Dublin have lost three Footballers of the Year to retirement over the last decade and a raft of big names but Brian Fenton's decision to call it a day leaves them looking as vulnerable as they have in years.

Paul Keane looks at how Brian Fenton and Brian Mullins compare in terms of silverware, leadership and X-factor ability.

And then overnight came the seismic news that Brian Fenton was bringing the curtain down on his glittering Dublin football career. The news, reported first in The Irish Times then confirmed by Dublin GAA this morning,

Dublin GAA Chairperson, Michael Seavers has hailed Brian Fenton as “an integral figure in the incredible success enjoyed by Dublin over the past decade.” Fenton’s retirement was confirmed in a Dublin GAA statement this morning, with others expected to follow in the coming weeks.

Brian Fenton is gone and former inter-county football star Paul Flynn believes it is a blow that Dublin will not recover from. On Tuesday, the decorated midfielder hung up his boots after making the shock decision to retire from the inter-county game.