When Cian O'Sullivan stepped away from inter-county football in 2021, Dublin were six-in-a-row All-Ireland champions.
The men from the capital, in Dessie Farrell’s first year in charge, simply continued where they left off under Jim Gavin as the kingpins of the game.
The Kilmacud Crokes man bowed out with eight All-Ireland medals to his name, and while he didn’t play a single minute in the Covid-impacted championship of 2020 as injuries took their toll, it appeared that there was no end in sight to blue domination.
Fast forward two years and the picture is somewhat different. Back-to-back All-Ireland semi-final defeats were sandwiched by relegation to Division 2 football as the air of invincibility has evaporated.
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Contenders certainly, but inevitable champions? Not quite.
The quarter-final demolition of old foes Mayo was a step in the right direction, but speaking ahead of the AIB All-Ireland football championship semi-final against Monaghan on Saturday (live on RTÉ2), O’Sullivan concedes what is driving the current crop is not what fuelled Dublin in their pomp under Gavin.
"When we were winning multiple All-Irelands, we were in a different space trying to achieve something," he told RTÉ Sport.
"That hunger, motivation that was there when I was involved is completely different. It’s a different prospect now.
"Are the guys trading off that hunger drawn from those losses (2021 and 2022)? I suspect they are.
"That’s not something we would ever have traded off when I was involved, but looking at the likes of the players drafted back in, and the hurt they would have felt in the last couple of years, that has to be a motivation."
O’Sullivan is completely in a watching capacity these days.
A return to club action last year didn’t work out. This year he decided to give it one more go, this time with the seconds team, but 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute, a calf injury forced him off the pitch for the final time.
"I quickly realised my body wasn’t up to it," he admits.
He’s made his peace with that and moved on. He watched the Mayo game on holidays in Spain with two young kids on his lap.
O'Sullivan was impressed by the third quarter display in swatting aside Kevin McStay’s side – "we probably haven’t seen that this year yet" – but what augurs well is the bolstering of the panel this year with experienced veterans.
Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey came back into the fold during the league, though injuries have hampered their minutes on the pitch. The return of Stephen Cluxton however really raised eyebrows, the goalkeeping legend taking up residence between the posts after a couple of years out.
Like the rest of his former team-mates, he was as in the dark as anyone, yet "energised" with the development and says a narrative will be formed once the dust settles on their campaign.
"You’re relying now on a player who is 41 coming back in, to steer the ship for the Dubs, and I guess the proof will be in the pudding with that," he said.
"If Dublin go on and have a successful year, the narrative around it will be it’s a stroke of genius, whereas if they don’t, there is going to be a spotlight shone on it. It’s all crystal gazing."
While club-mate Mannion is playing his way back into form, whipping over two points against Mayo and McCaffrey looking electric when match fit, O’Sullivan insists their value is more than simply what they do on the pitch given their standing in the game.
"These players, whether they actually kick a ball, are still valuable to have around the dressing room. If they can help the team in any capacity at all, it’s a luxury."
Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship semi-final, Dublin v Monaghan (Saturday 5.30pm), and Kerry v Derry (Sunday 4pm) this weekend on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
