The origins of the all-conquering Dublin football team can be traced back to Stephen Cluxton’s match-winning free against Kerry in the 2011 All-Ireland Final, according to Blues legend Charlie Redmond.
Since the Parnell’s goalkeeper kicked that iconic free into the Hill 16 End to land a first Sam Maguire in 16 years, Dublin have won three further titles in the following five years, and reeled off five League titles on the trot.
Where Jim Gavin’s side rank among the pantheon of great football teams is a matter of lengthy discussion, but for former Dublin forward Redmond, there is no side better than the current crop of Dublin footballers, all the more noteworthy from where the team has come from.
“Before Jim Gavin took over, and even Pat Gilroy, Dublin were making bad headlines,” he told 2FM’s Game On programme.
“We know in Dublin now we have a very talented group of players...this is a golden era”
“They were making the front pages on Wednesdays and Thursdays, where nowadays were making headlines on the back pages on a Monday which is what we want from our Dublin football team.
“We know in Dublin now we have a very talented group of players...this is a golden era.”
Former Mayo manager John Maughan says that while big personalities of the Dublin side of the 1970's may be lacking, there is no doubt that today's team are creating a legacy that can surpass the achievements from that glorious decade where the men from the capital contested six successive All-Ireland finals, emerging victorious on three occasions.
“With this current crop, I don’t know when they are going to stop winning,” he told listeners.
“They have embraced the modern era of football. They have dealt with everything that has been thrown at them.
“They are a very cool, sophisticated outfit, without the big personalities of previous teams...the Keaveneys, a Tommy Drumm, all those guys from the 70s, but I have to say, they are creating a legacy which I think is going to endure for many years to become.”
Reflecting on the trophy-laden success in recent years, Redmond picked out one crucial moment which has paved the way for the silverware that has followed.
“What they have done in the last six years has been absolutely outstanding. They came from a very low ebb,” he said.
“To get to here they have got to has been absolutely phenomenal.
“I don’t think we can actually put it down to one crucial thing, but I do honestly believe that the kick that Stephen Cluxton took against Kerry in the last minute of the All-Ireland final in 2011 was a pivotal factor in the development of this team.
“They have gone from strength-to-strength from there and for me, the birth of this team was in that moment.”
While conceding there was little to choose between the great Dublin team of the 70’s and Gavin’s modern-day side, Redmond says the 2017 outfit has the edge, though Maughan says they may have another bit to go to surpass the star-studded side from yesteryear.
“It’s impossible in many ways to compare teams from past to present," he said.
“The team in the 70's will always be immortal because they did more than just win All-Irelands, they more or less transformed the sport and spawned a new culture, themselves and Kerry.
“This current crop will never retain that iconic status in many ways unless they can go on and deliver more titles.”
