'I think it's come to a natural end'

Dessie Farrell's resignation immediately after Dublin's loss to Tyrone may have taken the press corps by surprise but the manager confirmed he had long known this would be his final season in charge.

Farrell's six-year stint, which came immediately Jim Gavin's near perfect reign in charge, yielded two All-Ireland titles but concluded with successive quarter-final losses, as the Dublin greats of the 2010s have either departed or are reaching the end of the road.

In his press conference afterwards, Farrell, previously a minor and Under-21 All-Ireland winning manager, became choked up as he spoke of his closeness to the players.

"I think it's just come to a natural end," Farrell told RTÉ Sport afterwards. "It's easier to say it today than I have to say it next week or in a couple of weeks' time.

"I definitely don't want to make it about me because it's not. It always and always has been about the players. Ultimately, they're the men who step into the arena. They're the men in the formative years of their lives who dedicate so much to playing for their county. I have huge admiration and respect for them.

"I think the overriding feeling for me now is just that I will miss the people. It's not necessarily the position because some of the relationships are really important to me.

"Some of those lads have been like kids to me, watching them grow up.

"They're a special group. I'm very, very grateful for them and for all they've given. They'll drive on and Dublin will be a good place next season and the season after."

Cormac Costello reacts after the final whistle

Farrell was appointed manager in the winter of 2019, with Dublin football still drunk on its crowning achievement.

The team had already reached a historic finish line of sorts that autumn, completing the five-in-a-row which eluded every other senior men's inter-county team until that point.

Improving on that was obviously a non-starter. The question was whether this could be sustained and whether the capital had in fact broken the county game.

Farrell presided over Dublin's sixth title on the trot in surreal circumstances in an empty and bitterly cold Croke Park just six days before Christmas in the unforgettable year of 2020.

But fallibility began to reveal itself in 2021, Dublin losing their first match in seven years to their 2010s nemesis Mayo after what had been a messy year, during which Stephen Cluxton abruptly marked himself absent and was assumed to have retired.

Cluxton would famously be part of the gang that returned in 2023, alongside Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion, to win the second All-Ireland of Farrell's reign, the Dubs dethroning Kerry in that year's decider.

It was assumed that would be followed by a spate of retirements, though the 2010s crop mostly stuck around for another go in 2024. Last year's one-point quarter-final defeat to Galway was to prove the final bow for most of that generation, with McCaffrey, Mannion, James McCarthy and most shockingly of all, Brian Fenton deciding to call it a day over the winter.

Farrell had thought about leaving after last year's loss but said he felt he should hang around to help with what could be a transitional period.

"With all the retirements from last season, if the management team had stepped away as well, it didn't feel like the right thing to do.

"I think everyone involved - management, coaches, backroom and players - knew that this was going to be a different season.

"We just embraced that challenge and see where it took us. It was a very fulfilling and rewarding season. The senior guys in that dressing room, to a man, stood up and picked up the cudgels and just went with it.

"The young lads that came in, the development that we've seen taking place in them in 6-9 months has been significant.

"I know there's challenges in underage in the county over the last number of years. But there's a great crop after coming in there. And I'd be very optimistic for how they go about their business in the seasons ahead."

The loss itself concludes what has been a difficult, transitional season, in which they lost three championship matches and surrendered their provincial crown, an almost unthinkable idea even two years ago.

Stephen Cluxton leaves the pitch after the loss

They appeared in a healthy position at half-time but their shooting efficiency collapsed in the second half, where they registered just six points without a single two-pointer.

"Very disappointed with the level of performance today, the shooting efficiency hurt us badly.

"I think we created a lot of opportunities, some very good passages to play, to create those opportunities and just weren't able to convert.

"We felt a little bit of momentum coming with us but we just needed to draw level. We could just never get that last elusive score. And we definitely spurned some good chances.

"The game was at a tipping point there perhaps and it could have been a different result. But ultimately we didn't convert and we can have no excuses."

Farrell admitted the shooting issues that cropped up in the second half were a prevailing problem throughout the season, which surfaced most glaringly in the home loss to Armagh in the group stage.

"I think the overriding sense for me at least is that we just fell short of realising our potential even in this season. It was a different type of a season, a lot of experience had left the dressing room, a lot of great talent had stepped away.

"We were always on a steep learning curve but we were moving along nicely. It wasn't plain sailing by any means and the trajectory was never linear but just could see that we were still in the hunt.

"But we weren't able to bring that level of consistency that's required and the shooting was a big one that came back to bite us.

"We tried to address it after the Armagh game but ultimately we were never able to get to grips with it on the big day."

Watch two All-Ireland Football Championship quarter-finals, Meath v Galway and Armagh v Kerry, from 1.15pm on Sunday on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to commentaries on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game at 10.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player

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