“I think he has everything. No-one in Ireland can touch him at the minute.”
Conan Doherty is in no doubt about it. The best midfielder in the country is a Dub and there’s no denying it.
Brian Fenton was almost bypassed by the inter-county game. He was ignored for two years of minors and missed out on Dublin’s U21 squad too.
It was only when Dessie Farrell was having a chat with Paddy O’Higgins, Fenton’s clubmate, about young lads making waves that his name came up. Farrell took some convincing but got him in for a look.
Since then, there has been no looking back. Fenton has now played 25 senior games for Dublin [not including the O’Byrne Cup]. With him, Dublin have won 21 and drawn four. Undefeated so far [and don’t let him tell you about Longford].
Every club has late developers – Brian Fenton is living proof that it's never too late https://t.co/9XTkeA81ST #GAA
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) December 28, 2016
Doherty believes Fenton is peerless in his midfield role and he was not finding much opposition on The GAA Hour Football Show. Host Colm Parkinson raved about an area of Fenton’s game he had not fully noticed until he saw him take on Donegal in the Allianz League last weekend. He said:
“Everything has been said about Brian Fenton; he’s an incredible, incredible player. What impressed me yesterday, and it’s very obvious, was the amount of foot-passes he plays into his forward line. He is constantly trying to do the positive thing.
“It is very, very rare that you’ll see Brian Fenton get on the ball and do what Ciaran Kilkenny does – go laterally or backwards.
“He is constantly looking for the kick pass and he found Eoghan O’Gara well on a couple of occasions. O’Gara did well… He’s an [attacking] option and Fenton is looking for him.”
Former Meath forward Cian Ward likens the two-time All Star to David Moran of Kerry. Ward said:
“When he gets the ball, he’s asking, ‘How dangerous can I be? Can I give the 30- or 40-metre kick pass or do I have to recycle it?’
Ward continued: “Fenton is a good kick-passer of the ball. He does get his head up and tries to deliver the ball. That’s a positive thing.
“There are a number of players who play in that middle sector of the field and they’d drive you absolutely bananas when you are playing in the forward line. Every time they get it, their heads are down and they always take a play or two when they don’t need them. They’re not actually looking for that pass.”
Funnily enough, Fenton’s latest weapon of attacking destruction has been in his arsenal ever since he made his senior break-through. It was something he possessed coming through the ranks.
The fact that we are seeing it more is indicative of Fenton growing in confidence and backing himself to drive the team on. This is not new but seeing more of this type of play is an exciting prospect.
Two All-Irelands and a couple of All-Stars will do that for you.
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