PHILLY McMahon has confirmed that he intends to play at least one more season for Dublin.
The Irish News understands that the uncompromising Ballymun Kickham’s defender, whose late father Phil was brought up in west Belfast, will play his 14th season with the ‘Boys in Blue’ in the 2021 campaign.
McMahon, who made his senior debut in 2008, became a member of an exclusive 12-man club of players with eight All-Ireland medals after the Dubs completed a six in-a-row by beating Mayo on December 19.
His first Sam Maguire success came in 2011 when the Dubs’ saw off Kerry by a point to end the county’s 17-year wait for the title. He was a second half substitute that day but by 2013 was a fixture in the team that forced another one-point final win, this time against Mayo. McMahon has been a pivotal member of the current record-breaking squad although his role is now largely limited to coming off the bench.
He made three appearances in last year’s Championship campaign – in the Leinster semi-final against Laois, in the All-Ireland semi-final against Cavan in which he played a key man-marking role in restricting the impact of Breffni full-forward Thomas Galligan and in the decider.
Dublin’s victory over Mayo in December’s All-Ireland final meant that McMahon, skipper Stephen Cluxton, James McCarthy, Michael Fitzsimons, Cian O'Sullivan, Kevin McManamon and Michael Darragh Macauley all won their eighth All-Ireland medal which brought them level with Kerry legends Páidí Ó Sé, Ger Power, Denis 'Ogie' Moran, Pat Spillane and Mike Sheehy.
Since that December victory, Paddy Andrews, who has six All-Ireland wins to his credit, retired from inter-county football while a number of long-serving Mayo players have also called time on their careers.
Chris Barrett, an Allstar nominee, became the fifth player to exit James Horan’s panel this week when he followed in the footsteps of goalkeeper David Clarke, midfielders Seamus O’Shea and Tom Parsons and versatile defender Donal Vaughan by stepping down.
“After 13 enjoyable years in the Green and Red jersey, I would like to announce my retirement from inter-county football,” the 33-year-old from Belmullet, an Allstar in 2017, explained.
“I feel incredibly privileged to have played alongside some of the most talented and honourable men to ever pull on a Mayo jersey.”
Meanwhile, Leinster Council CEO Michael Reynolds has hit out at criticism directed at the province’s senior football championship.
While the performances of Cavan (Ulster) and Tipperary (Munster) were capturing the imagination of the public, Dublin cruised to a 10th consecutive Leinster SFC crown in November by beating Westmeath and Laois comfortably and then cantering past Meath by 21 points in the final. The ease of their wins attracted vocal criticism of the Leinster Championship with many arguing, with justification, that it was now defunct.
However, in his annual report for 2020, Mr Reynolds argued: “Other than the Dublin games, the rest of the Championship was evenly contested with one exception.”
