Ger Brennan on expectations ahead of Kerry showdown: There's a bit more heat on a Dublin manager

Brennan didn't have the same pressure to succeed during his stint with Louth

ICE-COOL: Dublin's Ger Brennan, who was suspended for the All-Ireland quarter-final against Kerry in 2009, enjoys an ice cream before throw-in at Croke Park. Picture: Brendan Moran/SPORTSFILE

Ger Brennan walks you down Dublin-Kerry memory lane and it is an amusing one.

It’s an immensely satisfying traipse too. He was obviously on the team that 15 years ago broke Dublin’s 16-year All-Ireland duck against their age-old opponents as he was in the all-time classic semi-final two years later when Dublin repeated the dose.

Only, his involvement lasted a half. “I got the curly finger at half-time in that one.” 

Colm Cooper had given him the runaround in the first half. “Well, allegedly,” smiles Brennan. “Allegedly. ‘The Gooch’ was on the ball. But that was an experience. What a wonderful player he was.” 

Just as his absence from the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Donegal was often cited as a key one for Dublin, he avoided the “startled earwigs” 2009 defeat to Kerry because of suspension.

He still made quite the impression. “I think it was in ‘The Sun’, I was in the stand eating a Cornetto. There was a photograph with ‘Brennan licks his wounds’, or something like that. That was another lesson as well.” 

Brennan will tell you he’s still learning. His family tell him as much. After the incident with Cian Breathnach-McGinn in March that resulted in his 12-week ban, they were full of advice.

“If I told you what they told me after the Galway game, I'd be saying a few expletives. We all need our mammies and daddies, if they're around – my parents (PJ and Mary) are, thank God. So, they had to keep me grounded.” 

PJ would have always been straight with his son. “If you played well, I must have actually played well in a match because my father gave me a compliment. That's the same for a lot of lads, isn't it?” 

Staying grounded is something Brennan has always found easy in Dublin. 

“The biggest challenge is the rural counties. Even for the Leinster final last year, (Louth) lads were getting pulled left, right and centre with all the well-wishers. It's about trying to keep an eye on that mental energy. In Dublin, you can hide away.” 

Feeling the heat

The one difference he distinguishes between his time with Louth and Dublin is who is held responsible. 

Manager Ger Brennan during the Dublin GAA Media Event at Parnell Park. Picture: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

“Up in Louth and they're into their sixth year of incredible success. To be fair to them and Gavin (Devlin) and his management team, the players probably get a lot more heat. The bunting is up there. I was actually up in Drogheda (Monday) morning and I can see all the bunting going up in a couple of towns.

There's probably a lot more heat on the Louth players and the rural counties. But as an outside manager, there was almost less heat because I'd come back to Dublin. Now, the roles have reversed.

“Because I'm in Dublin, everyone you see is nearly a Dublin supporter, or close to it. So, I would say there's a bit more heat on a Dublin manager living in Dublin. And there's probably less heat on Dublin players living in Dublin because the place is so big.” 

In quotes from this interview carried earlier this week, Brennan attempted to ramp up the pressure on Kerry goalkeeper Shane Murphy. 

It was on kick-outs where Dublin profited against Galway but the St Vincent’s man knows there is an onus on his team to retain him as much as he believes the responsibility doesn’t rest entirely on Evan Comerford.

“Evan has done well the last couple of games and he is quite dedicated to the demands of being a goalkeeper. If a goalkeeper gets a kick-out off and his player wins it, it is a great kick-out selection and execution from the goalkeeper. 

Dublin goalkeeper Evan Comerford. Picture: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

"Whereas, when a goalkeeper has to go long and there is a pod of three Dublin players there and three Kerry players there, he has made a good choice in going long because the clock is ticking.

“In many ways, if you don’t win that one, that is not on the goalkeeper, that is on the outfield players to win that break when we have to. So, I nearly break kick-outs up into two different categories.” 

Work in progress

Whatever happens Sunday, the long-term work continues for Brennan just as it did after the quarter-final win over Galway. He was at the Cuala-Thomas Davis league game last week.

“Picked up a couple of new names there as well that we'll focus on during the club championship too. 

So, we probably have a list of seven or eight other players that we picked up just from watching Tuesday's club games.

“Then you're chatting away with (U20 manager) Jonny Cooper regularly and Bryan Cullen (Dublin GAA performance director). See how the lads are going there at under-age and who's coming into the 20s set-up next year. We're always in the business of recruiting.”