Dessie Farrell

Dessie Farrell has already been handed a huge boost this year as former county stars Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey have returned to the Dublin panel.

“It’s the tightest of margins, missing a player or two last year through injury at different stages. [Dessie Farrell](https://cms.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/well-jack-mccaffrey-paul-mannion-re-joining-squad-next-year-dessie-farrell-gets-huge-boost-272544) has already been handed a huge boost this year as former county stars Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey have returned to the panel. [Paul Mannion's return to Dublin panel may have to wait following serious injury](https://cms.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/paul-mannions-return-dublin-panel-may-wait-little-longer-following-serious-injury-273636) ["With the worlds’ greatest thief not able to take even just one friendship away"; Cooper retires with heartfelt statement](https://cms.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/worlds-greatest-thief-not-able-take-even-just-one-friendship-away-cooper-retires-heartfelt-statement-279651) [We'll have Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion re-joining the squad next year'; Dessie Farrell gets a monumental boost](https://cms.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/well-jack-mccaffrey-paul-mannion-re-joining-squad-next-year-dessie-farrell-gets-huge-boost-272544) “You’d always be touching base or having a conversation, and obviously the defeat last year, that was a bitter pill to swallow in terms of the nature of it against the opposition, but I think the spirit in the performance in the second half probably added a factor as well in terms of the lads’ own decisions. It was never a case of begging them back, but it was also never a case of closing the door on them and in an interview with the Irish Independent, the Na Fianna man revealed that they were always welcome to return. “I think you have to respect that when a player’s heart isn’t in it for whatever reason and he wants to move on or travel or concentrate on his career or work or for some it’s a young family or whatever, then everyone has to respect that,” Dublin manager Dessie Farrell said of the pair’s decision to step away in 2020/2021.