And so Jim Gavin walked off into the sunset, enigmatic to the last.

When the Dublin footballers continuously speak about the ‘culture’ that Pat Gilroy changed and established and that Jim Gavin then perfected, they rarely go into detail while knowing the secret of winning and Gavin was in the detail.

Jim Gavin was nothing if not consistent.

The morning after attending last month’s All-Stars ceremony at the Convention Centre, Jim Gavin headed for Kilmessan in Meath and Fergies pub.

Is Jim Gavin the greatest Gaelic football manager of all time?

Not even Jim Gavin could keep his guard up for seven whole years and the ex-Dublin boss did drop enough nuggets of intrigue over the years to remember him by.

Brian Cody, the most successful GAA manager of all time, has urged Jim Gavin's replacement in Dublin to be himself and to not fall into the trap of attempting to emulate his predecessor.

Timing is everything.

Last Saturday evening in Croke Park had a sense of inevitability about it, as Dublin cruised to their 29th All-Ireland title, capturing the elusive five in a row in the process.

QPR FC Sport Scientist Ciarán Deely looks at the reasons behind Dublin’s physical dominance.

The Oxford Dictionary defines juggernaut as ‘a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force’ and by way of explanation uses ‘the juggernaut thundered through the countryside’ as a descriptor.

Dublin great Barry Cahill reckons the odds of both Jim Gavin and Stephen Cluxton remaining in their positions beyond Sunday’s All-Ireland final are only ‘50-50’.

“I learned a long time ago when Kerry talk about other counties, I take it with a pinch of salt.”

Paddy Andrews cringes. He winces a couple of times during a searingly honest interview. On Sunday, he may claim a sixth All-Ireland SFC medal, but the 31-year-old knows it could have been a seventh.

Cork hurling legend and former coach Ger Cunningham reckons the material is there for the Rebels to prosper under new management in 2020.

Eoghan O’Donnell says veteran Dublin colleague Conal Keaney could be the county’s greatest ever hurling servant.

The Leinster Senior Football Championship has long been crying ‘stop’ and Dublin have long since stopped listening. This wasn’t quite a pulverisation, but unquestionably another endorsement of capital might.

In time, we may all be indebted to the work of Donal Keogan.

Eamonn Dillon has admitted he feared his trademark burst of pace was gone after a rare leg injury

Finisher. That’s the term managers prefer to use these days when selling and telling a player that they’re not starting the next day but should see action at some point.

If the Leinster SHC has prompted you to experience déjà vu, you’re not alone. For the second season in a row, Galway commence their campaign against the team expected to be the cannon fodder while Dublin and Kilkenny duel for starters.

Former All-Ireland winning Tipperary player and manager Nicky English has surprisingly questioned the fairness of Dublin’s Parnell Park as a hurling Championship venue.

Eoghan O’Donnell has claimed that the Dublin hurlers have gathered their strongest panel in years as they chase a Championship breakthrough.

I was walking into Croke Park last Sunday when I heard some fella calling me.

Mattie Kenny’s reputation as a man who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “no” reached new heights in recent months.

Clare legend Anthony Daly says the decision to grant Waterford home advantage for their Munster SHC games this summer has blown the provincial championship “wide open”.

After succeeding Pat Gilroy in late 2012, it is the third extension the five-time All-Ireland SFC winning boss has enjoyed.

Professor Niall Moyna, part of Dublin’s backroom team for their 2011 All-Ireland triumph, has fallen out of love with Gaelic football.

Tom Ryan on...

Dublin defender Eoghan O’Donnell was part of a three-man players group that met new manager Mattie Kenny last Friday night to kick-start preparations for 2019.

Cuala’s two-time All-Ireland winning manager Mattie Kenny has taken over from Pat Gilroy as Dublin senior hurling boss.

At first glance the subtitle might seem a tad overblown: Dublin – The Chaos Years: How the Dubs Made A Mess of Things For So Long – and How They Turned It Around.

Former Kilkenny midfielder Michael Fennelly believes the demands of club hurling are beginning to match that of the inter-county game.

The Dublin County Board may have to embark on a charm offensive if they want Mattie Kenny to take over from Pat Gilroy as their senior hurling manager.

The All-Ireland-winning manager of the county's footballers in 2011, Gilroy was initially hired for a three-year term.

The divided reaction to David Hickey’s interview carried in this newspaper on Saturday wasn’t unexpected.

I thought it was all over for trains and GAA supporters, and I thought I had the exact moment the romance had ended: when Cork decided to go by bus to Dublin.

Galway manager Micheál Donoghue wants a rethink of the provincial hurling championships after a gruelling four games in five weekends this year.

At last month’s Stewarts Care Golf Classic in Hollystown, organiser Dean Rock had the backing of public utilities company Veolia. 

Cork take on Waterford this Sunday in the last of their Munster SHC round-robin games, having had a break last week, but Rebel manager John Meyler admits he “missed the buzz” of a game, having been in action for the previous three weeks in a row.

It has been the case of Dublin first, the rest nowhere, in Leinster for a long time now.

Dublin nearly stunned the All-Ireland champions in Salthill but Paul Winters two second-half goals were not enough to edge victory for Pat Gilroy’s side in Pearse Stadium.

Westmeath hurling manager Michael Ryan says the Leinster championship should not be expanded to six teams, insisting Offaly will benefit from time spent in the second-tier.

DUBLIN 2-24 OFFALY 0-13: On the darkest of days for Offaly hurling, not even Our Lady of Consolation church next to Parnell Park could offer any sort of silver lining.

It’s eight years since Dublin last lost a game of senior football in Leinster and Michael Fitzsimons has reason to remember it well.

Wexford 0-22 Dublin 2-14: For the second week in a row Dublin were caught in additional time as Wexford produced a blazing finish for a two-point victory in a game that kept the attendance in Innovate Wexford Park rapt right to the final whistle.