Dublin goalkeeper Seán Brennan with the Liam MacCarthy Cup at the 2023 GAA Hurling All-Ireland Series national launch at Kilmacthomas Viaduct. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
By Cian O’Connell
“For large parts of this year we have shown that we can mix it with the best,” Dublin goalkeeper Seán Brennan says ahead of Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC Preliminary Quarter-Final against Carlow.
“We have shown that in large parts of games which gives us huge confidence and huge belief, that on our day we are good enough. We just have to make the final thing click.”
Considering that Dublin are without a number of high profile players in 2023, the fact that so many emerging hurlers are contributing under Micheál Donoghue provides a source of optimism. “We are relatively happy with how the year has gone, the most important thing is we are still breathing,” Brennan says.
“So I think we've made good progress. We are down a couple of bodies, but Micheál has brought some youth into the team, and they have settled in straightaway, in fairness to them. They have brought a huge energy and a new dynamic to the team, so it is largely positive.
“You'd give huge credit to the younger guys there. They slotted straight in, there was no transition phase. It is credit to the work they've put in, to get up to speed.”
Dublin know the danger that exists playing the Joe McDonagh Cup winners. “Against Laois in 2019 we learned the hard way,” Brennan recalls. “This is knockout hurling now, there is no such thing as an easy game anymore.
“Carlow have put up some phenomenal scores in the Joe Mc, so they are well able to hurt you. We are no under illusions about the challenge ahead.”
There is a real sense of pride for Brennan to be representing Dublin on the Leinster and national stage. Cuala’s significant part in his development isn’t forgotten. “As a kid four or five guys in Cuala deserve major kudos, you have Denis Monaghan, Damien Byrne, Ken Fitz (Fitzgerald), Willie Braine, and John Tracey would have been my coaches up to minor,” Brennan recalls.
“Just after minor when I left the underage groups I was involved with Mark Cooney as a goalkeeping coach.
“So I owe him a lot for my development. I was maybe immature and reckless when I first started working with him, but he put me on the straight and narrow. He has been a huge and positive influence on my goalkeeping career.”
Dublin goalkeeper Seán Brennan in Leinster SHC action against Galway at Croke Park. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Being a goalkeeper means there is always scrutiny. “That is just the nature of the position,” Brennan replies. “You look at Premier League goalkeepers, they make a mistake, and it is the end of the world.
“It is what you sign up for, it comes with it. There is a lot more attention. When you make a mistake - it is a goal - there is no hiding away from that. You just move on, forget about it straight away.”
Is it difficult to deal with those setbacks? “It is a horrible place to be when you make that mistake,” Brennan replies. “It can be very lonely at times, but you need that mental resilience to push through, to keep going and say it is in the past.”
The quest to improve is constant, but Brennan has learned to switch off when the games are finished at the end of every campaign. “While I'm in season very much so, but when it is off season I'm very good at hitting the turn off button,” Brennan says.
"For argument sake when Dublin finish end of June or in July, and the club finish in October or whatever, for four to six weeks I will completely zone out and switch off. I will go on holidays with my girlfriend.
“I think it is natural, the way the seasons are now with the split between the county and club, you nearly have less time for a break.
“You have to park off a certain amount of time to say this is my time now. You just need to hit the mental reset button, it is very hard to sustain that level of effort for the full year. You need certain little downtimes as your reset.”
Hurling for Cuala and Dublin, Brennan is fully aware of the importance of the next generation. It is crucial to remain relevant in hurling.
“I think the numbers down at the Cuala Academy are fairly astronomical, it is great to see,” Brennan says. “You'd like to hope that we inspired a certain amount of kids to actually pick the hurling over the football.
“Obviously Dublin is more famous for its football heritage than hurling heritage, but we are just trying to flip that narrative. We want to be successful and build a legacy that kids can aspire to be like the Dublin hurling team.”
