Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey return would be 'big statement' for Dublin- Philly McMahon

This year was the first in 15 that Philly McMahon watched the Dublin footballers from the stands.

The eight-time All-Ireland winner grudgingly admits that a bit of variety in Sam's winter home is no harm after the six-in-a-row era he played a key role in but he would have preferred a different winner than the Dubs' traditional rivals, who edged them by a point in the semi-finals.

"Obviously, I wanted Dublin to kick on," says the 35-year-old, who retired last December.

"Kerry are such a dominant county in the country. To see them get another one notched onto their belt is hurtful because we had bridged the gap so much over the years. But from the get-go, they were the best team in the country for me and were deserving winners of the All-Ireland.

"Dublin weren't far away, one point from going to extra-time and maybe with the momentum and the crowd that would have been a different story, but that’s not what happened. What happened was they lost and they have little things to get after and improve on.

"I’m glad that Dessie [Farrell] is staying on, I think it’s going to give that continuity going forward into next year. But I do think they need to change things up a little bit. They need to bring something different to the game next year.

"Instead of playing slow transition football, they need to be not starting the full-forward line that they have and getting the ball up as quick as they can."

The former corner-back would also like to see some familiar faces back on board. Paul Mannion (29) and Jack McCaffrey (28) are both still under 30 but both stepped away in 2020.

"I think it would be a big statement to get them two lads back," said McMahon, whose Ballymun Kickhams team exited the Dublin SFC at the group stage.

"It would be two