THE FIRST BLOW came in early November.
Expected, but there was a finality to it all the same. James McCarthy was handing his gun and badge in, retiring from being the Sheriff of the Dublin team, nine All-Ireland titles and five All-Stars later.
His departure was greeted with the acknowledgement that at 34 years of age, he drained every last drop of his career.
That’s why the news a few weeks later that Brian Fenton was going to join him on the sidelines came as such a shock. At 31, he leaves with seven All-Ireland titles and six All-Stars. The Dubs stopped counting Leinster titles a long time ago.
You could only imagine the panic in manager Dessie Farrell’s voice as he spent the proceeding weeks trying to budge Fenton’s decision, to delay it for at least another season.
In the past, key figures have stepped away. Most, such as the likes of Paul Flynn and Bernard Brogan have been encouraged to spend a final year, gaining little minutes on the pitch but retained for their attitude and standards at training.
To lose two key vital figures at once, in the Dublin midfield, presents Dublin with their greatest conundrum since their era of dominance began in 2011.
“It’s like having the engine ripped out of the Ferrari,” says Ciaran Whelan, Fenton’s Raheny clubmate and a previous pillar of the Dublin midfield.
“When you look back on all the games, all the clutch moments, ok, well Dublin won whatever it was, but they were put to the pin of their collar at some point and when that happened it was generally Fenton or McCarthy who was standing up. Big game players.
“They were very different in that McCarthy had that engine and was the workhorse who made the crucial plays, interceptions and blocks, whereas Fenton was the fielder who glided from 21 to 21 and played the game at his own pace. Made the game look so easy with his skill level off left and right and his accuracy in front of goal.”
He continues, “They complemented each other so well. You had the combination of everything between the two of them and it is a massive void for Dublin to fill. People might underestimate that.
“You are taking so much experience out of the heartbeat of your team and the guys who have got Dublin over the line and dragged them over the line the last few years.”
Brendan Hackett, manager of Ballymun Kickhams when they won the Dublin championship in 2020, brims with praise of McCarthy. He ranks the two together as the greatest midfield pairing in the history of Gaelic football.
“I would say yes. You could maybe put Sean Walsh and Jack O’Shea close to them. But you couldn’t say there was a better midfield. I never saw a better midfield,” says Hackett.
“I just think James could have been a top-class middle-distance runner. They complemented each other when things were in the nix, Fenton pulled key scores out of the bag. But you can’t do that on your trust.
“They had a trust. James had his back. If you wanted to saunter forward and you knew James McCarthy had your back?”
The question naturally turns to what options Dublin have in 2025.
In no particular order, you have midfield specialists Tom Lahiff and Peader Ó Cofaigh-Byrne, both of whom have guested in the middle of the park alongside Fenton when McCarthy was required elsewhere.
There are alternatives. Some may not fit the physical profile but could be converted. We’re thinking of Brian Howard and Ciaran Kilkenny in particular. Lee Gannon. Possibly Brian Scully.
Further down the depth chart you have promising talents in Senan Forker of Castleknock and Ethan Dunne of Skerries Harps.
There is a novelty candidate in James Madden. He returns after spending the last six season in the AFL with Brisbane Lions. In that time, he made 13 appearances and is back in training with Dublin.
They are options. But men of Fenton and McCarthy’s proven character are impossible to replace.
“I couldn’t speak highly enough of him,” says Hackett of McCarthy.
“That’s not platitudes because he has retired and that. I just think he was a gem. You couldn’t ask to work with better in absolutely any way. I wouldn’t have worked with better.”
In what precise sense?
“Desire. Now, desire coupled with commitment. Lots of people have both; but not together.
“Extraordinary desire backed up by extraordinary levels of commitment. I would call it mental toughness. Mental toughness to me is somebody who can get into the best state of mind, never mind the circumstances. What that leads to is consistency. It’s the one thing people would say about him.”
When he was managing the Westmeath U21s in 2010, Hackett came across McCarthy in a Leinster final that Dublin won. He’s been observing him closely for 14 years.
“I put him in the top 1% of the country in all this time, physically, but what really made him special was his mental qualities,” he adds.
When he left, it felt inevitable.
Fenton did not.
There had been whispers and speculation swirling around Fenton for some time. A couple of years back, he happened to mention to Whelan that he had plans in his head.
He wanted to give meaningful years to Raheny. He is a natural-born athlete dedicated to the gym, and plays some soccer for Howth Celtic.
“From the outside looking in, you passed it off, asking how Dublin were going to let him walk away when he is possibly the best midfielder in the country?” says Whelan.
“He looks to be very set in his ways that he had a plan and was going to do the ten years and walk away, and that’s materialised.
“There was an air of maybe expectation that he had plans in his head, but a hope that he would be convinced to wear the jersey for another couple of years. He is getting now to 31 and you are in that bubble for ten years. When you step outside it, it can be a very different world.”
The lure of travel was always there. A couple of years ago, it was being talked of at length. Whelan feels that a six-month sabbatical might have done enough to let him get it out of his system.
“But he’s had a wonderful ten years. That’s the flipside to it, you look at counties and my own career, you look at Mayo and other counties. When you are still chasing something there is always that grá and getting as much out of yourself as possible,” he says.
“Dublin have had a decade of success, kicked off by Brian, so maybe he’s right; get out at the top!”
Already with a suite of ‘rule enhancements’, 2025 is the most eagerly anticipated season in Gaelic football in many years.
The loss of McCarthy and Fenton brings Dublin further back into the peloton. As a test for Farrell as manager, this is where he shows his tactical chops.
The loss of two such hugely talented, committed and influential players will be very difficult to cope with. Added to that is the fact that Johnny Small, Ciarán Kilkenny, Paul Mannion, Mick Fitzsimons and Stephen Cluxton will all be a year older. Interesting times ahead in the All Ireland and maybe, just maybe in Leinster too.