Dean Rock: Amid possible retirements and squad departures, Dublin will need to find strength and depth again

It has been a difficult week for the Dublin footballers. In the days after a championship defeat, everybody has their own way of dealing with the fallout.

But this loss has been amplified given the possibility last Saturday could be the final time some of those footballers play for Dublin.

The narrative for us as a squad last year was very much: “One more year, one more big push to try get our hands on another All-Ireland.” It took a monumental physical and mental effort from the group, we poured everything we had into it and that is why the victory meant so much, because so much had been sacrificed to get over the line.

When you go back again the following year after such a significant effort, you only really know how much desire is left when it comes down to critical moments in close matches.

Now, I’m not going to be flippant and say Galway wanted it last Saturday more than Dublin, but there is no question that it gets harder to continue going to the well time and time again.

A lot of thoughts were spinning through my mind leaving Croke Park – but mostly I just felt for the lads, because I know how much the defeat would have hurt.

At half-time, I’d imagine the Dublin players were sitting in the dressingroom feeling it had been a much easier game than they had expected because the Galway challenge had failed to materialise.

In many ways, they were sleepwalking towards Galway’s second-half revival.

Dublin’s standards potentially slipped after the break, they just softened up mentally a little and suddenly a game which didn’t need to go down the stretch was doing just that. When that happens, you leave yourself vulnerable.

You have to hand it to Galway though, they were brilliant in the second half and showed their intent right from the off with Cillian McDaid driving forward to kick over a point. They have displayed a huge amount of resilience over the course of the season.

[ Tactical breakdown: Dublin ultimately undone by their cautious approach ]

They won the third quarter, and crucially you could see Galway had wrestled the momentum in their favour. As they grew in belief, you sensed Dublin just weren’t going to be able to grab back that momentum.

Galway’s defensive effort was superb and their half-back line in particular was brilliant, Seán Mulkerrin and Dylan McHugh really drove them forward.

There has been a lot of talk about the use of the Dublin bench, and clearly the guys coming in didn’t have the same impact the substitutions did against Mayo. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Dublin may have been better served had they been 0-11 to 0-9 down after 45 minutes and still have the likes of Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion to bring in for the closing stages.

But those guys were all obviously performing so well in training that Dessie Farrell felt he had no choice but to start them.

At this level, the margins are so small. Dublin had their chances and I know there has been plenty of discussion about not having a left-footed free-taker for Cormac Costello’s late effort.

But I think Cormac will just be really disappointed he missed that free kick, because it wasn’t an overly difficult one for a player of his ability. If he takes that kick 10 times, he kicks it over the bar nine times.

You could argue there might have been merit in leaving the likes of Paul and Jack on the field because they have the experience, the muscle memory and the mental strength that could have made a difference in the closing moments.

But even in that last attack, Dublin did work the ball to the best shooter in Con O’Callaghan. Fair play to Con, in that pressure cooker scenario he was demanding the ball and looking to take on the shot.

In those situations that is exactly what you want, your big players, your accurate kickers, taking the shot rather than somebody who might not be as confident in front of the posts.

Had that ball gone over and Dublin proceeded to win in extra-time, then we’d be talking about how the old guard stood up once more. Small margins, again.

Instead, all the talk this week has been around the end of this Dublin team and the end of the intercounty road for certain players.

There is no getting away from the age profile of the team and I have no doubt there will be departures, but all of those players have earned the right to decide when to step away.

I suppose the likes of James McCarthy, Mick Fitzsimons and Stephen Cluxton are the three players most people have been wondering about, but there could be other guys stepping away too.

[ Darragh Ó Sé: No need to cry a river for the departing Dubs – realistically, they won’t fall too far ]

You have a lot of lads in around the 30-32 age bracket, they might be looking at progressing their work and family life. Some might want to travel. There are difficult decisions for many players to make over the coming weeks but while it might be the end for some individuals, the team always continues – just with different personnel.

In fact, at the start of the 2025 season I’d imagine Dublin will be among the top three or four teams tipped to win the All-Ireland – but as much because there are no exceptional teams out there as anything else.

Personally, I feel expectations for Dublin probably shouldn’t be as high as what they always are, but because of our recent history the team will always be measured off winning All-Irelands. Perhaps that too might change over the next few years.

Irrespective of retirements and squad departures, Dublin are going to have to find a couple of players and develop a bit more strength in depth.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Theo Clancy is a very strong player and could be a mainstay at full back for years to come, Seán McMahon was really good this year and hopefully Lee Gannon will be back in 2025.

But, look, the reality is the quality isn’t as high as what it was. A generation of Dublin footballers, some of whom will go down as the greatest ever to play the game, arrived around the same time. It’s very difficult to replace those players.

But that is the nature of sport, players come and go. You only ever get to wear the jersey for a brief period. Your time in the arena is short.

The death of Shane O’Hanlon in February had a massive impact on the group because he was such a huge part of the set-up. It would have put a lot of things in perspective for those inside the dressingroom. Everything is fleeting.

It is fair to say most GAA supporters were happy Dublin got beaten last Saturday, if for no other reason than the competition opening up for those remaining in the race.

But it can be a dark place for the players, your demise being celebrated.

[ Shane O’Hanlon was a unique presence in the Dublin set-up – his sudden death leaves them bereft ]

I’d like to think that when they do reflect on the game, the Dublin players will realise Galway deserved the victory by virtue of their second-half display.

And I’d like to think that when they reflect on the season as a whole, Shane’s death will give the players perspective. That they will realise how fortunate they were to pull on the jersey this year, to go out and play for Dublin and to play with him in their hearts.

So many of those players provided Dublin supporters with some of the greatest days of their lives. But life goes on after football, too.