Dublin footballer Paul Mannion with his Player of the Month award at the PwC offices in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
By Cian O’Connell
Paul Mannion acknowledges that there was something particularly special about Dublin’s 2023 All-Ireland Championship victory.
Sam Maguire returned to the capital city following a remarkable adventure featuring a number of players, who returned to the Dublin fold.
The Kilmacud Crokes clubman occupied a central role, delivering when it truly counted in a gripping decider against Kerry at Croke Park.
“Definitely,” Mannion responds instantly when asked whether there was something sweet about the latest success. “I genuinely don't have a favourite so to speak at all, but in the couple of weeks after the game people were saying that one was special.
“It felt like 2011 or 2019, stuff like that. All of them are special in different ways, but I think just because of how the last couple of years had transpired and how we struggled early on this year a lot, how the team and management has taken criticism, it did feel a bit sweeter, for sure.”
Mannion relished the celebrations, the opportunity to reflect on a busy, but rewarding campaign with Dessie Farrell’s team. “It has been hectic, those first few days after the final were special alright,” he says. “We blew the doors off really.
“Tuesday, in particular, getting the group together after the formalities of the first couple of days, was really nice. There was a nice sing song together in a pub in town, I was at a festival down in Waterford - Altogether Now - and I'm just back from Spain. I was over there for 10 days. So I'm feeling fairly knackered.
“I trained last night with Crokes, getting ready for the club championship. It was nice to get a sweat on, to get prepped for that. I'm feeling good now.”
Paul Mannion in action for Dublin against Kerry in the 2023 All-Ireland SFC Final at Croke Park. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
During the campaign did Mannion ever worry or nurse any doubts about returning to the Dublin fold? “No, I knew,” Mannion replies. “I never felt any regrets or regretted the decision.
“Once the decision was made, I was going to go back - to do whatever I can. Times, early in the year, particularly in the league when I was trying to recover from the ankle injury, that was tough.
“Probably a lot tougher than I expected from a fitness point of view. The lads had put in a serious pre-season of really, really hard running, they'd built up a big engine. I was constantly playing catch up, having come back later. I was still doing two months of rehab when I got back in with Dublin.
“So that just took a long time to get back. Once I got back up to a respectable enough level, I felt I was okay, and I was in a good space again.”
Now Mannion is excited about wearing the Kilmacud Crokes jersey again. The stint away from the inter-county beat ensured his appreciation for Crokes increased. “Definitely, in the last two years with Crokes, being away from Dublin, getting to spend more time with them was amazing,” he says.
“I was 27/28 years of age when I left Dublin that time, it is only at that age that I really got to spend all of time and put all of my focus on Crokes.
“So I was just able to enjoy it a lot more, I became better friends with a lot of the lads in Crokes, in a way that I hadn't been able to in years gone by. I really enjoyed the run we went on with Crokes over those couple of years.
“Definitely in years gone by it could be difficult to get motivated again for club championship, but I've found myself, even over the last few weeks, even with the inter-county championship, almost thinking about club championship. I'm looking forward to getting started with that. I can't wait.”
