How Farrell has managed to cultivate Dublin’s strongest panel since Gavin’s galacticos

Blend of youth and experience a lethal cocktail for the champions

Not since night began following day has something been as inevitable as the question to Dessie Farrell on Sunday evening, the one about the suddenly-occurring phenomenon of his squad depth – specifically, whether this current Dublin squad ranked as the best of his tenure.

That’s the thing about 21-point wins over Tyrone, constructed without contribution from 10 or so players who are viable All-Stars this year. People start to notice you’ve a bit about you.

“It’s probably the most competitive, I would have thought,” Farrell began before sharply checking his run. “Actually, I’m not sure. Obviously, the earlier squad, 2020, there were still a lot of the older, more senior and experienced guys around.”

Ah, 2020. Farrell’s first season, feels like a decade ago now.

Not least for the minor inconvenience of a global pandemic that ate the guts of two years of meaningful living in between. But also specifically in this context – the degree and speed of change to the constitution of the Dublin squad.

A quick inventory. On that surreal, frozen Sunday before Christmas, Farrell brought on Brian Howard, Paul Mannion, Collie Basquel, Cormac Costello and Philly McMahon to a team already tracking comfortably towards the warm, familiar feeling of All-Ireland final victory over Mayo.

Darragh Macauley and Kevin McManamon never got off the bench. Cian O’Sullivan and Paddy Andrews were in the stands as non-playing squad members.

That Farrell even had to think about his answer, that a judgment was required, shows he’s either finally losing his marbles or that he holds the curfrey, rent bunch in high esteem. “I think we have a good blend,” he elaborated.

“I’ll put it to you that way. We still have some of those senior elder statesmen in the mix and young fellas that we’ve brought in this season, particularly in the last two seasons. They’ve been serving their apprenticeship in good fashion and getting closer to the mark that’s required to operate at this level.”

On Sunday, Dublin embellished an already impressive spring with a barnstorming victory. Even with Tyrone’s watered-down selection and questionable frame of mind, that takes some doing.

Missing from the Dublin team were Stephen Cluxton, Mick Fitzsimons, Lee Gannon, John Small, Jack McCafMichael James McCarthy, Seán Bugler, Cormac Costello and Paddy Small. Paul Mannion came off the bench.

The obvious questions. How did they get here? When did all this happen? Wasn’t there a sense, not too long ago, that Dublin were only one injury to a Fenton, a Kilkenny or a Con away from being any old meat-and-two-veg Division 1 team?

Admit it. There were big days in Croke Park when you glanced at their bench and the first thought that came to mind as you scanned the names in the programme was that the A versus B training games couldn’t be hectic any more.

Now? It is inevitable that some of the ten missing on Sunday will spend much of the coming summer fidgeting on the bench. At the very least, all will have to sing for their supper.

There are a few things to consider here. For one, the exodus from last year’s team never materialised. Only David Byrne left, Ryan Basquel and Dean Rock retired. The ‘last dance’ thing, whilst a compelling sub-plot to the 2023 championship, proved inaccurate.

Waiting

None played on Sunday, but Stephen Cluxton, Mick Fitzsimons and James McCarthy are waiting somewhere in the wings. The 1993 group, which reunited last year, are now effectively leading the team. There’s your front line. The next fibre of Dublin’s muscle is those players in their mid-20s that have slowly become key tenants .

In 2017, Farrell led Dublin to their last All-Ireland victory at the age group in what was its final iteration as a competition for players aged under 21. It’s fair to say they were not burdened with expectation. Kildare were quite fancied for Leinster. Galway were

“We still have some elder statesmen in the mix and young fellas that we’ve brought in” Dessie Farrell

strong favourites in the All-Ireland final. What came after is the impressive bit. Smart people have long agonised and pondered the perils and pitfalls of turning a good/successful underage team into something similar at senior level.

The only consistent conclusion is it’s not an exact science.

Dublin’s strike rate from that 2017 U-21 team has been exceptional.

They have mined Evan Comerford, Seán MacMahon, Eoin Murchan, Cian Murphy, Brian Howard, Colm Basquel, Con O’Callaghan, Seán Bugler and Paddy Small into senior gemstones. Seven of them (all bar Bugler and Small) started against Tyrone last Sunday.

Clearly, in the cases of O’Callaghan, Comerford, Murchan and Howard, seniordom was inevitable, their graduation more or less immediate.

But Basquel had his breakout season last year at 27. MacMahon and Murphy similarly had to bide their time but have made 27 and 30 appearances, respectively, in Farrell’s reign.

Certainties

Were Farrell to pick a team solely on merit from a fully-fit squad, both of those would be certainties in his starting defence. Keeping those players involved, interested and motivated despite little game-time and meagre initial prospects has paid off for all parties.

The next layer, increasingly apparent, are the group of 23/24-year-olds who cut their teeth in last year’s Division 2 campaign before fading from view but now look built for tougher terrain.

Ross McGarry started all seven games of Dublin’s Division 1 campaign, scoring 0-13 (1m). Killian McGinnis has positioned himself in the picture, as have Daire Newcombe and Lorcan O’Dell.

The difference from a year ago is it is no longer inevitable they will make way for their returning team-mates. Each is a viable summer starter. This time last year, you could have picked 12 or 13 of Farrell’s championship team without much thought or deliberation. Now?

“It’s very easy to get stuck in the here and now,” Farrell observed on Sunday, “and just worry about winning games or worry about the season as a whole, but I think there’s an onus on us all to cultivate the next generation.”