Tyrone's Brian Dooher won All-Irelands as a player and joint manager. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
By Cian Murphy
Padraic Joyce and Kieran McGeeney, former county captains, former All-Ireland medal winners and now a game away from joining an exclusive list of All-Ireland winning players who also led their county as manager to the Promised Land.
In the last 50 years of the championship, it has happened more often than you’d think. This year’s winning manager will be the 14th player in the last 50 years to have gone from a Celtic cross winning player to also leading their county to the Sam Maguire.
Kevin Heffernan (Dublin) (winning player 1958/winning manager 1974, 76, 83)
Mick O’Dwyer (Kerry) (winning player 1959, 62, 69-70/ winning manager 1975, 78-81, 84-86)
Tony Hanahoe (Dublin) (winning player 1974, 76-77/ winning manager 1977)
Billy Morgan (Cork) (winning player 1973/ winning manager 1989-90)
Dr Pat O’Neill (Dublin) (winning player 1974, 76-77/ winning manager 1995)
Paidí Ó Sé (Kerry) (winning player 1975, 78-81, 84-86 / winning manager: 1997, 2000)
Conor Counihan (Cork) (winning player 1989-90/ winning manager 2010)
Pat Gilroy (Dublin) (winning player 1995/ winning manager 2011)
Jim McGuinness (Donegal) (winning player 1992/ winning manager 2012)
Jim Gavin (Dublin) (winning player 1995/ winning manager 2013, 15-19)
Eamonn Fitzmaurice (Kerry) (winning player 2000, 04, 06, 07/ winning manager 2014)
Dessie Farrell (Dublin) (winning player 1995/ winning manager 2020, 23)
Brian Dooher (Tyrone) (winning player 2003, 05, 08/ winning joint manager 2021)