Brennan puts family ties to one side for one day only

Crokes joint-boss has seen both sides of rivalry as Dunboyne and Kilmacud square up once again

AHEAD of tomorrow’s Leinster club SFC clash in Navan between Dunboyne and Kilmacud Crokes, Robbie Brennan doesn’t have so much a foot in both camps as a leg.

Having won a county medal as a player with Kilmacud Crokes, he helped guide them to this year’s title alongside Jonny Magee. But this weekend’s fixture is far from straightforward for Brennan. He lives in Dunboyne and has managed their team.

He even won a Meath title with them and played against Crokes in Leinster, meaning tomorrow’s tie in Páirc Tailteann sees him revisit a rivalry that he’s been on both sides of over the last 20 years.

“Dunboyne came into the picture initially around 2001,” Brennan recalls. “I was working in Anglo Irish Bank and Andy McEntee used to work in Davy Stockbrokers across the road and I just happened to bump into him one day in Grafton Street.

“Between the jigs and the reels we just happened to get talking about football. My dad is from Wolfe Tones club there in Meath so we got talking football and he pitched the idea about coming down to Dunboyne; my wife is from there.

“I didn’t go that year but Andy being Andy he wouldn’t take no for an answer. And he kept hounding and hounding and the following year, I’m pretty sure it was 2002, I transferred down. At that stage I was living down there and it seemed like the thing to do.”

Crown

Before he left Stillorgan, Brennan helped Crokes to a Dublin crown in 1998. Their Leinster campaign sent them to Navan where they faced a Dunboyne side who had just picked up their first Meath SFC title and could still call on All-Ireland winners Enda McManus and Brendan Reilly as well as current Meath boss McEntee. Brennan kicked a point as they escaped Navan with their lives.

“It was big in my mind because we were going to Páirc Tailteann and my father had won championships there himself so it was big for me to play there. It was a really close game and they had Enda McManus, Brendan Reilly and Nigel Crawford there.

“We had actually flown Peter Ward home from Italy and to try get him back in time for the game, he got a garda escort down from the airport. He came on with 20 min- utes to go and it was him that made the vital interception.

“Dunboyne were about to pull the trigger. Ken Gannon was about to shoot and Ward nipped in. If it wasn’t for that it might have been different.”

It would only be the first instalment in the rivalry between the clubs. Fast forward to 2005 and Dunboyne have won their second Meath title.

By now, Brennan has swapped allegiances and signed up with his wife’s Changing colours: Robbie Brennan (top left) shouting from the sidelines when in charge of St Peter’s Dunboyne in 2011; right, celebrating Kilmacud’s win in this year’s Dublin SFC final with joint manager Johnny Magee; below right, in action for Dunboyne against Crokes in 2005; and left, celebrating with Crokes team-mate Darren Magee after the 2000 Dublin final

home club. Crokes ran out handsome winners once again on that occasion and from there, Brennan’s connections to the Meath outfit began to run even deeper.

He’s been in charge of the senior side for four years and also had two stints with the club’s minors.

By his reckoning, there’s only around half a dozen of the Dunboyne team that he hasn’t played or managed against, including his brother-in-law, veteran midfielder David Gallagher. And tomorrow he’ll be charged with plotting their downfall.

“It’s a bit of a strange one alright but look it was probably always going to happen given the way it was all mapped out,” Brennan smiles.

It’s been a weird build-up. The Dunboyne U-21s were in action midweek. Any other week, Brennan would have been first there.

“I’m keeping the head down I have to say. My wife asked me during the week when they were playing the U-21 champi- onship was I coming down and I was, ‘No I am not, I’ll leave them at it’.

“Look, I’m fully focused on the job we have to do with Kilmacud. But particularly with David still there, it’s obviously a hard one to do.

“We were doing the analysis the other day and it was hard even bringing him up in that and trying to highlight some of his strengths and weaknesses. But that’s part and parcel of it.”

Gallagher’s story has been well documented. Three winner’s medals from three different decades mean Brennan only has admiration for his brother-in-law.

“It’s absolutely phenomenal. We weren’t to know in 1998 what was all ahead of us and what direction life would take. It was an amazing feeling (when Dunboyne won). When I was managing him we’d have a little joke saying if we could get one over the line with Dunboyne, you’d be the only man with three county medals and that may not be matched across the three different decades.

Remarkable

“It’s remarkable. I was on the pitch after they beat Summerhill (in the Meath final) and it was emotional because I know what he has gone through to get there and he lives for it, absolutely lives for it.”

That will have to be put to one side tomorrow. Brennan knows that there’s a certain expectation around Crokes, even after delivering a Dublin title.

“Look, we were eight years trying to get the job done and a lot of people had put in a lot of work to get us there. There probably is an expectation and then when Vincent’s or Ballymun weren’t there who were probably the top two favourites – Jude’s beat them and were full value for their win – but it probably heaped a bit more pressure because all of a sudden we are expected to go and beat Jude’s.

“Look, it’s huge club, 5,000 members or so and it’s big machine out there but no more than Dunboyne, it’s the underage work that has gone on in Crokes over the years and delivered all these guys. I think three U-21 championships, we are starting to see the fruits of that thank God.”

Crokes go in as clear favourites and Dunboyne’s cause was damaged when Donal Lenihan opted to head travelling and is not expected to be available to either the club or county until next summer at the earliest.

One way or another, things will snap back to reality by Monday. Until then, there’s a job to do.

“I just have to do the shopping in Dunshaughlin instead of Dunboyne!” Brennan smiles.