McCarthy, Dublin’s last All-Ireland winning captain and one of their trio of nine-time All-Ireland winners, has signed off to much acclaim.
And there is growing expectation in Dublin that Cluxton’s inter-county career may now finally be at an end too.
Cluxton was not part of the Dublin squad in 2021 and 2022 after stepping away but never officially retired and may not bring that kind of closure now either in the same way that McCarthy has done.
Cluxton returned to the panel near the end of the league in 2023, won a ninth All-Ireland title later that summer and remained on for 2024 too.
McCarthy and Cluxton both played for Leinster in the recent inter-provincial series in Croke Park to showcase the rule enhancements that their former manager Jim Gavin has been guiding through. But that now looks like a last Croke Park bow for both.
McCarthy has been described by his midfield colleague Brian Fenton as the “greatest Dublin player we will ever see,” high praise from a player that would contend for that accolade himself.
McCarthy’s 15-season career in blue overlapped the most successful era for Gaelic football in the capital. By unanimous, his influence on that success was significant. “A phenomenal player but even more than that, a phenomenal team mate,” said Cian O’Sullivan, who checked out in 2020 with eight medals, all of which were won with McCarthy.
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“You could just trust he would always do the right thing. He’s the first player you’d want to go into battle with. A special player.”
“People might not have appreciated or even known what he would have to go through to play in some of those games, with his body and injuries and knocks. Even when the odds were stacked against him. He won everything. It must go down as one of the greatest careers in GAA history.”
There may be further departures in the coming weeks while backroom changes are also anticipated.
Paul Flynn, a long-time team mate, stressed that McCarthy – who finished up with nine All-Ireland medals – “just had the mindset of a champion. At all costs, he would do what it took to get over the line. You judge fellas on what they do on the big day. James was always awesome.”
