‘Dublin will not win an All-Ireland without Mannion on the field’ – Bernard Flynn’s unique perspective on leading men for Dubs and Galway

Dublin’s Paul Mannion and Galway’s Shane Walsh are team-mates with Kilmacud Crokes. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Bernard Flynn has an admission to make. After joining Robbie Brennan’s backroom team at Kilmacud Crokes for last year’s Dublin SFC run, he was “like a kid in a candy shop” once he hit the motorway en route to training.

A big part of his giddiness was the chance to work with Paul Mannion and Shane Walsh. “It’s only when you see these guys up close, in training, you realise how actually good they are,” says the Meath legend..