Dublin SFC: Stephenson and Castleknock have no intention of backing down against favourites Cuala

Stephenson jacked in hurling, figuring it would help him not just to focus more on football but also to clear up some troublesome hamstring issues.

Brian Farrell, the former Meath forward, was Castleknock manager and noticed a spike in Stephenson's form so threw him into the lineup for the first round of the 2023 Dublin SFC.

"It's all about getting an opportunity and when you get it, you have to grab it by the scruff of the neck," said Stephenson. "I owe a big thanks to Brian Farrell for putting that trust in me."

Three years on, Stephenson is captain of the Castleknock team that will take on Cuala in Sunday's PTSB Dublin SFC final.

And more than that, he will be a marked man having made his inter-county debut for Dublin at the age of 29 earlier this year.

Starting, and scoring, against Laois in the O'Byrne Cup was a proud moment for the electrician who was retained for the start of the National League campaign and came on against Mayo in Castlebar.

"I got on for about 40 minutes, it was a great experience," he said of facing the eventual All-Ireland winners. "It was different to anything I'd ever experienced before in the game, it was deadly."

Stephenson was one of those caught in Ger Brennan's net when the new Dublin manager trawled the county for fresh talent last winter.

He was one of 11 different players that made their League debuts in 2026 with Brennan going on to dole out eight Championship debuts. 

Brennan and members of the Dublin management have been visible figures at games throughout the club championships and Stephenson, despite turning 30 in January, has placed himself in the shop window for further county activity in 2027.

"I thought that ship might have sailed," he acknowledged about playing for Dublin. "But listen, you always have that belief in yourself and you always keep going, and I guess when the new management came in, it was probably another opportunity to have a go."

Stephenson's Castleknock clubmate Rob Shaw is in a similar boat having also featured for Dublin earlier this year. It was his fourth O'Byrne Cup campaign. Ciarán Kilkenny, meanwhile, recently opted out of county football, retiring after a glittering career.

Several more Castleknock players hoping to land a first-ever county title for the club this weekend have their own intriguing inter-county tales.

Like Mayo's Shairoze Akram, a key figure in his county's 2016 All-Ireland U-21 final win over Cork. Akram and former Breaffy goalkeeper John Vahey both joined the Somerton Park outfit this season. 

In attack, Eoin Sawyer played for Offaly this year, the county of his father. Senan Forker featured for Dublin in the League two years ago while fellow attacker Lenny Cahill was a county U-20 back in spring.

Despite all that talent, Castleknock will still be roaring underdogs against a Cuala side that won Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland titles across 2024 and 2025.

"They have some great players," said Stephenson of Cuala. "I obviously had a chance to train with some of the lads with Dublin earlier in the year and it was great. The likes of Eoghan O'Callaghan, Eoin Kennedy, Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Con and Niall O'Callaghan, you could list off all the names.

"We know how good they are and we've done our homework but we're focusing on our own game plan.

"But listen, they're a great club. They obviously won the semi-final in hurling as well, which just shows how dominant they are in both codes. That's something that us as a club in Castleknock would look up to and really admire."