Over the past decade Dublin have contested every Leinster Under-20 or Under-21 final.
Those 10 years have seen them win six provincial crowns but lose the last three deciders - two to Kildare and one to Offaly.
This evening they kick off their 2024 Leinster Eirgid Under-20 campaign against Westmeath in Kinnegad.
While the production line has not yielded an endless supply of talent to future Dublin senior football teams, this grade has certainly helped identify or progress bright coaches and managers.
Dessie Farrell and Jim Gavin have both come through the Dublin Under-20/21 management 'academy' and it stood to them as they went on to clinch senior championships with their county after landing provincial and All-Ireland crowns (two each) at Under-21 and Under-20 level.
Next up in the production line of bright young Dublin coaches is Thomas Davis stalwart Ciaran Farrelly.
Farrelly played for his club in the 2019 county senior final loss to Ballyboden St Enda’s. By then he was already immersed in coaching at club and inter-county level.
Farrelly worked for the Dublin County Board previously as a development officer and had spells as a coach at both minor and Under-20 level.
Before that he was immersed in club coaching.
"The thing is to give the team the best opportunity to succeed and develop."
"That background has helped me see what is going on at ground level," he says.
"You can see what direction the game is heading, how the game is moving on, what tactics are coming in - or going out - and coaching at club and underage intercounty level has been something I have really enjoyed."
Now he has made the transition to management. The roles are very different.
"A challenge has been to identify all the players that are eligible to help us and to get to see them all is difficult," he says.
"There is always a fear that one or two might slip through in a county the size of ours, but we have close tabs on what they are doing in the minor leagues and in adult football which has started back here in recent weeks too."
Dublin have lost the last three Leinster finals at Under-20 and haven’t won an All-Ireland since 2017, but Farrelly says development is key.
"Our biggest aspiration for the year is to give them an opportunity to develop. Results wise, it will nearly look after itself.
"The thing is to give the team the best opportunity to succeed and develop. There are different strands to that - mentally, physically, tactically."
This year’s Eirgid Leinster Under-20 campaign sees group stages leading to the business end of the championship.
In an ideal world, Farrelly would love to see the Under-20 competition run in close proximity to the inter-county senior football championship.
But he accepts finding a window is tough - and says that the strength of the championship will prevail no matter when it is on.
"There are plenty of players there who have the desire to push on."
"For a manager it has been hard working with or around players who are involved with their schools or colleges, with freshers football or Sigerson, so we have to be aware of their workload.
"And then lads are doing their Leaving Cert, and there is a balance to be found between study, sport and life. That is difficult at this age."
They face Westmeath tonight, never an easy proposition. Meath are also in that group with two teams to qualify for the knockout stages.
Elsewhere in the province, there are two further groups of four. Farrelly says he has seen enough potential in his squad to help Dublin senior teams of the future.
"There are plenty of players there who have the desire to push on," he says.
"Young lads want to break through onto the Dublin senior team and they are working away to make the necessary steps to get there."
