Departed dubs: The nine men from the “team” that has won...

But the way it is, the week they start championship life after Jim Gavin and try to win a sixth All-Ireland title in a row, nine influential members of last year’s historic success are no longer in the line-up of Dublin.

1 – Jim Gavin

In his press conference after that Kerry game, Gavin reflected that he wasn’t looking at the five in a row as an end in itself.

Six weeks later he was gone.

There is no doubt that he had a strong raw material to work with, but Gavin drew more energy from the group every season of his reign to ward off complacency. Always one step ahead of the tactical trends of Dublin’s main challengers after 2014, he curated a culture of relentless collective improvement within the roster.

2 – Declan Darcy

Dublin’s defensive coordinator, who said he had recently printed “3-14” on his locker, printer, laptop and other everyday items to remind him of the score Dublin suffered from Gavin-era championship defeat against Donegal in 2014 .

Darcy was with Gavin from the start when the duo coached the Dublin Under-21s to an All-Ireland title in 2003. Besides his experience on the pitch, he shared the same athletic values ​​as Gavin, which means that he was one of the few people the manager confided in.

3 – Jason Sherlock

Sherlock was recruited in Donegal after that game to effectively carry out the attack in Dublin. He was the main protagonist in the tactical development of the team. one with a variety of play styles following the 2013 and ’14 one-speed gung-ho days.

By the 2017 All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone, they were so well trained at breaking down zonal or hybrid defenses that they could almost do it in their sleep.

Sherlock played, the elements of which were borrowed from basketball tactics. Blocks and screens, with Ciarán Kilkenny essentially playing the role of point guard.

4 – Paul Clarke

Clarke was originally part of the tranche of Gavin’s backroom team, which was continued by Farrell, and left the setup at some point during the first suspension when Brian O’Regan was brought on board as the team’s head coach.

Clarke’s seniority in Dublin dates back to 2005 when he worked closely with Paul ‘Pillar’ Caffrey during his four-year tenure.

5 – Bernard Brogan

Granted, Brogan has been clearly inferior in the order of attack since his cruciate ligament rupture in February 2018. Never seeing the mood as a good reason to choose, Gavin felt it appropriate to include him in the biggest game of his tenure last September as part of Dublin’s 26-man team. His most recent autobiography revealed how Brogan, along with other seasoned senior team members, took personal responsibility for accelerating the development of teammates who were effectively taking their places.

6 – Jack McCaffrey

Rumors circulated earlier this year that McCaffrey might consider another season outside of inter-county football after doing so in 2016, but his appearance as a substitute at Omagh in Dublin’s last league game before suspension seemed to allay those fears.

As the most explosive ball carrier in football, his performance in last year’s draw with Kerry ranks among the best of the recent All-Ireland decision-makers.

7 – Diarmuid Connolly

It says a lot about his ability that Gavin brought Connolly back to the squad in midsummer after his planned trip to America failed, then gave him a full half in All-Ireland’s final iteration with just eight weeks of training.

His long-range passport was more convenient for playing out his own instincts than a tight script.

8 – Eoghan O’Gara

Fittingly, his last post on the pitch scored a goal in Omagh last August.

Despite the shortened playing time over the last two years of his career, O’Gara remained an immensely popular and influential behind the scenes member of the panel for the past two years, bringing aggression and energy into internal games that increased Dublin’s preparations for the biggest games.

9 – Darren Daly

Another player, whose playing time was gone, and Daly’s ability to perform certain human-marked tasks in large games – mostly from the bench – led him to win seven All-Ireland medals.

The loss is made up by the fact that Daly goes straight from the pitch to the back room.

Although it was initially clear that he would be part of the Dublin analysis team, the man was listed by Fingal Ravens as a selector in the game program for the final league games in Dublin.