Peter Canavan believes that Dublin and Dessie Farrell will be concerned by far more than just the departure of Brian Fenton ahead of the 2025 championship.
Fenton's retirement announcement late last year was a bolt from the blue that shook the Dubs, and several veteran teammates have followed his lead in stepping away.
Manager Farrell confirmed after the opening round of the Allianz League that Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey were both unlikely to feature in 2025, though Stephen Cluxton will once again be in the mix.
Reports this week suggest that Ballymun Kickhams man John Small will be the latest to step away from the panel, in another major blow for Dessie Farrell.
Speaking on this week's RTÉ GAA Podcast, Peter Canavan questioned the Dubs' ability to contend for Sam Maguire with so many big names stepping aside, highlighting Small as a particularly gutting loss.
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Peter Canavan thinks Dublin will lament absence of John Small in 2025
21 November 2020; Brian Fenton of Dublin and John Small after the Leinster GAA Football Senior Championship Final match between Dublin and Meath at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Host Jacqui Hurley asked Tyrone legend Peter Canavan on the RTÉ GAA Podcast this week whether Dublin could realistically fight for All-Ireland glory without the influence of Brian Fenton in midfield.
Canavan said that the loss of a group of three further veterans alongside Fenton only exacerbated issues, and that it would be a "hell of an achievement" were Dessie Farrell to lead them up the steps of the Hogan Stand in late July.
It's not just Brian Fenton. John Small, I think, would be very much suited to the way the game is played at the minute.
Paul Mannion up front likewise...Jack [McCaffrey]. Two of those three or four players back and they're a force, they're a different team.
Can they win an All-Ireland without them? It would be a hell of an achievement for Dessie Farrell to do that.
You see that team on paper, there's a lot of newcomers there, there's a lot of lads finding their feet.
Small was one of the few Dublin players to impress in last year's championship, as the defending champions crashed out of the All-Ireland at the quarter-final stage to Galway.
Farrell would likely have been banking on his experience as Dublin seek to bounce back in the upcoming championship and his apparent retirement is another killer blow with the Leinster championship fast approaching.
Dublin fell to defeat in a thriller against All-Ireland champs Armagh on Saturday evening, with the Orchard County and Donegal establishing themselves as the frontrunners for this year's championship.
Despite his pessimisim about Dublin's chances at Sam Maguire, Peter Canavan did say that the Dubs' second-half performance against Armagh will be of some encouragement to Dessie Farrell.
Dessie, I know he was disgusted with their first-half performance [v Armagh] - they didn't wilt in the second-half, they came back with a strong response.
If they had had their shooting boots on, they would have been in the game, without a doubt. They were guilty of hitting some very easy shots wide.
When he looks back on that, he'll be thinking they could have got something out of the game. He'll be very happy with their response but I've no doubt he'll have been left scratching his head at half-time.
Dublin round out their Allianz League campaign with the visit of Galway to Croke Park on March 15 and a trip to Tyrone the following weekend.
Their Leinster SFC campaign gets underway on April 13 against the winners of Wicklow v Longford.
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