When she considers about it, Caoimhe O'Connor finds it somewhat strange to think of herself as one of the Dublin panel's senior players.
She's just 23 but the injection of youth which the Dublin ladies football team was given this year has resulted in the side's average age plummeting.
"It is funny because I would have come in when I was 18," says O'Connor, speaking at the announcement of Staycity Aparthotels as the new main sponsor of Dublin GAA.
"The girls would have been a lot older than me. Having the younger girls come in this year, it's made me feel more older."
13 August 2023; Caoimhe O'Connor of Dublin in action against Emma Costello of Kerry during the 2023 TG4 LGFA All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
After two disappointing years - losing to Meath in the 2021 final and at the quarter-final stage to Donegal in 2022 - Dublin even surprised themselves this year by winning the All-Ireland.
"Probably coming from 2021 and 2022 when we weren't successful, that was obviously a hard time for us in Dublin," says O'Connor.
"To get back on top this year was great. We had so many new players come in at the start of the year, we probably didn't really know how it was gonna go.
"Obviously we had such a burst of youth come into our squad this year, I think we have maybe 16 new players so that was like a regroup for us.
"We don't have too many older players anymore, as such, the likes of Carla Rowe, Hannah Tyrrell and a lot of them would have been the younger girls and now they are the leaders and the older girls of our group.
"Obviously everyone is there to learn and even as a senior player, you're still learning year in, year out. We have so many knowledgeable players within our squad: Sinead Aherne, Hannah Tyrrell, Carla Rowe, Leah Caffrey, they've been around for years and they've played senior for so long.
"It's great that we have such leaders and such knowledgeable players within our squad. It's great for the young girls to come in and to learn off them and to get their knowledge on board in how they play.
"It's great if you look forward, obviously the average age of our team is so young so I think that's probably something that's promising within itself."
20 December 2020; Dublin manager Mick Bohan, left, with Siobhán Killeen, Caoimhe O'Connor, Willie O'Connor, Sarah McCaffrey, Niamh Hetherton and Tomas O'Cuinneagain, all from Clontarf, after the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship Final match between Cork and Dublin at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Dublin won this year's title with a five-point victory over Kerry in the final.
"We probably peaked at the right time," she says.
"We performed well in the All-Ireland final. Not being successful the last two years, really drove us on and put that hunger inside you."
Last month it was announced that Mick Bohan will be staying on for his eighth consecutive season as Dublin manager.
"He's been the only manager that I've had at senior level," says O'Connor.
"That's a huge boost for us. We're used to him, we're settled under him and everyone's delighted that he's staying on board for another year."
