DESSIE FARRELL has been handed a timely boost in the wake of James McCarthy’s inter-county retirement.
According to The Irish Mirror, eight-time All-Ireland winner David Byrne is set to return to the Dublin panel for 2025.
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The decorated defender’s last game in blue was the 2023 All-Ireland final win over Kerry which saw him collect his eighth Celtic Cross.
Byrne stepped aside for 2024 in order to travel to Australia but, according to The Irish Mirror, he is in line for a return in a timely boost to Farrell’s options.
Byrne had started seven championship games on the way to helping Dublin win Sam a year ago.
It was a loss that Dessie Farrell had been expecting before announcing it following the O’Byrne Cup clash against Offaly last January.
Farrell said: “David Byrne has gone travelling, he’s in Australia and won’t be participating in the Championship this year.
“That’s been on the cards for a while with Davy.
“I’d have been surprised if we’d carried everyone forward from last year.
“That’s why games like this are important because it’s all about trying to keep the squad competitive.”
His return comes at a good time for Farrell, who will be building for 2025 without the experience and pedigree of James McCarthy.
The nine-time All-Ireland winner announced his inter-county retirement on Monday.
He has been an everpresent in the Sky Blue since making his senior championship debut against Laois in 2011.
The 34-year-old won his first Celtic Cross in his maiden campaign, and was subsequently part of the great Jim Gavin side that won the six in-a-row between 2015 and 2020.
He was named Sunday Game Footballer of the Year in 2023, with former teammate Paddy Andrews hailing his confidante as one of the best to have ever played for Dublin.
Andrews told SunSport: “It’s amazing and I’m so happy he’s happy with his decision. But, like, this guy will go down in not just Dublin, but in the history of GAA as one of the greatest ever players.
“It’s an incredible achievement for him. He’s worked his balls off to get it over not just his senior career, but since he’s been 10 or 11 years of age, so he deserves all the applause that he gets.
“I was only chatting to him last week, and 2010 was his first year – so it was the year after we’d been hammered by Kerry and we lost that semi-final to Cork.
“Dublin was just such a different team in a different space back then, and I think we all were aware of this.
“Like, if you’d have said what we would go on to do as a team at that point, you’d have genuinely taken one All-Ireland, because it seemed like we were that far away from it.
“But for James to be there for that whole period, as a young player initially, and then developing into the player he became.
“Like, we viewed him internally in the team as one of the greatest players ever.
“You know, we were obviously aware of how he was viewed on the outside, but even within our camp, he was held in an unbelievably high regard.
“So for him to go on and win nine All-Irelands? You can read through his achievements – it is an incredible career.
“He’s been absolutely and unbelievably central to that, and I’m delighted for him.”
McCarthy could be one of a number of names to hang up the boots this close-season, with reports suggesting Stephen Cluxton and Jack McCaffrey may also call it a day.
