THERE’S A STORY Jim Gavin used to tell Kevin McManamon, when he was cajoling him into being an impact sub for Dublin.
McManamon recounts it in his Laochra Gael episode which, fittingly enough, is the very last one of the latest series, in mid-March. Always the dramatic late entrance.
The story that Gavin told was about bullfighting in Spain and how they’d often have a few initial distractions in place to keep the bull occupied and to tire him out. Then the matador would come in and finish him off. McManamon was the matador, memorably finishing off Kerry in both 2011 and 2013 with his golden goals from the bench. He did the same to Mayo in 2015.
The St Judes man won eight All-Irelands in the end yet only ever started one final win, in 2016, and was taken off in that one.
“I was able to buy it on game day,” said McManamon of Gavin’s matador spiel. “But I wasn’t about to buy it the week after, or the week before, do you know what I mean? That’s how I’d put it.”
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Kevin McManamon after Dublin's All-Ireland victory in 2019. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
There was no shame, of course, in being an impact sub for Dublin in those days. Take the 2017 final for instance when McManamon joined Bernard Brogan, Niall Scully, Diarmuid Connolly, Cormac Costello and Paul Flynn on the bench. Michael Darragh Macauley, the 2013 Footballer of the Year, didn’t even get on.
The reason we bring it all up is because a player like McManamon would surely be a guaranteed starter these days.
Most of Dublin’s golden generation performers are gone and the first lineup of the Ger Brennan era today is striking for its inexperience. None of the half-backs – Robert Shaw, Nathan Doran and Eoin Kennedy – have played in the League before. Same goes for Ethan Dunne at midfield.
There are six more on the bench – Hugh O’Sullivan, Eoghan O’Callaghan, Paidi White, Kevin Stephenson, Sean Guiden and Jack Lundy – who have never played in the League either.
“I happened to see them training the other day and I didn’t recognise a lot of the people,” said McManamon. “I think it’s the snake shedding its skin – the new snake is emerging. The team isn’t there anymore, the players aren’t there that were there. You’ve still got Con, Brian Howard and Ciaran Kilkenny, these guys. But I suppose we knew it wasn’t going to last forever.
“We were able to call bulls**t on a lot of the narratives out there, saying we were going to be winning every All-Ireland. We just knew it wasn’t a (sustainable) thing.”
Yet McManamon, clinging to hope, noted that Dublin’s Blue Wave strategic plan, released in 2011, targeted an All-Ireland win every three seasons.
“Our last All-Ireland was 2023 so maybe this is our year, three years later,” he suggested.
Denis Bastick and Stephen Cluxton. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
McManamon has been working for the last four years as a lecturer in sports psychology at SETU Waterford. He’s done some coaching but not to the extent of former colleagues Dean Rock, Stephen Cluxton and Denis Bastick who are part of Brennan’s backroom this year.
“I think having a mind like Dean’s is important, because of the new rules,” said the 39-year-old, referencing his former attacking colleague. “Dublin last year weren’t great in comparison to the likes of Armagh and Kerry that way.”
A consequence of Cluxton stepping into the coaching role is that no current player in the game has nine All-Ireland medals. Dubs trio David Byrne, Cormac Costello and Ciaran Kilkenny are the only present players with eight. For any of them to match the nine-time winners, or even get to 10, Dublin would need to catch fire again. And quickly.
“Why not?” said McManamon optimistically. “Ciaran Kilkenny, I think he has eight, so what’s stopping him at whatever age he is, maybe 33 this year. Cormac Costello, what’s stopping him?
“Look, I don’t see why not. I can see the way the narrative is being written of ‘The Top 5′ and some people don’t have Dublin in there. I always felt that Dublin just need to get into a quarter-final, get them into a semi-final and let’s see what happens then because you learn a lot.
“Armagh had a great year last year but they didn’t have a great 10 minutes (against Kerry) and that’s that. So anything can happen in these games.
“I think it’d be great to see, a Dublin player getting there. Cormac is one of the most unsung heroes, one of Dublin’s greatest ever forwards. For him or for Ciaran or for Davy Byrne…I don’t know, it’s probably in their heads to try and keep pushing it, and why not?”
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McManamon finished up on eight medals in 2021, a messy campaign for him personally. He was working as a sports psychologist with the Olympic boxers that year and spent six weeks with them in Tokyo. It clashed with the Championship though Dessie Farell told him he probably wouldn’t get much game time so the decision was made for him.
Dublin were still in the Championship when he got back and he trained every day and let Farrell know he was available. They eventually lost to Mayo in a semi-final.
“Maybe it was wishful thinking but if we’d got to the final, I think I could have got a bit of time, maybe, maybe,” he said. “But look, I’d made my bed. That was it. That was the end of my career.”
Kevin McManamon’s Laochra Gael episode will be shown on Thursday 12 March at 9.30pm
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'The snake shedding its skin' - Kevin McManamon on new generation of Dublin footballers
THERE’S A STORY Jim Gavin used to tell Kevin McManamon, when he was cajoling him into being an impact sub for Dublin.
McManamon recounts it in his Laochra Gael episode which, fittingly enough, is the very last one of the latest series, in mid-March. Always the dramatic late entrance.
The story that Gavin told was about bullfighting in Spain and how they’d often have a few initial distractions in place to keep the bull occupied and to tire him out. Then the matador would come in and finish him off. McManamon was the matador, memorably finishing off Kerry in both 2011 and 2013 with his golden goals from the bench. He did the same to Mayo in 2015.
The St Judes man won eight All-Irelands in the end yet only ever started one final win, in 2016, and was taken off in that one.
“I was able to buy it on game day,” said McManamon of Gavin’s matador spiel. “But I wasn’t about to buy it the week after, or the week before, do you know what I mean? That’s how I’d put it.”
There was no shame, of course, in being an impact sub for Dublin in those days. Take the 2017 final for instance when McManamon joined Bernard Brogan, Niall Scully, Diarmuid Connolly, Cormac Costello and Paul Flynn on the bench. Michael Darragh Macauley, the 2013 Footballer of the Year, didn’t even get on.
The reason we bring it all up is because a player like McManamon would surely be a guaranteed starter these days.
Most of Dublin’s golden generation performers are gone and the first lineup of the Ger Brennan era today is striking for its inexperience. None of the half-backs – Robert Shaw, Nathan Doran and Eoin Kennedy – have played in the League before. Same goes for Ethan Dunne at midfield.
There are six more on the bench – Hugh O’Sullivan, Eoghan O’Callaghan, Paidi White, Kevin Stephenson, Sean Guiden and Jack Lundy – who have never played in the League either.
“I happened to see them training the other day and I didn’t recognise a lot of the people,” said McManamon. “I think it’s the snake shedding its skin – the new snake is emerging. The team isn’t there anymore, the players aren’t there that were there. You’ve still got Con, Brian Howard and Ciaran Kilkenny, these guys. But I suppose we knew it wasn’t going to last forever.
“We were able to call bulls**t on a lot of the narratives out there, saying we were going to be winning every All-Ireland. We just knew it wasn’t a (sustainable) thing.”
Yet McManamon, clinging to hope, noted that Dublin’s Blue Wave strategic plan, released in 2011, targeted an All-Ireland win every three seasons.
“Our last All-Ireland was 2023 so maybe this is our year, three years later,” he suggested.
McManamon has been working for the last four years as a lecturer in sports psychology at SETU Waterford. He’s done some coaching but not to the extent of former colleagues Dean Rock, Stephen Cluxton and Denis Bastick who are part of Brennan’s backroom this year.
“I think having a mind like Dean’s is important, because of the new rules,” said the 39-year-old, referencing his former attacking colleague. “Dublin last year weren’t great in comparison to the likes of Armagh and Kerry that way.”
A consequence of Cluxton stepping into the coaching role is that no current player in the game has nine All-Ireland medals. Dubs trio David Byrne, Cormac Costello and Ciaran Kilkenny are the only present players with eight. For any of them to match the nine-time winners, or even get to 10, Dublin would need to catch fire again. And quickly.
“Why not?” said McManamon optimistically. “Ciaran Kilkenny, I think he has eight, so what’s stopping him at whatever age he is, maybe 33 this year. Cormac Costello, what’s stopping him?
“Look, I don’t see why not. I can see the way the narrative is being written of ‘The Top 5′ and some people don’t have Dublin in there. I always felt that Dublin just need to get into a quarter-final, get them into a semi-final and let’s see what happens then because you learn a lot.
“Armagh had a great year last year but they didn’t have a great 10 minutes (against Kerry) and that’s that. So anything can happen in these games.
“I think it’d be great to see, a Dublin player getting there. Cormac is one of the most unsung heroes, one of Dublin’s greatest ever forwards. For him or for Ciaran or for Davy Byrne…I don’t know, it’s probably in their heads to try and keep pushing it, and why not?”
McManamon finished up on eight medals in 2021, a messy campaign for him personally. He was working as a sports psychologist with the Olympic boxers that year and spent six weeks with them in Tokyo. It clashed with the Championship though Dessie Farell told him he probably wouldn’t get much game time so the decision was made for him.
Dublin were still in the Championship when he got back and he trained every day and let Farrell know he was available. They eventually lost to Mayo in a semi-final.
“Maybe it was wishful thinking but if we’d got to the final, I think I could have got a bit of time, maybe, maybe,” he said. “But look, I’d made my bed. That was it. That was the end of my career.”
Kevin McManamon’s Laochra Gael episode will be shown on Thursday 12 March at 9.30pm
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
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