Dessie Farrell Given Three Year Term As Dublin Senior Football Manager
1995 All Ireland winner Dessie Farrell has been appointed Dublin Senior Football manager on a three year term after being ratified by the Dublin county board’s management committee.
The Dublin GAA annual convention takes place this evening in Parnell Park where the management committees choice as new Dublin Senior Football manager will be revealed by chairman Sean Shanley to the delegates.
Since Jim Gavin stepped down the name on everyone’s lips as the natural successor to take over the reins has been Dessie Farrell.
A four man sub-committee spoke to a number of candidates for the vacancy including Declan Darcy who serves as a selector in Jim Gavin’s management team. But they decide that Dessie Farrell was the right man for the job to lead Dublin post Gavin era.
Farrell is well known in Dublin circles both as a player and manager. The former Dublin captain won an All Ireland, six Leinster titles and a national league title and also won three county titles with his club Na Fianna during his glittering career.
He retired from the inter-county scene in 2005 after almost fifteen years wearing the Sky Blue jersey and began his coaching career just a year later in charge of the U13 West development squad.
Dessie was appointee Dublin Minor manager in 2011 and in his first year in charge he won the Leinster championship and guided his minor side to the All Ireland Final losing narrowly to Tipperary in an epic game that finished on a scoreline of 3-09 to 1-14.
The following year Dessie Farrell once again guided his Dublin minor side all the way to the All Ireland Final. The opponents this time round were old Leinster foes Meath. There was to be no late drama in the 2012 decider though as Dublin ran out comfortable winners by 0-14 to 1-05.
That All Ireland minor championship win was Dublin’s last win at the grade and first since 1984. The minor teams Farrell manger in 2011 and 2012 had a number of players who went on to play significant roles in the Dublin senior team over the past number of years.
Players like Cormac Costello, Eric Lowndes, Niall Scully, David Byrne, Conor McHugh, John Small, Jack McCaffrey, Paul Mannion and Ciaran Kilkenny.
Dessie Farrell stepped down as minor manager immediately after the final and in the November of 2012 was ratified as the Dublin U21 manager.
In his five year tenure as U21 manager Farrell won two All Ireland titles in 2014 and 2017 beating Roscommon and Galway in the deciders.
The 2014 win over Roscommon which ended 1-21 to 3-06 was like a who’s who of future senior stars. The side was captained by Jack McCaffrey and included David Byrne, Robbie McDaid, John Small, Eric Lowndes, Niall Scully, Paul Mannion, Cormac Costello, Conor McHugh and Brian Fenton.
Farrell’s second U21 All Ireland winning side wasn’t short of players who went on to the senior ranks either with Evan Comerford, David Byrne, Eoin Murchan, Brian Howard, Colm Basquel and Con O’Callaghan all making the step up.
After the 2017 win Farrell stepped down as Dublin U21 manager. More recently he took over the reins as senior football manager of Na Fianna and his young side knocked out Ballymun Kickhams in the Dublin club championship before unluckily succumbing after extra-time to eventual championship winners Ballyboden St Endas.
He also held the role of performance coach to Mattie Kenny’s Dublin Senior hurling squad.
Dublin chairman Sean Shanley stated when the search for Gavin’s successor began that he would like to see some continuity with the outgoing management and the new regime.
There is certainly continuity as far as the relationship Dessie Farrell has with many of the players who played a major role in Dublin’s success over the past five years and who blossomed under his coaching at development, minor and U21 level.
As far as Farrell’s backroom team is concerned, that is unknown at the moment but should be revealed over the coming days.
It has been reported recently that Dublin haven’t entered the O’Byrne Cup although there is a little confusion if this is correct with some media outlet claiming Dublin’s next game is an O’Byrne Cup semi final on the 11th of January.
But if Dublin’s absence from the pre-season competition are true then the first time that Dessie Farrell will pull on the Bainisteoir bib will be in Dublin’s opening Allianz National Football League game in Croke Park on Saturday the 25th of January against Kerry in what will be a repeat of this years All Ireland Final.
