He’s backing his mate!
Ger Brennan remains favourite to take over from Dessie Farrell as manager of Dublin, and is a popular choice given his success with Louth over the last two years.
A two-time All-Ireland winners with the Sky Blues as a player, Brennan guided the Wee County to two Leinster SFC finals, beating Meath to the title earlier this season, giving them their first since 1957.
However, in his younger days, his school was not focused on Gaelic football, but rather rugby, with Brennan attending the oval-ball institution that is Belvedere College.
The Ringsend man got into the secondary school through their social inclusion program, and excelled at rugby, while also playing with underage Dublin football squads.
With his club St Vincent’s, he has had heaps of success, including two All-Ireland SFC club titles, alongside Dublin great Diarmuid Connolly.
Speaking with SportsJOE, Connolly explained how his friend’s background with rugby has helped him succeed as a coach.
He said: “Gerry would have been a very big voice in the dressing room, regardless of any team.
“I played with Gerry for nearly 20 years with Vincent’s and maybe 10 with Dublin.
“(He’s been) really successful under age, like he’s he’s played a lot of sports.
“He went to Belvedere College just down the road here, would have played rugby at a really high level with Old Belvedere even after school.
“So defensively, Gerry, he would be, how would I put this, he’d be very astute defensively and I think that came from the knowledge he would have learned from Belvedere College and even Old Belvedere School and the rugby scene.”
Brennan’s years engrained in GAA has seen him learn from a range of experts, including former Dublin selector Mickey Whelan, All-Ireland winning manager Pat Gilroy, and most interestingly, Niall Moyna.
A professor of clinical exercise physiology in DCU, Moyna has been part of Brennan’s management team with Louth.
Connolly added: “But also he was he would have been under the tutelage of Mickey Whelan, who was obviously an ex-Dublin coach and really successful manager in Vincent’s.
“He would have been in his ear a lot. He would have got advice from Pat Gilroy, and especially the likes of Niall Moyna with him now with the Louth job. He’s the head sports scientist in Ireland.
“So he’s around these people, high performing people all the time.”
Dublin legend Diarmuid Connolly spoke with us with BoyleSports ahead of the All-Ireland SFC semi-finals between Donegal and Meath, and Kerry and Tyrone.
