It was around 20 minutes into his first media assignment when Ger Brennan served notice that his no-nonsense approach to representing Dublin as a player is likely to be transferred into his role in charge of the Boys in Blue.
The St Vincent's man was clear and candid with the assembled journalists, breezily chatting on anything from the plight of the international soccer team to any future aspirations he might have of following in the footsteps of his former manager Jim Gavin and making a run to be president.
Everything in between focused on his management journey to this point, his thoughts on the game and what it means to him and his family to succeed Dessie Farrell as the man in the Dublin hotseat.
The role of Stephen Cluxton was unpacked – kind of – with Brennan insisting the goalkeeper will be confined solely to a role in the backroom team without using the word retirement out of respect for Cluxton’s aversion to public pronouncements. The likelihood is we won’t see him between the sticks again, but that was the general sentiment after a two-year hiatus following the 2020 All-Ireland success.
After covering a range of topics, the 40-year-old (he is Cluxton's junior by three years) struck a more steely tone when asked if anyone on the current panel had informed him they won’t be there for 2026.
"No," he replied. "There's probably a few people I haven't informed yet either. I won't be chasing people and if people want to play for Dublin it'll be certainly on mine and the management team's terms, in how we're going to go about our business."
That uncompromising trait that served him so well as a two-time All-Ireland winner was always likely to follow suit as a manager. The argument that the Dublin strength-in-depth has tumbled since the six-in-a-row glory years is almost irrefutable when you compare the 'ins' and 'outs' over the last few campaigns, but the net to identify new talent will be spread wide.
Brennan and his four selectors - the aforementioned Cluxton, Denis Bastick, Dean Rock and Niall Moyna - are keeping a close eye on the club championship, with a further six scouts monitoring everything from junior level up. Throw in a trial tournament in November and it's clear why he uses the phrase "revolving door" when talking about his panel for 2026; those he deems not capable of pushing Dublin forward will be deemed surplus to requirements.
Three stalwarts of the 'Class of 93’ are not part of current plans. Whether Jack McCaffrey, Paul Mannion and Brian Fenton return is still a topic of debate, particularly in the case of the latter, with the two-time Footballer of the Year currently travelling after his shock retirement last winter at the age of 31.
Brennan bumped into the Raheny man earlier in the summer in Chicago - "from what I gather, he's happy enough travelling the world" – while McCaffrey and Mannion have both stepped away more than once from the demands of inter-county football.
Whatever happens, the only thing for certain is the new man in charge won’t go chasing.
"If those fellas (players who have stepped away) have the hunger and the desire to go at it again and they're fit and in form, I'll certainly look at them," he said. "If they're not fit and in form and don't have the hunger, they've given so much already, they're taking someone else's spot at that stage.
"I have an open door policy, which will be a revolving door as we progress through the National League. If there are guys in the group that are falling away physically, mentally or in terms of general output, someone else will come in to replace them and I think competition is certainly important that way throughout the whole season."
When Brennan succeeded Mickey Harte as Louth manager in 2023, Dublin were All-Ireland champions. Farrell’s last Sam Maguire success was viewed as probably his best, seemingly won against the head after falling to Kerry 12 months previous and some of their greatest servants eking out a final big day.
The landscape has changed considerably since then. The Kingdom will start the year as strong favourites to make it back-to-back, and you won’t find a bookmaker that places Dublin ahead of Tyrone, Donegal and Armagh.
No state secrets were going to be revealed to the press pack, but there were some areas he was happy to address if the Dubs are to become a force again. Restarts, at both ends of the pitch, as well as the poor return from outside-the-arc shooting.
"Dublin scored 10 two-pointers in their championship games and they conceded 21 two-pointers. That's something which obviously stands out as an area for development and how you try to create those opportunities," he said.
Leading Louth to a first provincial title in 58 years was part of an "incredible journey", but even before the preliminary quarter-final defeat to Donegal, Brennan sensed it had reached a natural conclusion.
"I'd given everything to it, and possibly a fresh set of eyes would have been needed to continue to add value to the set-up."
For a while it felt like inter-county management was no country for young men, or certainly those a long way off retirement. The likes Jack O'Connor, Colm O’Rourke, John Maughan, Kevin McStay, Mickey Harte and Malachy O'Rourke pointed to the demands suiting those with more time on their hands, though this has changed again somewhat with Down's Conor Laverty and recently appointed Westmeath boss Mark McHugh both in their 30s.
The UCD GAA Development Executive and father-of-four certainly falls into the latter category.
Brennan has often credited legendary Dublin football figures such as Dave Billings and Brian Mullins for his passion for the game, for fostering a high-performing environment that allows a group to grow. He has his own thoughts on what the Dublin football team should stand for and what their identity should be. Moulding all this together is part of the challenge and clearly energising.
"You need to be doing something that excites you and that is in tune with your personal values. That's the way I operate."
During his time in Louth he engineered a deeper connection between the team and its supporters. Winning certainly aids the process, but taking the panel around the county for training was a longer-term approach. Brennan spoke of the value of those bonds, and replicating that in the capital is something already being considered. The trial tournament in November he stresses will be accessible for supporters.
Those things can only take you so far. Brennan is acutely aware of this, but getting the foundation blocks in place for success are within his control.
"I look at how I try to play myself in that whether you win or lose, you die with your boots on," he said. "In Dublin, given the volume of players to select from, if Dublin players are dying with their boots on they're going to be at the latter end of the championship more often than not.
"That's what I would hope that fans and journalists alike will be able to say about Dublin teams under my tenure."
