As Dublin fans look ahead to the 2025 inter-county season, there is a sense of uncertainty as to how many of the old guard will still be lining out for Dessie Farrell's side next year.
2024 brought an All-Ireland quarter-final exit at the hands of Galway, and there is a sense that many of the squad's most experienced players may decide to call it a day after that disappointment.
Captain James McCarthy announced this week that he would exit stage left, becoming the first of the 2024 crew to step away after Dean Rock's retirement at the end of 2023.
As tributes poured in for nine-time All-Ireland winner McCarthy, minds will have turned to who we can expect to see in the sky blue of Dublin next season. Amid all the retirement talk, Dessie Farrell looks set to be given a boost by the return of an eight-time All-Ireland winner.
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David Byrne reportedly set for Dublin return in 2025
30 July 2023; David Byrne of Dublin celebrates after his side's victory in the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Eight-time All-Ireland winner David Byrne stepped aside from the Dublin panel ahead of the 2024 season.
The Naomh Olaf man had started at corner-back in the Dubs' 2023 All-Ireland final triumph against Kerry but, to date, that is his final game for his county. Midway through last season's O'Byrne Cup, manager Dessie Farrell confirmed Byrne would take at least a year out to travel to Australia.
"We do know David Byrne won't be available this season, he's gone travelling," said Farrell. "That's been on the cards for a while. Davey has taken a year out."
It seems as though Byrne was true to his word and that he will indeed be back next season after just a year away, judging by reports in the Irish Mirror.
Byrne's return to the full-back line will be an especially important boost to Farrell's squad should Michael Fitzsimons choose to step away from inter-county football.
Nine-time All-Ireland winner Fitzsimons was man of the match in the Dublin final as Cuala won the county championship for the first time ever, and they have their first-ever Leinster quarter-final against Naas this weekend. The Mirror's report suggests that clarity on Fitzsimons' future will come after the conclusion of Cuala's club season.
Reports earlier this week said that the final one of Dublin's nine-time All-Ireland champions Stephen Cluxton has likely played his last game for his county, with his 43rd birthday approaching before the year is out.
Doubts are also reported as to Jack McCaffrey's availability for 2025, while there are a whole host of members of the Dublin squad who have been playing at inter-county for over a decade now.
Amid all the retirement talk, the impending return of David Byrne will be a timely boost for Dessie Farrell and Dublin.
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