DESSIE FARRELL HAS credited the impact of Pat Gilroy as a sounding board across the whole of his Dublin management career.
The former teammates overlapped as minor and senior managers in 2011 when the Dubs achieved their breakthrough Sam Maguire success.
Since then, Gilroy has been a regular confidant of Farrell’s, culminating in their pairing up to bring All-Ireland silverware back to the capital this season.
“Pat’s a special individual,” said Farrell. “We soldiered a long time together as players and even when he was the senior manager and I was the minor manager, I would have confided a lot in Pat.
“His time was very precious and he had a big job on his own hands so he was always very forthcoming and helpful.
“Even when he stepped away and I was involved with the U21 teams, I’d always tic-tac with him and he was a great sounding board and over the last couple of seasons as well.
“This season, we had a cup of coffee and I just put it to him, would he be in a position to give us a little bit more, and he was able to.
“He’s a special character so it was great to have him involved.”
Farrell also praised the impact of Ger Lyons’ coaching, having come on board this season, as well as his regular lieutenants, Darren Daly, Mick Galvin, and Brian O’Regan.
“They don’t get the credit that they deserve, the endless hours that they put in. There are people who make huge differences in other people’s lives and they don’t even know it and that’s the type of group that those coaches are. They’re brilliant.”
Farrell acknowledged the sense that 2023 could be a “last dance” for some of this Dublin team.
Dean Rock revealed he has “probably” played his last match, while captain James McCarthy also hinted that Sunday could be his swansong, saying he had worn the Dublin jersey “maybe for the last time”.
“We didn’t really speak collectively about that,” said Farrell.
There was an understanding that for some this could be the last dance, so to speak, and we didn’t try to leverage or use that because sometimes that can be inauthentic, and you’re trying to create a crutch or a hook that may not necessarily work to your advantage.
“They’re all going to be individual decisions for everybody involved and I think yesterday was about that group coming together and it didn’t really matter who was in the group. It was a case of a strong bond developing over the last nine months.
“I mentioned the young lads before coming in and bringing great energy and enthusiasm and they sparked life into some of the senior lives and definitely having some of the lads who were away come back (helped).
“There was a great sense of comfort in that as well. Being part of the team, the dynamics can be different from one team to another but that sense of cohesion and sense of brotherhood was great amongst the group.
“We got the timing right and that blend of youth and experience seemed to work as well. That was what yesterday was about. Not necessarily about what was to come or who might be there in the future.
“We didn’t travel that road. It was more about who we have here at the minute and to be grateful for all those individuals.”
Farrell agreed that chance to salute a special bunch of players gave Dublin’s bounce-back triumph a warmer welcome than their six-in-a-row success.
“Dublin being the capital city and the success they’ve had over the last decade, it’s natural there may be people around the country supporting the opposition on any given day. But, obviously, Kerry are a stronghold of Gaelic football so in terms of the neutrals, you don’t know which way they were going.
“But I think for a lot of Dublin people there was a sense of something special about yesterday’s victory. You can’t really put the finger on what that was.
“They’re a special group of players and there’s huge affection for them within the city by the people of Dublin so probably something to do with that.”
