Ger Brennan wants Dublin footballers who will die with their boots on
The newly appointed Dublin senior football manager, Ger Brennan, pictured during his first media briefing at Staycity Aparthotels, Dublin City Centre. Staycity Aparthotels is proud sponsor of Dublin GAA across all four codes of the game. Sign up & save 10% every time you book direct at www.staycity.com.
By John Harrington
In his own day Ger Brennan wasn’t inclined to ever take a backward step on a football pitch and he’ll be demanding the same attitude and application as Dublin senior football team manager from his players.
He met the national media for the first time yesterday and gave a good insight into both the practicalities and philosophies of his management style.
The first non-negotiable will be that every individual buys into the group ethos and gives everything of themselves in the pursuit of success.
“It's amazing again what can be achieved when it doesn't matter who takes the credit,” said Brennan. “I'd be looking for fellas who would share that value.
“I look at how I try to play myself in that, whether you win or lose, you die with your boots on.
“If Dublin players are dying with their boots on, they're going to be at the latter end of the championship more often than not.
“That's what I would hope that fans and journalists alike would be able to say about Dublin teams.”
Brennan is as passionate as they come about football but he also has an analytical mind and sees plenty of areas that Dublin can improve on under his watch.
“You always have to look at the standard-bearers, which is Kerry and Armagh in the last two seasons. Again, results don't lie – Dublin are out of the top four and that's where they currently sit so the primary task is to get back into the top four and push for All-Ireland contention for the 2026 season.
"Success leaves clues. So you have to look at all our recent All-Ireland champions and some of their key metrics, and you measure that against Dublin's output the last couple of seasons and you see where they are, you know where you are, and you bridge the gap and it's a simple enough process actually.
“So looking at it, not being critical of predecessors who are involved but just looking at it objectively, Dublin scored 10 two-pointers in their championship games and they conceded 21 two-pointers in the championship games so that's a total score of 20 and 42 against. So, that's something which obviously stands out as an area for development and how you try to create those opportunities.
“The other aspect of the game is goal kicks for and against, they are huge now. So, generally speaking, and again it's no secret, but most teams in Gaelic football over 70 minutes will have 40 team possessions each.
“What you do with those 40 team possessions will help in getting to the outcome, the final result of the game.
“So on opposition kickouts if you can look to sneak a couple more of theirs and add a couple more to your own, that's probably four or five additional team possessions and that could result in four to five scores. All those things add up.”
Ger Brennan lifts the Sam Maguire Cup for Dublin after victory over Mayo in 2013.
Brennan confirmed yesterday that newly appointed team selector/coach, Stephen Cluxton, won’t play for Dublin in 2026 but what about other big names like Brian Fenton, Jack McCaffrey, and Paul Mannion who opted out this year?
Brennan would be happy to consider them if they were to make themselves available again, but he won’t be chasing anyone regardless of what they’ve achieved in the past.
He’s starting with a clean slate and hopes to give a large number of players, including some potential diamonds in the rough, the opportunity to prove themselves.
“I have an open door policy, which will be a revolving door as we progress through the National League and if there are guys in the group that are falling away physically, mentally or in terms of general output, someone else will come in to replace him. I think competition is certainly important that way throughout the whole season.
“In relation to the likes of Brian Fenton, he obviously announced his retirement last year. I bumped into him over in Chicago recently on UCD business. I hadn't been appointed at that stage and we were shooting the breeze and from what I gather he's happy enough travelling the world. He's gone off again for another couple of months.
“If Brian, Paul Mannion, Jack McCaffrey, if those fellas have the hunger and the desire to go at it again and they're fit and in form, I'd certainly look at them. If they're not fit and in form and don't have the hunger, they've given so much already, you’re taking someone’s else spot at that stage.
“I won't be chasing people. And if people want to play for Dublin, it'll be certainly on mine and the management team's terms and how we're going to go about our business. We have roughly six scouts out watching games from junior level up to senior. You have myself and the four selectors out watching games, and we have our analysis team out watching games. So we've actually built up a good database of players already.
“We are going to run a trial tournament for regions early in November. That'll be open to people to come in and watch freely and see if we can unearth a couple of gems. It worked a couple of years ago, in 2023, the David Hickey tournament, we called it.
“When Pat Gilroy came in, it worked and it unearthed Michael Darragh MacAuley and Kevin McManamon and a few others. At the same time, it keeps a couple of seasoned contenders on their toes, too, which is very important as well.”
Louth manager Ger Brennan celebrates with family after the Leinster GAA Football Senior Championship final match between Louth and Meath at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.
It’s been quite a few months for Brennan. He managed Louth to their first Leinster title in 68 years and now has been given what he regards as the opportunity of a lifetime to manage his own county team.
“I'm always a big believer, as a lot of Irish mammies would say, what's for you, it won't pass you,” says Brennan.
“In relation to Louth, it was an incredible journey with the whole county as a whole, the players, the county board.
“The season gone in particular, we actually began to train in different parts of Louth to, I guess, build a brand and increase support and that certainly helped in terms of those kind of connections and bonds.
“It was an incredible experience to prepare for that journey with the Louth guys. They put everything into it. I suppose, for me, it was a two-year term with the option of a third. I had made a decision to step away at some stage in the All-Ireland series, chatting with my wife. I'd given everything to it, and possibly a fresh set of eyes would have been needed to continue to add value to the Louth set up and the profile of some of the better guys too.
“I think a fresh set of eyes would help them try and get a bit more juice out of them in the latter stages of their career, while integrating new guys into the set up too. So I was happy to step away, having achieved what we achieved together.
“I was stepping away anyway. I had nothing lined up. I wasn't going anywhere else. Yes, the phone certainly rang when I stepped away. I took the whole month of July off, had the kids and the family, and a couple of holidays here and there.
“Then, we had a couple more chats with the Dublin County Board into early August and here we are. Fairly straightforward in the end. We're all members of a club, whether it's Gaelic games or another sporting identity, and to be involved with your own club or county is that bit more special because of the connections you have with the places having grown up.
“It's a privileged and blessed position to be in so I feel very fortunate and will be doing everything I can to continue to add to the success of my predecessors in the role.”
