After years of decorated success, dealing with a period of change could be the biggest challenge facing Dublin's cohort of experienced players, according to former player Ciarán Whelan.
Kerry’s sweeping win in Tralee ensured back-to-back league defeats for Dessie Farrell’s side - the first time that has occurred in a decade - and the result leaves Dublin rooted at the foot of the Division 1 table.
Last year’s quest for a seventh All-Ireland title in a row fell short at the semi-final stage, with some of the most successful footballers to ever play the game hanging up their boots in the last couple of years.
Add in the decisions by Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey to step away, plus some early season injuries, and predictions of a downward Dublin curve have strong merit.
Lee Gannon, Darragh Conlon, Lorcan O'Dell and Cameron McCormack were all given the chance to showcase their talents at a rainswept Austin Stack Park, while the replacements on the night were a long way removed from the multiple All-Stars sprung from the bench under Jim Gavin’s watch.
Speaking after the match, former Dublin footballer and RTÉ football analyst Whelan said that while the transition is probably happening quicker than many had predicted, the fate of the current crop is likely to rest with the appetite of the established players rather than the unearthing of new talent.
"The challenge is that when you look at the core of that team [that started against Kerry], John Small, Brian Howard, Brian Fenton, Nially Scully, Ciaran Kilkenny...you could count on one hand the championship games they have lost," he said.
"They have been winners since they came in and have been part of that culture. This is probably the biggest challenge for them now.
It is going to be a challenging period for Dublin
"It also challenges their hunger, to bring other lads through with them.
"You look at the guys that were missing, Jonny Cooper, Mick Fitzsimons, both 33 this year, James McCarthy is 32, Dean Rock is 32. They are in the twilight of their careers
"We [Dublin] are in transition. It is going to be a challenging period for Dublin. There is going to have to be patience there."
Dublin manager Dessie Farrell has stressed that they are in a period of transition after suffering their second Allianz League loss of the season. pic.twitter.com/fuXSpLSQno
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) February 5, 2022
After the match, Farrell praised the attitude of the new faces in his panel and once again spoke of the changing of the Dublin guard.
"It's definitely a period of transition for this team," he said. "That doesn’t mean we don’t want to be really competitive, and as competitive as we can be come summer, but we have 14 new players into the panel this year, a lot of new players last year as well.
"An awful lot of experience has left the dressing room and that’s part and parcel of the game.
"We love the attitude of the younger player and they are keen and eager to learn."
