Dublin Gaelic footballers John Small and Dean Rock have called out Joe Brolly, just days after lifting Sam Maguire at Croke Park.
Without an All-Ireland victory since 2020, Dublin had to deal with their fair share of critics this year, after a stint in Division 2 and a couple of underwhelming Championship performances.
However, the Dubs came out on top against Kerry on Sunday, with many of the same players that helped them dominate Gaelic football throughout the 2010s.
Dublin stars hit back at Joe Brolly
Small and Rock are just two of those long-serving players, and both took time to hit back at Brolly on Saturday, over a dismissive article he wrote about the Dubs back in March.
"It is all gone," Brolly wrote in the Sunday Independent on March 12th, just a week after Dublin lost to Derry in the National Football League.
"Now, they are just bores. Tensionless, dull, risk-free bores. Like a mid-table Premier League team safe by April, playing for their pay cheques."
Brolly went on to question whether the Dublin players were sufficiently angered by their defeat to Derry, which ended up being their only loss of the Division 2 campaign.
"If Alex Ferguson were the manager, the Dublin players would have been ducking football boots in the changing room," he wrote.
"I wondered did Con O'Callaghan go mental? Did John Small read the riot act? Did Dessie [Farrell] lose his temper and tell them the truth man by man?
"The team that once embodied everything that is good, now embodies nothing at all. It would be a great pity if this is how it ends," Brolly concluded.
30 July 2023; John Small of Dublin celebrates after the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
John Small and Dean Rock respond
Small, one of the players name-checked in the piece certainly didn't forget Brolly's words, and he let the former RTE pundit know in a tweet on Saturday afternoon, in which he shared a picture of the entire article.
"Joe Brolly has one of the kindest hearts you'll ever meet but when it comes to football analysis," posted the Ballymun Kickhams man, complete with the 'eyes' emoji.
Reposting his teammate's words, Rock was more succinct, simply writing "Finished," a barb which was presumably aimed at Brolly.
Finished. https://t.co/DTbBIJtCGC
— Dean Rock (@Deanrock14) August 5, 2023
Joe Brolly has been supportive of the Dubs
In fairness to Brolly, he tipped Dublin to win big against Kerry ahead of last Sunday's game, and has been supportive of Farrell's men throughout the Championship.
Of course, this isn't the first time that All-Ireland winners have taken swipes at Brolly in the aftermath of Sam Maguire success, with Kieran Donaghy famously calling out the Derryman in an RTE interview, after his side beat Donegal in the 2014 final.
Eight years ago today, @JoeBrolly1993 pic.twitter.com/y3Jdmnv6af
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) September 21, 2022
Brolly has since responded to Small, writing: "I did this for Kieran Donaghy once. An All-Ireland and MVP quickly followed. He didn’t thank me either," as well as, cryptically: "If only you knew the truth."
I did this for Kieran Donaghy once. An all ireland and MVP quickly followed. He didn’t thank me either https://t.co/b2V3voP6UV
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) August 5, 2023
