Byrne on Dubs turnaround

Five weeks ago, the Dublin footballers appeared to be on a fast descent into mediocrity.

But experienced defender Davy Byrne always believed they had the footballers to turn things around.

Things looked bleak at the end of May. Their manager was still doing hard time (aka, serving out a 12-week suspension) for dislodging an earpiece from the head of the Galway strength and conditioning coach.

Dublin had just lost successive games in Croke Park against Westmeath and Louth. By that stage, they had lost seven of their 11 competitive games in 2026 - a stat which Byrne expresses surprise at - and had won just one from six matches in Croke Park, that coming against a depleted Monaghan in the league.

There was every chance they would be drawn against Kerry in Round 2B and most observers would have presumed that would be that.

Well, they are playing Kerry now but under different circumstances.

Gaelic football's most storied rivalry is being renewed, not at Fitzgerald Stadium or even at Parnell Park - which Ger Brennan still insists is in great condition for a match - but at Croke Park on All-Ireland semi-final weekend.

"I still thought we had the ability to reach this stage," says Byrne. "There are no guarantees but I definitely knew we had the ability to be here if things went well."

The Louth game is a vivid memory. Coming on top of the Leinster final defeat to Westmeath, the Dubs were buried in a goal blitz in the opening round of the All-Ireland series.

"Looking back at that day, did they score four goals or something? So, if any team scores four goals against you, you are going to be struggling.

"A couple of them, they were a bit unfortunate. Sometimes stuff happens in games especially with the new rules when it is very hard to consistently get results."

Asked to account for the turnaround in form since the loss to Louth, Byrne alights on a couple of factors, with improved discipline being the standout.

"Personally I knew the players I am playing with are talented. I knew we were good enough if it clicked. Some lads were coming back from injury. I knew that would help as well.

"Looking back at the league, we had three red cards in the league.

"It is very hard to win a game when you get red cards. I would not say it is impossible because Louth did it not so long ago!

"But a red card makes it very, very tough, so you do not want it to over-analyse a performance based on a result. I knew we had the potential if we got things right and we held our nerve at times that things would come right."

"I think our kick-out return has been a bit better."

The latter element was highlighted as the decisive factor in their quarter-final victory over Galway.

Dublin's shooting efficiency was inferior to Galway's across the game but this was more than compensated for by the fact that they had far more possession. They gathered the ball on a whopping 55% of Galway restarts and then took well over 70% of their own.

Byrne, hugging the Cusack Stand sideline, was a regular target for goalkeeper Evan Comerford .

"Evan picked me out a couple of times when I was on the Cusack Stand side and the delivery was spot on. You see if you are even a couple of yards off (with the kick-out) the ball can either go over the sideline or be picked off. It was Rob Finnerty who was in front of me.

"Kick-outs go poorly and very easily the media and everyone else will look at the keeper. But it is probably 50% keeper, 50% the outfield player, so everyone has a role there."

A veteran of the invincible years, Byrne has seven All-Ireland medals, though it wasn't until 2019 that he first started an All-Ireland final.

In those years, Dublin used to control most championship matches as if by mechanical process.

In part thanks to the manager who oversaw that run, they can now no longer afford that luxury in the new game.

"Under the old rules, when you were four or five points up, you were able to think 'things are steady here'," says Byrne.

"Whereas under the new rules, if a two-pointer goes over, followed by a one [pointer], then that lead is quickly reduced. It is very easy for momentum to shift.

"Even in a positional sense, when you play in the back three, you could get a lot of possession around the back. But now you have to stand back and let everyone else do it. So it is a different game."

As a back three player, Byrne has had to adjust to a reduced level of protection.

"You don't really have a sweeper in front of you. We used to be playing and you'd always have an extra man back.

"You're a lot more isolated now, so you have to figure that out. Sometimes you end up in positions you wouldn't (normally) where you cross the halfway line and you're involved, you're part of the group that's attacking.

"When the ball goes dead, you need to figure out how you get all the way back into the full-back line."

The revival has coincided with Brennan's return to the sideline, his mammoth suspension elapsing the day before their Round 2B win over Cavan.

"It's been great to have Ger back. I think playing games and training without your manager is far from ideal," says Byrne.

"I think the lads [Dean Rock, Denis Bastick, Stephen Cluxton] actually did a really good job. And I wouldn't be saying that it was just because the lads were in charge that you weren't getting results. I think there were a number of different factors."

Did Brennan have any involvement at all with the team during his 12-week absence? "No."

As one of the more experienced players, he's had to get used to a new dynamic with the management team.

"I think I've played with all of our coaches. I played two years with Ger. I don't think I would have even shared a pitch with him, but I was training with him for two years.

"And then Deano [Rock], Bassy [Bastick] and Clucko [Cluxton] I would have played with for a good while as well.

"I think the lads at the start of the year would have made clear boundaries that, you know, we're not... there's a different relationship and a different dynamic there, which would have been made clear at the start of the year. Just through small things, but it's good.

"To be fair, the service that the lads have given Dublin GAA is seriously impressive. To go from someone playing straight into management. Like, when all the lads leave training, they need to do an analysis of who's going well. The hours they put in, it's a serious shift."

And Cluxton is still moaning?

"Yeah, he used to give out to me from behind me. Now he's giving out to me from my right-hand side."

Watch the Tailteann Cup final, Down v Wicklow, on Saturday from 3.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on all matches on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1

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