In 1978 Hanahoe retained his dual role as captain and manager. He captured his fifth Leinster title in-a-row before leading Dublin into their fifth All-Ireland final in-a-row. Dublin were the red hot favourites to complete the three-in-a-row, however, Kerry were back on form. The game itself is remembered for Mikey Sheehy’s cheeky goal which he scored by lobbing the ball over the head of Paddy Cullen. It was an emphatic victory for Kerry on a score line of 5–11 to 0–9. In 1979 Heffernan returned as manager, however, Hanahoe retained the captaincy of the team. He captured his sixth Leinster title which allowed Dublin to advance to their sixth All-Ireland final appearance in-a-row. Once again Hanahoe's side faced Kerry. Dublin were outplayed in the final once again and Hanahoe ended up on the losing side. This defeat brought an end to the great Dublin team of the 1970s. Hanahoe retired from inter-county football shortly after.