Triumphant James McCarthy admits Dublin old guard 'have decisions to make'

Newly minted nine-time All-Ireland James McCarthy admitted that plenty of players had decisions to make after the Dubs regained Sam after a three-year gap.

With both Stephen Cluxton and Jack McCaffrey, as well as Paul Mannion, returning to the fold after two years in presumed retirement, the narrative had grown that the great Dublin side of the 2010s were determined to land one more title before jetting off into the sunset.

As he sipped from the Guinness presented to him at the outset of the press conference, a reflective McCarthy didn't do much to quieten the narrative, his tone suggesting that an exodus was in the offing.

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McCarthy told RTÉ Sport that Dublin's victory over Kerry put two tough years to bed

"Who knows, who knows, maybe..." McCarthy said when asked if this was the last victory for this crop.

"Look, It's not a bad way to probably wrap it up, is it? We'll see.

"But look, there's a lot of guys to make decisions. There's a lot of guys who've to make decisions in the next couple of months. But we'll see what happens. Let's just enjoy this one."

"Look, It's not a bad way to probably wrap it up, is it? We'll see.

Seated beside his manager Dessie Farrell, McCarthy stressed that a key part of the motivation for getting back on top was answering the criticism meted out to the Dublin boss, who took over a gradually ageing side after Jim Gavin's flawless reign.

And he said that it was at his own wedding last Christmas, that he and a few players resolved to "get a