11-08-2025
Man who gave Ger Brennan his break backs new Dublin boss for All-Ireland glory
The man who gave Ger Brennan his coaching break has backed him to bring All-Ireland success to Dublin.
Brennan was confirmed as the new Dublin manager last Friday on a three-year term after a steady rise through the coaching ranks over the past five years. Niall Carew drafted him into Carlow as a coach ahead of the Covid-delayed Championship of 2020 and he spent the remainder of that season and the following one working under the Kildare man before moving into club management.
In 2023, Brennan was appointed Louth boss and this year guided them to their first Leinster title since 1957 before stepping down last month, paving the way for him to take charge of his native county.
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Carew, who also managed Waterford and Sligo and was Kieran McGeeney's right-hand man during his spell as Kildare manager, first came across Brennan when coaching him at Maynooth University and maintained contact before drafting him in to coach Carlow five years ago.
He said: 'I found Ger very organised, knows his football inside out. Demands and gets respect from everyone around him.
'He's a really good communicator, brilliant in a one-on-one situation. Tactically very astute. I think it was a no-brainer for Dublin to take Ger. He's a successful manager.
'He obviously won a provincial with a team that hadn't won one in the course of, what, 60 years? I don't think Ger is getting the credit that he deserves because generally, when a big name comes in, you see it with Mick O'Dwyer in Kildare and Laois and Wicklow, it's very hard to follow that.
'Ger came in and everyone thought that Louth would to go straight back down to Division Four. But no, they didn't. They dined at the top table and ended up being provincial winners. He did an unbelievable job.'
It's generally accepted that Dublin are in a transitional period now and that All-Ireland titles may not be as accessible to Brennan as they were to Dessie Farrell and Jim Gavin when they took on the job. But the opportunity may not have come again had he passed it up now. Former Carlow manager Niall Carew (Image: ©INPHO)
'Managers are forgotten about very quick, whether we like it or not,' said Carew. 'That's the nature of the beast. There's always somebody next in the paper or somebody next to be highlighted on The Sunday Game and when you're away from that scene for a year or so, you can be forgotten about very quick.
'Maybe in your own head you're not forgotten about, but you are. That's the facts of it. There's so many good managers coming through. If Ger wanted to be strategic about it and said, 'No, I'll wait for two or three years', that opportunity might never arise because some other manager might win and hit the ground running.
'And let's call a spade a spade, Dublin and Kerry, they can hit the ground running any time. I think Ger was right to take it. I think the train mightn't stop for another good few years and again, he could be forgotten about then.
'I think it was an absolute brilliant move by Dublin and obviously they're no fools, the last three managers they picked - they know how to pick them - they're after winning All-Irelands for them and I think Ger will win an All-Ireland for Dublin as well.'
Given the arc that Brennan's coaching and managerial career has taken, it would seem that he was building towards the Dublin job once his playing days wound down.
'Deep down, he's a really, really proud Dub,' Carew noted. 'I would imagine it was in the back of his mind. But he knew he had to navigate through different waters first. He's got the job.
'I actually do think it's a great fit because Ger will take no bulls**t, he'll tell you as it is. But at the same time, he's an excellent man-manager, which every team needs.'
