Paul Mannion won't see coming back into the Dublin fold as a risk, says his club boss Robbie Brennan.
Dessie Farrell dropped a bombshell right at the end of a brief interview with Dubs TV on Sunday, when he announced that Mannion and Jack McCaffrey had ended their self-imposed exile from the county set-up.
Kilmacud supremo Brennan wasn't blind-sided by Farrell but was pretty sure Mannion, 29, had unofficially called time on his days in the blue jersey, given his desire to devote his time to other interests.
Dubs supporters had also given up on seeing 28-year-old McCaffrey playing for the county again after confiding 'the fun had gone out of the whole thing' in December 2020, 10 months after walking away.
Instead the duo who between them have won 11 All-Ireland titles and seven AllStars are back.
"Paul rang me just to let me know and so he gave me enough notice, to be fair," laughed Brennan.
"People were starting to hear it about Jack, too, and it was as well to confirm it from everyone's point of view.
"While it wasn't a shock, I did think Paul was done, to be honest.
"It seemed he was happy to see the back of it - but guys at that level are so competitive and it's hard just to leave it.
"And both him and Jack are close enough, so once one was going back in, the other was as well!
"Paul probably has another couple of gears that he can get up to with county training.
"But given what he's done at club level, if you just dropped in out of space and didn't know who he was, you could probably pick him out as one of the best footballers in the county.
"He's a big addition.
"I know the Clontarf manager quite well but I don't know Jack, but I have a feeling he'll still be the fastest player on the pitch when he's 40.
"It should be a mouth-watering prospect to have them both on the pitch.
"It's great for Dessie and for Dublin, and for the wider GAA population watching if they get back out there playing."
In the Kilmacud hot-seat since 2018, Brennan knows better than anyone how Mannion has adjusted to focusing solely on the club.
The exciting forward was superb in Kilmacud's march through the Dublin championship last year, and up to being injured in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Naas.
Without him, Crokes didn't have the firepower to take down Kilcoo in the final.
Mannion has also spent the last couple of summers playing football in the States, a luxury he couldn't afford when playing for an All-Ireland winning county team.
Brennan insists that Mannion has lost none of his appetite.
"No," he said. "Look, he had that injury in the semi-final last year and he had to get fully back after that.
"People might think it's a brave move because there's no guarantee it will work out - but they are backing themselves to give it their best shot.
"Paul wouldn't be thinking it's a risk. He wouldn't be afraid of it.
"A lot of the lads in the Dublin camp will know him very well, I wouldn't have thought it would have changed that much and he knows them all through club football.
"The break allowed him to enjoy the other side of life, he's done that and, at 29, he's probably thinking, 'If I am to go back, it would probably have to be done, I can't wait too much later'.
"The timing looks good all round, and for Jack as well."
Mannion suffered an ankle injury against Cuala last Saturday and is a doubt for the Dublin SFC semi-final clash with Thomas Davis.
It is a repeat of the 2019 last four meeting won by the underdogs from Tallaght.
"Thomas Davis are very tricky," Brennan said.
"I was watching them on Sunday and I half expected that was going to be the draw, to be honest!
"It's like 2019 again, they beat us very well on the day - ironically Paul got injured and it was his ankle as well, so it's strange how it all works!
"We have a massive task on our hands, they've beaten us this year in the league as well, but there's nothing easy in Dublin.
"We'll get to work and hopefully be ready."
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