We've updated this Dublin football XV which was originally compiled in 2019, with a few new faces included. The Dubs have won two more All-Irelands in the intervening period.
Since Kevin Heffernan was appointed football manager in late 1973 by a Dublin county board who didn't know what they were in for, the Dubs have won 14 All-Ireland titles over the last 50 or so years, including an historic six-in-a-row between 2015 and 2020.
There's been many great players, some of whom were lucky enough to arrive during times of prosperity, others who were destined to play in eras when All-Irelands were scarce. A couple of those guys have earned their place on here.
Here is the best Dublin footballers starting XV of the lot. Arguments welcome and entirely expected.
The best Dublin football XV of the past 50 years
1. Stephen Cluxton
30 July 2023; Dublin goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Goalies last forever. Dublin have had four primary No. 1s in the last 50 years. And that includes Davy Byrne who only occupied the jersey for four seasons before quitting abruptly. The others are Paddy Cullen, John O'Leary and Stephen Cluxton.
Paddy made a fine save on Liam Sammon to be sure, John O'Leary captained the team to an All-Ireland in 1995, but neither were accused of revolutionizing the position.
Eight time All-Ireland winner, captain for seven, completely changed the game for goalkeepers. One of the all-time greats.
2. Michael Fitzsimons
30 July 2023; Michael Fitzsimons of Dublin reacts during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Man of the match in the 2016 All-Ireland final replay win over Mayo, with three All Star awards to boot, and still a pivotal player in the squad in 2022, 11 years after winning his first All-Ireland.
That's not to mention the eight Sam Maguires won along the way. Truly underrated star of the modern Dublin dynasty.
3. Paddy Christie
Soldiered away during a sometimes frustrating and often just plain bleak era for Dublin football. He arrived into the squad in 1995 but played no part as the Dubs finally heaved themselves over the line against Tyrone in the All-Ireland final.
An inspirational figure in the full back line, Christie played long enough to win a few Leinster titles in the noughties. During the lean years of the late '90s, he was usually lauded as the Dubs' best performer.
Christie just about pips his modern-day equivalent Jonny Cooper, his '70s and '80s predecessors Sean Doherty, and Gerry Hargan to the No. 3 slot.
4. Philly McMahon
Dublin's impish bold boy in the corner, Philly was a serious contender for Footballer of the Year in 2015 and 2016. The original "modern corner back", McMahon is no stranger to marauding forward to kick a few scores. Wins out over the likes of Gay O'Driscoll, and Jonny Cooper.
READ HERE: The 2015 All-Ireland Final Summed Up The Brilliance And Absurdity Of Philly McMahon
5. James McCarthy
McCarthy has played in multiple positions throughout his Dublin career, making him one of the most diverse footballers the modern game has seen. In recent years he has found himself playing centre back and midfield for the Dubs but he always seems to find his way back home to wing back. .
Man of the Match in the 2017 All-Ireland Final and the winning captain to lift the Sam Maguire in 2023, McCarthy was ever present during the Dubs' dominance of the 2010s, and will long be remembered in Gaelic football circles whenever he does call it a day.
6. Kevin Moran
5 July 1981; Kevin Moran of Dublin during the Leinster Senior Football Championship Semi-Final match between Dublin and Laois at O'Connor Park, Tullamore. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Possibly the most competitive spot in the whole team. The Dubs have been exceptionally strong here down the year. Trying to pick a winner from James McCarthy, Kevin Moran, Cian O'Sullivan, Keith Barr and Tommy Drumm seems impossible.
O'Sullivan plays in a sweeping role and isn't a traditional centre-back. Tommy Drumm only won the 1983 All-Ireland final from the centre-back slot having picked up the first couple of them from wing-back.
Keith Barr, a powerful and rampaging centre-back who knew how to rattle the net, thrilled the Dublin supporters all through the 90s. The 1995 All-Ireland final win was, in many respects, built on the back of an exceptional half-back line.
However, we've gone for Kevin Moran. Although his GAA career was cut short by a switch in codes, but nobody can deny he wasn't one of the finest centre-backs Dublin GAA has ever seen.
During his short stint with the Dubs that spanned from 1975 to 1978, he managed to build up quite the trophy cabinet, winning two All-Ireland titles, four Leinster titles and one All-Star award.
7. Jack McCaffrey
Getting in ahead of Mick Deegan, Pat O'Neill, and Paddy Reilly is the 2015 Footballer of the Year Jack McCaffrey and the Man of the Match in two All-Ireland finals. We're not expecting much argument here.
McCaffrey hadn't lost his spark when he rejoined Dublin for the triumphant 2023 All-Ireland win.
8. Brian Mullins
"Brian Mullins got his fist to that, Brian Mullins got his fist to that too." Micheal O'Hehir's pithy response to Brian Talty's pain rings down the ages. One of the most famous lines of commentary ever.
A truly beloved character in Dublin GAA, Mullins was peerless in the Dublin midfield for generations. Until his partner in this team came around..
9. Brian Fenton
30 July 2023; Brian Fenton of Dublin during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Before Fenton came along, there was big debate here between Ciaran Whelan and Michael Dara Maculey.
Macauley is a former footballer of the year while Whelo arrived at a time when the Dubs were about to drift into the wilderness. He was thereafter relied upon to power them back to glory and was their man man in the 16 year drought.
Ultimately though, Fenton has usurped them all. He didn't lose a single Championship game in his first six seasons with Dublin. Man of the Match in his first All-Ireland final in 2015, the Raheny man has five All-Stars so far and is comfortably one of, if not the best, midfielder in the country.
READ HERE: 'It Was New To Me In Terms Of The Exposure - The Tweets, The Negativity'
10. Ciarán Kilkenny
20 September 2015; Ciarán Kilkenny, Dublin, lifts the Sam Maguire cup after the game. GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final, Dublin v Kerry, Croke Park, Dublin. Picture credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE
The Dublin forward line has a lot of players of the verge of breaking into this team. Con O'Callaghan, Brian Howard, Paul Mannion, Dean Rock...they're all in contention after the last few years.
In the original team from 2019, Paul Flynn took the number 10 spot, but there's simply no way to leave Ciarán Kilkenny out of this team.
He has become the central cog in Dublin's attack in recent years, surpassing the efforts of O'Callaghan and Howard in becoming the Dubs' key playmaker. One of the most consistent and reliable players in recent memory, and a joy to watch when in full swing.
11. Diarmuid Connolly
In the same way that Manchester United players almost uniformly answer "Paul Scholes" when asked who is the greatest player they played with, the Dublin team of the current day offer up Connolly to the question "who's the most gifted?"
Tony Hanahoe was one of the most influential figures on the 70s team but Connolly takes it in pure talent. You'd miss watching him ping points over or pick out players with outrageous passes, ever since his retirement in 2019.
12. David Hickey
In a Sunday Independent profile a couple of years ago, Paul Kimmage asked Hickey if his son had much time for his father as a footballer.
"Oh he has me right up there with Dermo, and no better accolade can a man get", he responded.
Hickey was one of the most charismatic players on the team, though from a distance was hard to distinguish from half-forward line comrade Tony Hanahoe.
Argued that neither Kevin Moran or Pat O'Neill could pass the ball and thus he saw his and Anton O'Toole's primary role as "laundering that raw product and turning it into usable currency for Jimmy (Keaveney) who liked it hitting the blue (gestures to chest)."
13. Alan Brogan
Won Footballer of the Year in 2011 from the centre forward spot but in an effort to ensure he breaks into the team, as is proper, we have thrown him in the corner, where he broke through in the crazy days of Dubs mania and arseboxing in the early 2000s.
The likes of Charlie Redmond, Barney and Dean Rock, Paul Mannion, and John McCarthy are unlucky here.
14. Jimmy Keaveney
Jimmy is the free-taker on this team, pipping the likes of Charlie Redmond and the Rocks, also unerring from the dead ball.
But Jimmy was magic at clipping balls off the turf and floating them between the sticks. His lack of mobility was something of an affectionate joke, but he was also deadly from open play. He blasted 2-6 in the 1977 All-Ireland final against Armagh, then a record haul.
Had already given up in frustration before 1973, Heffo dragged him out of self-imposed exile from '74 on. A stroke of genius.
15. Bernard Brogan
Dublin's most reliable scoring threat for the 2010s. Brogan has won Footballer of the Year and picked up six All-Ireland titles, winning the Man of the Match and two goals in one of those finals.
The best Dublin XV of the past 50 years: Substitutes
Subs: Paddy Cullen, Robbie Kelleher, Jonny Cooper, Keith Barr, Cian O'Sullivan, Ciaran Whelan, Paul Mannion, Con O'Callaghan, Kevin McManamon, Dean Rock, Paul Flynn
SEE ALSO: The Best Kerry Football XV Of The Last 50 Years
