Brian Howard on why latest All-Ireland victory means more to Dubs

The last time Dessie Farrell's side clinched a championship win was during covid restrictions. 

JOB DONE: Dublin's Brian Howard celebrates winning after the final whistle. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

This means more. Of that, there is no doubt for Brian Howard. Because of James McCarthy. Because of Dessie Farrell. Because of the Dublin footballers’ loved ones. Because of those like Howard who until 2021 had never known what it was to lose an inter-county championship football game.

For four seasons, Howard had been undefeated and then Mayo’s Diarmuid O’Connor stuck out a foot to stop a ball going wide and put in motion a chain of events that would led to Dublin’s demise in that year’s All-Ireland semi-final.

Factor in the pandemic and until last Sunday it was four years since Dublin last truly cheered an All-Ireland success. As the manager who oversaw that sixth All-Ireland in a row in 2020, Farrell has been careful not to diminish the significance of that achievement but given the muted circumstances around it and the defeats that followed since Howard places this latest All-Ireland, his fifth in total, ahead of it.

“I’m not taking away from what we did in 2020 but it was during covid, it didn’t have the same effect. There were no families involved at the final whistle. It was the only the players at the final whistle and that was extremely special but on the other side of it are families and girlfriends and them not being able to be there it makes this one that bit better. They had missed out the last three years so it’s good for them to be able to celebrate with us.

“Coming in after Jim (Gavin) and what Jim had done it was always going to be tough for Dessie but he came in and won an All-Ireland. If you look at the last two years, we lost one All-Ireland semi-final after extra-time and the other after a kick of a ball.

“Dessie has led this environment and a lot of players have played under him at under-age and have that sort of chemistry and connection with him. When we see it come through to senior, it’s a special thing and thankfully I’ve been able to experience winning All-Irelands with him at U21 and senior.” 

As a large part of the group celebrate Dean Rock’s stag in Marbella this weekend, Howard will enjoy raising toasts with many but especially Rock’s groomsman and Dublin captain McCarthy, who he says was a major motivating factor never mind driving force this season.

“I’m in a privileged position of being on the good end of a few All-Irelands and walked up the steps but it had been a tough watch seeing others do it the last couple of years. At the start of the year, we set out our stall. Our goal was to get James McCarthy up them stairs and thankfully we did that.

“As a man, he’s someone I’ve looked up to off and on the pitch. He’s been the standard bearer since I came into the squad in 2017. Being able to win it for him is a huge deal and obviously the added touch of him and the two lads (Stephen Cluxton and Mick Fitzsimons) winning the most All-Irelands. It’s just an extra touch of class on the man that he is.” 

The first team in over 25 years to win from the second tier of the league (Armagh won from the third octet, the old Division 2A, in 2002), Howard believes the difference between Division 1 and 2 is getting smaller.

“It’s probably a credit to all of the counties of where football is at the moment, how competitive it. We got a different taste of things and had a couple of great battles with Derry in Derry and Croke Park. You learn a lot from playing on the road and there’s no gulf in class.

“We didn’t breeze through Division 2 and it wasn’t easy but we sort of knew something was building by the way we were playing. Lads were getting runs, setting down markers like Daire Newcombe, Ross McGarry, David O’Hanlon. It was up to the senior lads to take the positions off them and thankfully for the likes of myself from a selfish point of view I was able to get onto the pitch. Against Roscommon at the start of the All-Ireland series, we didn’t hit the ground running as we would have liked but it brought us back to reality in terms of what we had to do and we pushed on from there.” 

In a game in which he could very well have ended up man of the match having formed a tractor beam between him and Stephen Cluxton, Howard eventually had to come off with a cramped calf against Kerry last Sunday. As a foundation to their success, the Dublin kick-out was immense.

“Look, Stephen could hit a needle if he was asked,” says Howard. “We do the easy part, we just run into space and he clips it. It’s about the other five defenders or midfielders creating space for you too. Thankfully, I was able to get on the end of a view and got the glory.”