Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SMASH AND GRAB
Djokovic flat out at the end; (right) with trophy; (top right) Medvedev act of frustration
TEAMMATES of his vintage may be looking to the exit door though Brian Fenton is determined to wring every last drop from his career.
As things stand, neither Paul Mannion or Jack Mccaffrey, both of whom are a few months younger than Fenton, will be involved with Dublin 2021 as they prioritise other aspects of their lives, though neither has called time on their Dub careers.
“We’re all different,” says Fenton. “And I’m very fortunate. Jack has the medicine thing and his career. Paul has his own goals and ambitions in life. And hopefully he will rejoin us at some stage.
“You can see why. But particularly with the success we’ve had, the lads are like, ‘Been there, done it, worn the t-shirt and I’m going to do other things now’.
“But yeah, from my perspective, my outlook is, ‘Holy s**t, we’re in the best days ever!’ This is such a golden period. I’ve to pinch myself that I’m part of it. How could I ever turn my back on this?
“Now obviously if my career became incredibly demanding, I might have to look at it differently. But I’m very fortunate everything is in place to play Gaelic football.”
In terms of how he can push on after being named Footballer of the Year again, Fenton said: “I’m not going to sit and write in my notebook for the year ahead – ‘Win Player of the Year’. It’s more tangible things and achievable things.
“I know no different.
Jim Gavin used to say, ‘Burn your trophies’. Why would I want this to end? I just want to be better than I was this year.
“I’m just about to turn 28, I’m in a good spot, no injuries, why couldn’t I be better again next year?”