Dessie Farrell says he has not made a decision yet on his future as Dublin senior football manager
Dessie Farrell discusses his future as Dublin manager following the All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kerry, and outlines his hopes for the Dubs to bounce back next year and for senior members of the panel to remain
Monday 11 July 2022 12:47, UK
Dessie Farrell's initial three-year term as Dublin manager has come to an end.
The Na Fianna man guided the capital to the 2020 All-Ireland title in his first year at the helm. Since then, the Sky Blues have undergone transition, with the team falling to Mayo and now Kerry in successive semi-finals.
In the wake of the narrow defeat to the Kingdom, Farrell was asked about his future in the role.
"Do you know what, and you may say I'm talking through my backside, but that hasn't come into the equation at all," he said.
"We'll have a couple of weeks to reflect on that.
"It was a three-year term. Obviously, that old cliché, there is going to be no decisions made tonight.
"For me, it's about the players. It was great to see that type of performance today, that type of coming together. And the young lads finding themselves in that group is important, that sense of belonging. We struggled with that earlier in the year perhaps.
"As time moved on, players found their feet, led by those great individuals that are in the mix of course. For me, that's the crucial thing. It's what's next for them. I'm optimistic and hopeful for what the future holds for that group."
Gracious in defeat
Farrell was keen to hold his hands up after the loss, admitting Kerry were the better team.
"We've no excuses. We just came up shy on the day and it's a bitter pill to swallow," he said.
"I'm gutted for the lads inside there. They died with their boots on. We were in a sticky situation at half-time. Immediately after half-time, we went six down and it wasn't looking good at that point. But we rallied, and they threw everything at it. I'm very proud of them in general."
The loss of Con O'Callaghan to injury was a setback, but it was clear from early in the week that the Cuala star would not be available.
"Con is special, we all know that," Farrell said.
"Time ran out for him. He did everything possible but it wasn't going to be.
"We discussed it during the week. We were either going to be good enough, or we were not going to be good enough. And that's the way we approached it. You get to play 15, you get to bring on five. It's us and them, and let's see where the cards fall. And we came out the wrong side of that unfortunately."
He is eager to see the good times return to Dublin football quickly.
"We'll all remember - some of the young lads in there won't - the wilderness years in Dublin," he said.
"Even after '83, '95, there were some barren years to follow. I'm hoping those days are gone. The challenge for the group is to try and keep evolving, that it doesn't fall off a cliff.
"While you might not necessarily be winning titles, we set our stall out this year that we want to be really competitive for championship. And I think we were.
"Obviously, we came up short today but for the group, the character, the resolve, how they carried themselves - that fighting spirit was evident in spades and I think that's a great platform for the team. Even for some of the young lads, even in defeat there's great strength to be taken in terms of what lies ahead for their own intercounty careers."
And he is hopeful that some of the stalwarts of the team will continue.
"They were going strong at the end. Some of that crew have a lot of miles on the clock and have given the most immense service to Dublin football," he said.
"But I'd be hoping for Dublin football that they, James [McCarthy] in particular stays around because the group dynamic has changed demonstrably over even the last year, but definitely the last number of years. A lot of young players, new players, many of them got game time today. But a lot more in the panel.
"Those players need the likes of James McCarthy and the Jonny Coopers and those lads to stay around and lead the way, because they follow brilliantly, to be fair to those young lads. And having that type of leadership at the helm is really important. So I'd be hoping that that crew have more to give."
