Dubs' relegation 'not the end of the world'

Dublin manager Ger Brennan said that relegation to Division 2 wasn't "the end of the world" after his side fell through the trapdoor following their two-point loss to Galway in Salthill.

On a tense final day, the Dubs needed a four-point win to assure themselves of safety, though any class of victory would have sufficed in the end after Armagh and Kerry drew in the Athletic Grounds.

They led for most of the encounter, having a five-point advantage as late as the 55th minute, after Killian McGinnis had scored the game's only goal and Ross McGarry tagged on a point.

However, Galway, inspired by Rob Finnerty and Cian Hernon, came with a late surge, with Finnerty's two-point score pushing them ahead in the game for the first time with four minutes remaining.

It was ultimately the last score of the match and Dublin were relegated from the top tier for the first time since 2022.

Brennan, in his first season as Dublin manager, was quick to reference the fact that they had won the All-Ireland having played in Division 2 in 2023 and insisted they had taken plenty of positives from the campaign.

"It's a league campaign with an awful lot of positives in terms of styles of play and in terms of what we're trying to get across to the lads," Brennan told RTÉ's Sunday Sport.

"In addition to that, you're looking at the personnel and the recruitment process we've gone through. So, there's been new changes to our matchday 26 from Round 1 to Round 7 with a bit more consistency coming in the last couple of games.

"Would you like to be in Division 1 next year? It would certainly help, but having had experience of being in Division 2 in the previous role [as Louth manager] for two seasons, it's also quite a competitive place.

"Dublin have won [the All-Ireland] coming out of Division 2, Armagh have won [the All-Ireland] coming out of Division 2.

"So, it's not the end of the world next year. In terms of this year's campaign and four weeks away from our first round in the Leinster Championship, it's very, very clear on what it is we're doing well and the areas we need to go after to improve."

Brennan himself had to watch the second half from the stand after being shown a red card following a bizarre incident in the course of a protracted melee, when he shoved a member of the Galway management team to the ground and ripped out his earpiece.

The brawl itself came in the wake of Hugh O'Sullivan saving a penalty from Rob Finnerty on the stroke of half-time, the scrap for the rebound precipitating a melee which threatened to get out of hand.

Both Dylan McHugh and Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne were shown black cards on the resumption, but this had major implications for Dublin, as Ó Cofaigh Byrne picked up a further yellow which saw the Dubs reduced to 14 for the closing quarter.

"Both sets of players were fairly worked up at half-time. They are passionate about their county, so it was a bit of push and shoving," Brennan said.

"There was probably something that I witnessed that I wasn't happy about from one of the Galway management. We've chatted and we've laughed and shook hands since.

"I think what I did was silly, in a bit of retaliation. But we've both agreed that what we both did was silly and we should leave players take care of their own business."

Galway manager Padraic Joyce hailed his team's grit in the final quarter, as they turned around a losing position.

For periods on the final day, Galway were in the relegation places in the 'As It Stands' table, as they trailed by more than four, while Armagh had nudged ahead of Kerry in a topsy-turvy encounter in the Athletic Grounds.

As it happened, Armagh's draw in Kerry meant they were safe but their late surge meant they had also completed their own work.

"It was a tough emotional day. We just focused on ourselves. We knew if we won the game, we were still in the division," the Galway manager told Sunday Sport.

"We were up against it at half-time there. Losing Sean (Kelly) and Mattie (Tierney) in the first half, and missing a penalty before half-time. But the lads showed unbelievable character and great grit, which is in this group the last while. To eke out the win at the end is great for us.

"It's important for every county to survive. I think more so for us. We had four or five lads playing Connacht league football that only came into us last November for the first time. And they end up playing five or six league games up front for us.

"It's very important to stay there for development. Far better games and bigger crowds, so it's important."

Regarding the brawl, Joyce was quick to note he was gone down the tunnel.

"I don't want to sound like a particular soccer manager saying I didn't see it. But I was actually gone in when Rob (Finnerty) missed the penalty.

"I don't think it was too ugly but these things shouldn't be happening. It's hard when there's both teams in the same tunnel.

"We're not sure who started it or where it started but it's not good viewing. It's live on TV, it's not the way to promote the game. We're totally against it."

Joyce was also keen to pay tribute to his fellow Barnaderg native Michael Lyster, the RTÉ broadcasting legend passing away today at 71.

"He's from our own little village, Barna Dearg. He was a great guy. As we know, he brought so much joy to every household on a Sunday night or during the day. He had a great voice.

"He'll be sadly missed and our condolences to all his family."

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