By Cian O'Connell

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13 months ago Paul Mannion returned to the capital city just in time to watch Dublin reclaim the All Ireland title.

Mannion stood on Hill 16 as Dublin outfoxed Kerry, but in 2016 the Kilmacud Crokes attacker was back on centre stage.

A year away in China as part of his university Commerce International Course in UCD offered an interesting life experience.

"The lifestyle is great, we were college students, it might be different if I was over there working, but it's hectic," Mannion reflects about the stint in China. 

"The things you see every day – you can't put into words. It's just so strange to us, but over there it's just so normal.  

"It's that kind of thing of seeing something crazy every day, seeing something new every day, that I just loved.

"I chose Chinese in first year. I was looking for something different really, and so was my friend who chose that with me. China just sounds like a bit of fun."

It turned out to be exactly the case so Mannion admits to enduring some difficult days when making a welcome return to the Dublin jersey at the start of the current campaign, laughing at what happened during the Allianz Football League opener at Croke Park.

"It was tough, January and February were tough months," Mannion recalls. "I remember the first League game of the year. The first half I was absolutely knackered at half-time, I came in and got sick in the sinks at Croke Park. It raised eyebrows a little bit.

"It took a long time to get back up to that level. I came in at the start of the year and all of the rest of the lads were pushing hard in the gym, doing runs, I was falling behind a bit so I said I need to pull my socks up a bit here.

"I got an injury in the Sigerson Final that put me out for a few weeks which I just used to go to the gym, to catch up. By the time the summer came around I was probably in the best shape I was ever in.

"The main reason I wanted to go away was for enjoyment, to try something different, but yeah when I came back it, it did give you that extra kick at the start of the year."

Throughout Dublin's summer campaign Mannion had to remain patient with his splendid Quarter Final goal decorating a crucial win over Donegal.

"Yeah, I was delighted with that," Mannion stated. "It was a nervy enough end to that game and it was probably one of the first times that we felt in the Championship, ‘we might not win this game’. It was just relief when that went it.

"Scoring a goal in Croke Park no matter what the occasion is, you get a good bit of a high from it.

"Considering it was Donegal and the game was in the melting pot until the last minute, it was good, I enjoyed it."

Jim Gavin also opted to include Mannion from the start of the All Ireland SFC Final replay with Mayo. "Just a couple of days before," Mannion says about when he knew he would be involved from the outset.

"I had an idea. I spoke to Jim and said 'I feel ready and I feel I'm flying, and if you're thinking of making any changes I'm confident and up for the challenge' - and a couple of days before he gave me the nod."

Those fast and furious games with the Green and Red could certainly be classed in the intense category.

“Even coming off the bench as well, it's tough sometimes to get up to speed, but from the start I was blowing hard, up and down," Mannion reflects on the demanding encounters.

"They've obviously got very attacking defenders so that was a challenge for us. We knew, we spoke about it, that they're going to have to be tagged and tracked up the pitch and it was tough. I'd say most of the game I was at wing-forward and I remember Jason Sherlock running in, 'Paul, you have to get up the pitch'. I tracked back, but then to get back up and he was shouting at me to get back up and it was tough work, but it's a savage intensity.

"The physicality of it as well. We all came out with a few bruises. It's an All-Ireland final, when you've got that much on the line that's what you'd expect."

It capped another silverware laden inter-county season for Dubs, but Mannion didn't feel 'that far removed' when Dublin prevailed the previous year.

"I didn't really feel that far removed, I still had regular contact with the lads. In a way I suppose I kind of felt that I was still part of the team, it was still my team, I was still shouting.

"We are all fans at the end of the day even though I wasn't playing. We all grew up as Dublin supporters really. I still had that emotional investment in the team watching from the Hill."

Did Mannion have any doubt that he would wear the blue jersey again? "I always thought it would be difficult and it was difficult, no doubt about that," Mannion acknowledges.

"If you take a year out you know there is going to be a risk, the space mightn't be there when you get back. There were lads that were there, but Jim gave me a chance early in the year."

It was precisely what Mannion craved and another Dublin adventure culminated in glory.