KERRY have been in 62 All-Ireland finals (won 38) and Dublin have been in 44 (won 31). The closest to that pair of old-money aristocrats is Galway (23).
Almost every year it seems as if the race for the Sam Maguire is an open one but Kerry and the Dubs will be there or thereabouts and since the start of this millennium only five finals haven’t included one or both of them.
Dean Rock was instrumental in Dublin’s domination of the race for Sam Maguire for over a decade and he bowed out after the Dubs beat Kerry in last year’s decider. The Ballymun Kickham’s forward insists that, when you lift the lid on the stats, it’s clear that this year’s Championship is “the most open in a long time”.
“I know it ended up with Dublin and Kerry last year in the final but both of the semi-finals could have gone either way,” he said.
“Derry probably should and could have got over the line against Kerry and there was only a point in it with Monaghan and ourselves going down the stretch. Big games are always defined by key moments and they can literally go either way.
“There are teams in Division Two this year that will have see how far Dublin and Derry went last year and they’ll see an opportunity there – the likes of Donegal.
“So there are opportunities, I think it is very much wide-open and everyone realises and understands that it’s wide-open so I think it’ll be a really good Championship this year.”
Rock thought long and hard before he finally walked through the inter-county football exit door. Physically, he felt in good enough shape to have given it another season but, with a young family now, time is a factor in his life.
“I would always have got to training at a quarter-to-five (for massage, strapping and free-kick practice) in the evenings and you’re not home until ten o clock,” he explained.
“When you’re with the club, training could be at half-seven and you get there at seven o’clock and you are home at quarter-past-nine so the time commitment piece was something that I probably couldn’t give again for another season and that was a big reason for my decision.
“I would have had conversations with James McCarthy and Mick Fitzsimons. They were willing to go again whereas I was on the fence and if you’re on the fence it’s time to get out.”
So he has gone but his passion for the sky blue jersey is not forgotten. He took the family to Mayo to watch Dublin’s most recent outing in Division One – a 0-14 to 1-12 loss in Castlebar.
“It was different,” he says.
“Obviously you’re close to the lads and you want to be watching the games because certain lads would still reach out to you and ask about how you think they’re performing, how you think they’re moving.
“You’d always be willing to lend a hand and give advice here and there. It’s important that I keep up to date with the games and watch the games and try and help where I can. I’ll be doing that but I haven’t been watching the first two games thinking ‘Jeez, I would have done this or that’ I’m very much at ease with it at the moment in terms of: I’ve had my time and now it’s someone else’s chance.
“But that could be different for the big games - the League game against Kerry in a couple of weeks or in the summer there’s a bit more buzz and excitement around the Championship. So that could be different. I’m unsure what that’s going to look like but for now I’m happy going to the games and watching as a spectator and a fan.”