Fenton already one of the all-time football greats

Curtailing his influence will be a major challenge for Mayo in the All-Ireland final

KEY PLAYER PROFILE

By Stuart Tynan

YOU know a player is something truly special when many speak about him as one of the greatest of all time and he's only hitting his peak just now.

That is exactly where Brian Fenton finds himself. The Raheny man has accomplished more in six years than many of the greats put together. Incredibly, there is not a single mark in the loss column for Fenton in the championship since he made his debut against Longford in 2015.

In an unprecedented decade of dominance by the Dubs, many stars have come and gone without any loss of momentum. Tormentors like Bernard Brogan, Diarmuid Connolly and Jack McCaffrey have either retired or left and still the Dublin machine has simply kept on rolling.

Men like Dean Rock, Ciaran Kilkenny and Con O’Callaghan are the new shining lights for Dublin, but in a team full of stars and future legends, Fenton stands out from everyone else.

Freakishly athletic and supremely talented on the ball, Fenton was always expected at young age to be one of Dublin’s next heroes.

A member of Dublin’s All-Ireland Under 21 winning side in 2014, Fenton secured a senior spot very quickly under the reign of Jim Gavin. He has since established himself as one of the ever-presents, starting 39 of 41 championship games to date.

As mentioned, he has yet to taste defeat in the All-Ireland championship, with five consecutive All-Ireland titles and four All-Stars as well as a Footballer of the Year accolade in 2018.

Fenton will be hoping to make it six on the spin as the Dubs cross paths with Mayo once more in this Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC final, and it’s no secret it’s a team Fenton respects greatly, having spoken admirably about Aidan O’Shea in the past.

In an interview with Dublin radio station 98FM, Fenton said: "A couple of the Mayo lads are excellent, Aidan O’Shea for everything he brings and his physicality."

The big man might be going up directly against Fenton once more. Or it might be O’Shea’s Breaffy club-mate Matthew Ruane pitted against him on this occasion. You would have to feel that if anyone is going to curtail his influence, someone of similar stature might have the best opportunity.

Kerry’s Jack Barry enjoyed some success against Fenton in the drawn All-Ireland final last year and it was no coincidence that when he was taken off, Fenton grew into the game more and helped earn Dublin a replay. We all know what happened from there.

You can talk about your Kilkennys, Rocks, Cluxtons and O’Callaghans, but if Mayo are to have any chance of ending their 69-year wait for Sam, Fenton will be the one man they must curtail before anyone else.

FACTFILE

Name: Brian Fenton

Age: 27

Position: Midfield

Club: Raheny

Occupation: Physiotherapist

Debut: 31/05/15 vs Longford, Leinster SFC quarter-final

Appearances: 82

Scores: 6-71

Honours: 5 All-Ireland senior, 6 Leinster senior, 3 NFL Division 1, 1 All-Ireland U21, 4 GAA/GPA All-Star 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 1 GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year 2018

Did you know? Fenton has never lost a championship game for Dublin since making his debut.