Feature: The facts and figures of Brian Fenton

Dublin star Brian Fenton has announced a shock retirement from county football at the age of just 31, here are some of the numbers of an astonishing career

10 – Leinster titlesPLAYING for Dublin essentially guarantees provincial medals, and Fenton managed to get into double figures before announcing his retirement.

To put that into context, for a decade, Fenton played for Dublin in Leinster and never lost a game, and barely saw a team get within 10 points of them.

It maybe says more about the state of the provincial championship out east, but it is still a remarkable record.

If Fenton was placed in the Leinster roll of honour, he would be level with Offaly and Wexford and above Louth, Laois, Kilkenny (yes, they have three titles), Westmeath, Carlow, Wicklow and Longford.

7 – All-Ireland titlesFENTON’S first season ended in All-Ireland glory and he’d get his hands on Sam Maguire another six times.

The Raheny man was sublime in his debut season, bringing a real verve to the Dublin engine room under Jim Gavin as they bounced back from the previous season’s shock semi-final loss to Donegal.

There was the six-in-a-row from ’15 to 2020 – the latter played in an empty Croke Park during the pandemic – before a couple of seasons away from the top honour.

Dublin would bounce back in 2023 though with victory over Kerry in the final with Fenton shortlisted for the Player of the Year gong, the award eventually going to the Kingdom’s David Clifford.

6 – All-StarsWHAT happened in 2017? That was the only year Dublin won an All-Ireland that Fenton didn’t win an All-Star.

Well he couldn’t have been too bad as he made the 45-man shortlist, but the selectors opted instead for the midfield pairing of teammate James McCarthy and Tyrone’s Colm Cavanagh, who was shoe-horned in a bit having operated brilliantly in a much deeper role.

In true Fenton fashion, he bounced back the following season and was named Footballer of the Year.

His six All-Stars puts him pretty high in the football all-time list, as you’d imagine.

Kerry’s Pat Spillane, with nine, leads from fellow county man Colm Cooper. Another Kerry man, Mikey Sheehy, is on seven before the six club come into play.

As well as Fenton, there’s now former teammates Ciarán Kilkenny and Stephen Cluxton, Tyrone great Peter Canavan and Kingdom pair Jack O’Shea and Ger Power.

5 – NFL titlesIN many ways, Fenton’s league career finishes on a sour note as not only did they lose a thriller to Derry in the spring, but he picked up the first red card of his career.

Fenton appealed to the CCCC but decided to go no further, so that red stays on the record.

The league overall has been another happy hunting ground for the player, winning four Division One titles as well as a Division Two crown.

There were years when it was obvious they were not to the boil just yet, losing finals in 17 and 2020 as well as to Derry earlier this season, but successes came in 2015, ’16, ’18 as well as a shared title with Kerry in 2021 as the pandemic still caused issues for the GAA season.

The Division Two title came about in 2023 after their surprise relegation the season before and they hit Derry with a four-goal salvo to come out on top.

The Oakleafers would get revenge at a higher grade the next year though.

3 – Championship defeatsYES, you’re reading that correctly; despite making his debut in 2015, Fenton only walked off the pitch three times a loser in the championship arena.

The first of those came in the 2021 semi-final against Mayo and wasn’t without controversy.

All was going to plan in front of an enforced reduced attendance as they led 0-10 to 0-4 at the break, but Mayo showed immense character to force extra-time and come out on top by three points after it.

Getting those additional 20 minutes was not without drama though as Mayo goalkeeper Rob Hennelly missed a 45 to level it up deep into stoppage time before getting a second chance on account of an infringement.

They came unstuck at the semi-final stage the following year too in a thriller against Kerry with Seánie O’Shea landing a late monster free to win it for the Kingdom.

After regaining Sam the following season, their 2024 campaign ended at the quarter-final stage against Galway.

Like against Mayo three years previous, they were in a good position at the break but fell away in the second half with Con O’Callaghan coughing up a great chance to force extra-time.

2 – Player of the Year awardsONLY two, really because there were many more seasons when he was right in the hunt, including in his underappreciated 2023 campaign.

He did take home the prestigious honour in 2018 and ’20 though.

In the first of those, the trophy was always heading to the capital with Ciarán Kilkenny and Jack McCaffrey nominated, but Fenton prevailed.

Two years later he saw off the challenge of Kilkenny again with Mayo’s Cillian O’Connor also making the shortlist.