Curious tourists peer from beneath oversized umbrellas as Ger Brennan and a photographer try to dodge the mid-afternoon showers sprinkling Dublin city centre.
This is the start of the Ger Brennan era, though it soon emerges that it’s also the ushering in of the post-Stephen Cluxton playing era. Either way, it’s a brave new dawn for the Dubs.
“He won’t be playing. He’s there 100 per cent as a coach/selector,” says Brennan when asked about Cluxton’s inclusion on his management team.
“And his duties extend beyond goalkeeping. There’s a great goalkeeping coach there, Josh Moran, and he’s going to continue to stay in that role and Stephen will be looking at the bigger picture.”
RM Block
Cluxton (43) made his Dublin senior debut in 2001 and apart from a sabbatical from 2021 to midway through the 2023 season, he has been Dublin’s guardian between the sticks. But this, it seems, is how it ends for Cluxton. Leaving without saying he is leaving. As it was always meant to be.
“Some players, me being one of them, like to make announcements,” says Brennan. “And Stephen being another type of player, he’s probably not one for announcements. But he’s definitely not part of the playing group. He’s fully part of the management group. And if you can get him to use the word ‘retirement’, fair play to you.”
It has been quite the few months for Brennan, an All-Ireland winning player with Dublin in 2011 and 2013. He started the year planning for Division 2 football with Louth and ends it in the wheelhouse of the biggest gig in Gaelic football.
In between, he led Louth to a first Leinster SFC title since 1957. But he’s home now, a Dublin city boy handed the keys to the kingdom.
“I’m always a big believer, as a lot of Irish mammies would say, what’s for you won’t pass you,” he says.
A former teacher, the St Vincent’s clubman has been working as UCD Sport’s Gaelic Games Executive since 2015. He made 67 senior appearances for Dublin – 26 in championship and 41 in league – between 2007 and 2013.
An Achilles injury curtailed the latter years of his playing days and in 2015, he was forced to call time on his Dublin career at just 30 years of age.
After two seasons managing Louth, he stepped down in early July. While insisting there was no grand plan at the time to succeed Dessie Farrell as Dublin manager, Brennan admits that when the opportunity arose, it was impossible to ignore.
“We’re all members of a club, whether it’s Gaelic games or another sporting identity,” he said. “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.
“I honestly had no plan or ambition (to manage Dublin). I suppose I would have a great sense of trying to add value to people’s lives through participation in Gaelic games and sport in general.
“And then at the same time, you need to be doing something that excites you and that is in tune with your personal values. That’s the way I operate. Obviously, married with four kids, you have a mortgage and bills. So, once I’m in a position with my day-to-day job in UCD to ensure that those things are paid, I’m kind of open to where the universe or the spirit might be leading it.”
To have been entrusted with the position fills Brennan with a justified sense of pride.
“When people talk about why, my parents are in their seventies at this stage and I’m the fifth of nine kids. There are 21 grandkids.
“Part of my why for Louth in the last couple of years, while trying to add value to people’s lives through participation in Gaelic games, was an opportunity to talk to my father regularly. He’d be up watching games. My parents would be up watching games and it added value and purpose to their lives.
“I think that part of the bigger GAA picture and sport in general is how much value it gives to individuals and parents. So part of my why is to try to make my parents proud by doing my best for Dublin GAA.”
But what will Dublin’s identity be under Brennan?
“I look at how I try to play myself in that, whether you win or lose, you die with your boots on,” he continued. “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.”
Brennan hasn’t finalised his panel for 2026, saying it will operate with an open-door policy. No players from the 2025 squad have yet informed him that they won’t be available for 2026, but he says that’s very much a two-way conversation.
“There’s probably a few people I haven’t informed yet either,” he says, suggesting some might not be invited back next season. “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, in how we’re going to go about our business.”
Brennan will run a regional tournament next month as he casts his net as wide as possible to ensure the best talent is inside the Dublin dressingroom.
“It worked a couple of years ago when Pat Gilroy came in – 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.
“That [tournament] will be open to people to come in and watch freely and see if we can unearth a couple of gems.”
By the time he’s finished, the sun has broken through the clouds again and an autumnal shimmer bounces off the drying streets. Ger Brennan walks outside. It’s his town now.
Brennan was speaking during his first media briefing as Dublin manager at Staycity Aparthotels in Dublin city centre.
Ger Brennan On . . .
The chances of Brian Fenton, Paul Mannion or Jack McCaffrey returning
“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.”
Jim Gavin’s presidential candidacy
“If Jim gets the job, I will be calling into the Áras for a cup of tea more regularly! But on a personal level, I’m delighted for Jim. I’m not surprised to see his name being linked with a job as prestigious as that. I was fortunate to play under him for three years. I think he would be a great fit for the presidency and he will certainly have my vote as a person, not as a Dublin manager – that’s not part of the remit. As Ger Brennan, I’m delighted for Jim."
Dublin not kicking enough two-pointers in 2025
“Not being critical of predecessors who were 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.”
Dublin’s involvement in a potential 2026 O’Byrne Cup
“I would see the O’Byrne Cup as a developmental opportunity to look at up-and-coming players playing for their county with a crowd there, which would give us an opportunity to see where they’re at. Are you going to be playing some of your key guys in the O’Byrne Cup? You’re not. But you’re looking to try to unearth maybe four or five new fellas that could come in and add value to the set-up for the 2026 National League.”
New rules
“I still think a two-pointer from a free-kick is so easy for an intercounty footballer. I look at the example of David Clifford’s two-pointer on the buzzer at half-time and how they set that up and it was obviously a set play that they had worked on. How is that two-pointer the same [as a two-pointer from play]? It’s a piece of cake for fellas like that to kick a two-pointer [from a free].”
Where are Dublin in the pecking order right now?
“You always have to look at the standard-bearers, which are 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 that 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. 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.”
