James McCarthy knows it is out there, stretching beyond Sunday’s All-Ireland final sits Gaelic football’s uncharted land. No male footballer has gone there before, but three Dublin players now stand at its gates.
McCarthy, Stephen Cluxton and Michael Fitzsimons could this weekend become the first players in history to be part of nine Sam Maguire winning teams.
Try as he might, McCarthy acknowledges it is impossible to avoid encountering chatter about the potential milestone, but the Dublin captain is eyeing up Sunday’s final from a different perspective.
“Look, obviously you hear it and it’s nice to hear. That [winning nine] is what’s dangling out there,” admits McCarthy.
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“But I’ll get more satisfaction getting Lee Gannon and these guys a taste of it and see how it feels for them to play on the big day.
“I think that’s more important. Look, all you want to do is win the All-Ireland and we have a massive game against Kerry, that’s the focus.
“In 10 years, I’ll be sitting in the Autobahn having a pint and I might reflect back on that stuff. But it’s not something you hang your hat on because things can change very quickly.”
There is a culture within the GAA that almost forbids players from embracing such moments, and while other sports may encourage athletes to use the pursuit of landmark achievements for motivation, it is not the GAA way.
McCarthy is not shying away from the possibility of claiming a ninth medal, but he realises fixating on it will not stop David Clifford or Seán O’Shea or Diarmuid O’Connor at Croke Park on Sunday.
“That’s what you’re going for, but I’m not going to be staying until two o’clock at night thinking about it,” continues the Ballymun clubman.
“It’s not going to affect my training before the final, I’ll try to enjoy it with my team-mates and try to get the best out of ourselves in the final.
“Look, the reality of it is that is what you’re going for. But for me it’s an All-Ireland final that you’re going for, a big game against Kerry. They have plenty of players to be worrying about. That’s more where the focus is.
“I don’t complicate things in my mind, I’m pretty simple in how I prepare for games. I get myself in the best condition I can, focus on two or three things defensively and offensively, and generally speaking it kind of helps you to perform as best you can.
“That stuff is dangling out in the air and people like to talk about it but I try to keep away from it as much as I can.
“A few weeks ago people were trying to retire you, so things can change very quickly. If you hang your hat on that stuff, it’s not going to serve you well.”
McCarthy is 33 now. He made his Dublin senior debut back in 2010 and this summer has been enjoying one of his best championship campaigns in years.
A prevalent narrative around Dublin’s season has been of the band getting back together for one last big tour. Sunday is the big show, then many key members of the group will exit the main stage. Or so some believe.
“I can see how it looks like that maybe from the outside with the guys coming back in,” says McCarthy. “But, no, I don’t think we ever looked at it like that.
“Obviously there are a few of us that have less years ahead of us than behind us, but if you ask Mick Fitz or myself, we’re still really enjoying our football. You take each season on it’s merit.
“So, no, I don’t think it’s a Michael Jordan type thing where it’s our last dance, there’s no talk of that anyhow, that’s for sure.”
Still, McCarthy realises he has been fortunate to come along during a golden era for Dublin football. When he started in 2010, Dublin hadn’t won Sam since 1995, now only Kerry stand in the way of McCarthy picking up a ninth All-Ireland medal.
“To be honest with you, it’s gone by so fast, it’s just scary how the years flash by,” he adds.
“Obviously when starting off you have your ambitions and you have your goals but realistically you wouldn’t have seen it going the way it has gone, no, you don’t see yourself playing that long and stuff like that.
“I’d take a bit of pride in myself as well, I still want to play at this level and I’m still competing at a high level. You’ll be finished playing for a long time as well so if you can get the most out of yourself when you can, that’s it really.
“You have to reflect, you’re never the complete player, you can always get better at something.
“The 2021 semi-final, I was very disappointed with how I performed that day. You reflect and you go, ‘That’s not going to happen again’. You have to be like that all the time if you want to be playing at the highest level.”
It is that unbreakable will to win and desire to continue operating at the top level that fuels McCarthy’s all-action displays of leadership and trademark surges forward from the middle of the field.
“You’d always be trying to chip away at things, trying to get better,” he continues. “Even against Monaghan, I gave away a few frees, missed a few shots and stuff like that, there are always things you can improve on.
“My missus at home would slag me that I have a terrible memory but that I can remember every play in a game.
“It’s no harm looking back at times, just to refresh the memory. But the past is the past as well, the present and the future are more important. What’s done is done.”
On Sunday, James McCarthy could do something which has never been done.
