it comes to Pat you must give both men praise, Dessie for having the foresight to bring in the calibre of a man who had won an All-Ireland with Dublin not too long ago and then for Pat to accept the position and be willing to take on a supportive role to Dessie.
“Both men were putting Dublin first by making those calls, it was phenomenal. As soon as I heard the news, I thought it was a really good move, I felt it would steady the ship.”
Gilroy’s return was confirmed last November, but a few months later Bealin’s phone started hopping with news of another addition to the backroom team.
“Oh my god, this is getting better I was thinking, the messages were flying in,” he recalls. “Only then I noticed the date.” April 1st. Jim Gavin would not be linking up with Farrell and Gilroy!
Widespread plaudits have been heaped upon Farrell since Sunday’s triumph, proof if any was needed that results determine narratives. Had Dublin come up short last weekend in a game which was level during injury-time then reflections on Farrell’s four years would perhaps be slanted differently.
Bealin could not understand some of the negativity directed towards the Dublin manager and feels Sunday was vindication of Farrell’s astute management.
“There were lots of Dublin people questioning him, some people can be very fickle at times,” says Bealin. “This is a guy who won All-Irelands as a manager with Dublin at minor and under-21, he won a senior All-Ireland in his first year, has won four Leinster titles in a row and narrowly lost two games in the All-Ireland.
“He has a track record of success. He moulded numerous young players, players like Collie Basquel, stuck with them, and gave them opportunities to play. Those critics saying Dessie wasn’t up to it, and some of them were former Dublin players, they got their answer on Sunday, he proved them wrong. I was delighted for Dessie.
“There was a question around that first year, did Dessie win it with Jim’s team in 2020? And, look, he probably wasn’t getting the credit for that All-Ireland. But no matter what people thought of whether he had inherited a team or not, last Sunday’s team was one he constructed and gelled together, getting everybody pulling in the same direction for Dublin.”
Farrell, who had been involved with the Dublin development squads and managed the county’s minor and under-21 footballers, succeeded Gavin as senior boss in December 2019.
He managed Dublin to five All-Ireland titles, two at senior level (2020, 2023), two at under-21 level (2014, 2017) and one at minor (2012).
The Na Fianna clubman was initially appointed for a three-year term with the seniors and in August 2022 it was announced he had accepted a two-year extension, which would take Farrell to the end of the 2024 season.
But there has been some conjecture that he might now decide to step away, while it is almost certain some of the players will take their leave from the intercounty stage over the coming weeks and months.
Bealin, who has managed Wexford, Carlow and Westmeath, hopes Farrell remains at the wheel of the Good Ship Dublin. And he hopes the comeback crew stay onboard as well.
“Ask most people who would they get to replace Dessie and you’ll be met with silence,” says Bealin.”I think they’d be crazy to leave at this stage, Dessie or the players. I’m sure many other counties would love to see them retire and for them to head off into the sunset.
“But if the players have the appetite then it is clear from their performances they can still have a huge influence at this level. The timing of everything was critical this year. Six or seven weeks out from the All-Ireland final I thought we were in trouble because the big guns weren’t playing well.
“Mayo went down to Killarney and hammered Kerry and you are thinking, ‘we’re in bother here’. However, those teams peaked too early and as the season progressed Dublin got better and better, they steadily improved.
“Dessie and his team managed the new season brilliantly, they got their timing spot on, the big players hit form when the stakes were highest, that’s brilliant management.”
