Patrick McBrearty admits he originally contemplated retirement at end of 'difficult' 2023

Patrick McBrearty says Donegal don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater as they look to take Kerry down in Sunday’s NFL Division 1 decider. 

The former captain, who hung up his boots over the winter, admits that last July’s All-Ireland final loss to the Kingdom still gnaws at him. 

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In the end, a 1-26 to 0-19 scoreline suggests Donegal were out of their depth up against Jack O’Connor’s side. 

However, the 32-year-old, who had to retire on medical advice in relation to consistent knee trouble, explains that is too simplistic an analysis. 

"We didn't get a lot wrong on the day,” said McBrearty, who was speaking at the launch of the 2026 GAA+ Season Pass and broadcast schedule at the GAA+ studio in Croke Park.

“Obviously, I would say there are a few things that would be changed. We lost the game by 10 points but there was 10 minutes to go and we were only a few points down. I remember I missed a shot into the Canal End.

"I've thought about it a lot since it was a shot that I should have nailed."

And while Sunday’s renewal of acquaintances at Croke Park is a much softer setting than when Sam Maguire was up for grabs, McBrearty says a win would further boost what’s been a very encouraging 2026 to date. 

"We had a really good year last year but there was a lot of hurt there as well and a lot of the team would have carried that through the winter. 

“It'll be interesting to see how they get on on Sunday. I'd say Donegal will want to lay down a marker."

Meanwhile, the Kilcar native explains that he had originally contemplated calling it a day at the end of 2023, when Paddy Carr’s disastrous appointment culminated in the side falling out of Division 1 and a first-round Ulster SFC exit at the hands of Down.

But McBrearty would decide to take matters into his own hands and a personal call to the front door of Jim McGuinness' house yielded a spectacular result.  

It was a difficult period; standards had slipped big time. I suppose the position I was in, I took it really, really to heart.

"Personally, if Jim wasn't going to come back in at the end of the 2023 season, I probably would have thought about retiring then.

"Because I was coming off a really serious hamstring injury, my business was starting at that stage and I wanted to give that a proper rattle. I wasn't going to stay on for a rebuild.

"I was glad to get two more years out of it. I had 13 years done at that stage in 2023."