Senior Dublin stars set for Brennan axe? 'It's probably decision-time for a couple of guys'.

Ger Brennan’s post-match verdict after defeat by Mayo pricked ears and turned heads

Dublin manager Ger Brennan, left, and selector Dean Rock during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Mayo and Dublin at the Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile

The Dublin axe is being sharpened. Reputation and swollen medal counts won’t save you.

Following another fruitless league outing, Ger Brennan’s post-match verdict pricked ears and turned heads in a way Dublin performances have not since the throw-in of spring fare.

Winless and pointless across the opening two rounds, the Dublin manager was asked if the urgent requirement to accumulate league points would encroach on the space for experimentation and development of younger panelists.

Brennan’s reply let it be known loud and clear that it isn’t the emerging players who should be worried about game-time and continued membership of the Dublin panel.

The panel is currently 50-strong. There’s Sigerson students and Ballyboden ballers still to come back into the mix. A cut is coming over the next week. Casualties of a high-profile nature look to be in the offing.

“I would suggest it is probably some of our fellas who've been around the block, that there will be a few tough decisions to be made,” said the Dublin manager.

“You make those decisions through looking at the data; looking at the contributions fellas are making on the pitch and off the pitch, and then your eyes don’t lie. You can see what I can see. So, if a guy has done what he's done over the last couple of years, it's probably decision-time for a couple of guys in terms of what they want to do.

“That's something that's probably on our mind at the moment as a management team.” 

In a separate part of the Dublin manager’s post-match interview, there was reference to comments made by Mick Bohan on Newstalk the day before Dublin travelled to Castlebar. The point made was a contrast between the appetite of 35-year-old Aidan O’Shea, and his continued chase of an elusive All-Ireland medal, and whether Dublin players who won so much in such a short period of time have any more of themselves left to give to the cause.

“And that is the question we're asking,” Brennan replied. “I didn't listen to the piece now with Mick. Mick is a good lad, and it's a fair comment as described there.

“If Mayo had snuck their two or three All-Irelands over the last couple of years, is Aidan O'Shea playing this year? I don't know, probably unlikely. But it's a fair question that our fellows will have to think about.” 

Brennan’s sideline ruthlessness was shown in the opening half at MacHale Park. The starting midfield pairing of Brian Howard and Ethan Dunne, along with half-forward Killian McGinnis, had all been whipped by the half-hour mark. Brennan confirmed that none of these early substitutions were injury-related.

“No injuries involved with anything. We’re just being as, what would you call it, as fair and transparent with the players as possible.

“We’ve a panel of about 50 there now, with guys coming back from Sigerson duty, guys coming back from Ballyboden, and we need to cut the panel down next weekend. And, well, I'm fairly black and white.

“I will show the lads what it is they need to improve on. In the engine room last week, the middle eight, probably bar Seán McMahon, we were very poor against Donegal in the first half. And we would have gone through those learnings with the players during the week and obviously going into the Mayo game this week, we were getting outdone again in the engine room. So we said we’d make changes a lot quicker.”