Dublin get the gang back together to bring Sam Maguire back to the city

The city thrums to the sound of its favourite sons. After a couple of years of having to live without Sam Maguire, Dublin recaptured the All-Ireland football title with a 1-15 to 1-13 victory over Kerry at Croke Park. In the process, they confirmed Stephen Cluxton, James McCarthy and Mick Fitzsimons as winners of nine Celtic Crosses, the most of any men in the history of the game.

On a rain-soaked afternoon in Dublin 3, Dessie Farrell’s side came through a fitful encounter by making good on all the nous and experience they had brought back into the squad since this time last year. Stephen Cluxton, Jack McCaffrey and man of the match Paul Mannion all made vital contributions, with Mannion’s five points making him the leading scorer in the game.

After two semi-final exits in 2021 and 2022, the result entirely justifies Farrell’s efforts to bring them back into the fold. They came back for one job. They did that one job. For all that they already had in the bag, few can have felt as meaningful as this.

“I have no doubt in saying that,” said McCarthy. “It was the most special All-Ireland I’ve ever won. To come back after being knocked down twice and a few people ruling you out and thinking the time has passed, but I knew we were still good enough to win it. I had no doubt in my mind.”

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The game turned on a Paddy Small goal for Dublin 10 minutes after half-time. Though Dublin had been the better side in the first half, Kerry got in for a sucker-punch goal through Paul Geaney just before the break. It seemed to settle them and they built on it after the restart, forging three points ahead, the biggest lead in the game.

But when Colm Basquel pounced on a short pass by Gavin White to send Small away, his deflected finish hauled Kerry in and stopped their momentum. Even after Kerry scored the next three points to wipe out the goal, Dublin dominated the rest of the game. They couldn’t quite shake Kerry off until Mannion, fittingly, pushed them into the decisive lead in injury time.

“We kept at it and persevered and showed the character that we knew was in the group,” said Farrell of his team. “We spoke about that a lot this year about character and what it actually means. We identified the characteristics and the traits that were going to be really important to us and we hammered in on those. At the end of the day, it was that type of character that was shown when it mattered most.”