Dessie to go away and dream it all up again for The Dubs
WHILE DUBLIN ARE THE county in the GAA that have benefitted most from commercialism and funds being directed their way and funnelled into coaching structures, they have a puritan attitude to the paying of the football management teams.
While paying managers is more than widespread by now, some counties refuse to engage. For Dublin footballers, that’s the way it is.
Therefore, anyone taking the Dublin senior football team is not doing it for the money. You might be wondering why we make such a big deal out of this.
It’s because whoever is in the hotseat, is resolutely their own man. The decisions they take are not informed by trying to keep any sugar daddies or board members satisfied, so that the manager can continue adding to their income.
So what does Dessie Farrell do now? How does he go away and dream it all up again?
No matter what, the decisions he makes will be his. But there is an art and a science to trimming your panel and sending the decorated soldiers off into the sunset.
A manager who might be seen to chase Stephen Cluxton (42), Michael Fitzsimons (35) and James McCarthy (34) will not endear himself to the Dublin public.
Happily, he won’t have to. Cluxton’s return has always been about Dublin and he has limited to minimal involvement with his club, Parnells.
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Despite the confidence his defence have with his presence, he is not the force of old. That’s inevitable.
James McCarthy’s heritage and his identity has always been tied up in sky blue, but starting and finishing his first full game in three years, he looked every inch his age. A move into the coaching structure might be the best option for him, but retirement is the most likely option.
After that, you don’t want to lose too much quality. Jack McCaffrey’s work commitments are always going to be an issue.
But for the likes of Brian Fenton, Ciaran Kilkenny and Paul Mannion, it’s vital that they are retained. Too much flux leads to uncertainty. For the eldest among them though, Farrell scattered petals at their feet after the defeat on Saturday night while giving them a dignified exit.
“Dublin have no entitlement, no more than anybody else. That era, that we understood it many a couple of seasons ago that everyone looks back to, has moved on,” he said.
“It’s a different generation of players now. I’m sure there’s some of them in there who will be considering their future. It might be the last time that we see them play for Dublin.
Dessie Farrell.
“They’ve been brilliant warriors. They died with their boots on today. But there is another generation of players in there who have the hunger and desire to want to continue and go on to wear the Dublin jersey with pride and honour and I’m sure they will do that.”
Asked if there was any talk about that within the dressing room walls, he responded, “It’s understood. They’re the type of players that don’t want it necessarily to be about themselves. You don’t have to dwell on that.
“It’s inherent though in players’ understanding in terms of where things are at, in terms of their evolution of the squad and what the future might hold.
“You avoid trying to contrive or manufacture hooks like that or chips on our shoulder. We want fellas to go out and express themselves and be the best they can be.”
So when he goes again, he will want to do it with a fresh-looking team. The competitive nature of Farrell cannot be played down.
He also knows that when 2025 gets up and running, Lee Gannon and Cian Murphy should be back from injury, and Davy Byrne may not be travelling any more. That’s the spine of a new defence alone.
Ten years ago, Farrell was the manager of the Dublin Under 21 team that beat Roscommon in the All Ireland final.
In that team was Davy Byrne, Robbie McDaid, John Small, Jack McCaffrey, Brian Fenton, Niall Scully, Paul Mannion and Cormac Costello.
As successful as they have been under Jim Gavin, Farrell will look for that group to be his front line now, supplemented by some younger talent as he plots a way back in 2025.