An incredible spectacle that drew you in

As an occasion and a spectacle, last Sunday was immense. There was no mistaking the rollercoaster of emotions throughout.

Cautious confidence filled the air pre-game. It was impossible to argue against it. All the signs were there that this St. Brigid’s team had a great chance of lifting the Andy Merrigan Cup. Too many disappointing trips to GAA headquarters over the years have left us weary and wary, perhaps.

When half time came, I mingled through the crowd. You could see it on the faces of all in green and red that the cautious confidence wasn’t so cautious anymore. The hope was being backed up by an excellent final 20 minutes of the first half, which saw Brigid’s outscore Dingle by 0-8 to 0-2.

We knew the signs were good but we also knew only too well you can never discount a Kerry team in an All-Ireland final. And so it came to pass that Dingle rallied again.

It became a real ding-dong battle for the ages. I felt I was keeping a cold analytical eye on proceedings until Ruaidhrí Fallon goaled. He fisted home with great conviction. It was a massive score in the context of the game. I was on my feet fist-pumping to beat the band. So much for a cold, analytical eye.

That’s what I mean. This game just drew you in. I imagine even completely neutral viewers, sitting at home and watching casually on TG4, will have been sucked in by the brilliant spectacle and the constant ebb and flow of the game.

It probably reached a peak with that last kick of normal time. Just focus on that moment in isolation, with all it had riding on it at the time. It was incredible.

You had to love Ruaidhrí Fallon’s desire to get on the ball in that position. The biggest moment of the game and there he was demanding the ball. He had to be exhausted, but you could see, as the ball was on the far side of the field, he knew where he wanted to be and knew that he wanted the ball.

There’s leadership for you. And then the strike. There’s class for you.

The emotion went through the roof. Two excellent teams, out on their feet, were heading for extra time.

The high standard of football and drama continued, albeit with a few more mistakes, which you’d expect at that stage of the game. The turnover rate certainly increased in those final 20 minutes. Some of it was questionable too, like that last, oh-so-important turnover on Eddie Nolan at the Davin End. Was he fouled? Looking back, I’m not so sure, though I’m quite sure the Dingle wing-back touched the ball on the ground as he tried to pick it up.

It should have been a free in. Instead, the play swung back up the field and Mikey Geaney was the one to fire the winning point. One could say neither team deserved to lose. The feeling of despair afterwards for Brigid’s was palpable.

I looked around and saw tears in the eyes of many of the younger supporters in the Hogan Stand. In some of the adults, too. If ever a team died on All-Ireland final day with their boots on, this was it.

A terrific performance from Brigid’s went utterly unrewarded. The strong Rossie following there trudged out the gates dejected — all in agreement we’d witnessed a great game.

As we slouched into our seats at Drumcondra station afterwards, the lady sitting across the way was ready to put a pin in the post-match analysis. “They lost. Blame the ref. That’s all there is to it”.

You could sense she’d already had enough of a post-mortem with her husband who was sitting quietly, forlornly, beside her. She did come back with one more line though. “That ref will be very welcome on his holidays down in Kerry”.

Those thoughts were probably echoed by many a Brigid’s supporter in the aftermath of Sunday’s defeat. They’re not without merit. The two big calls that appear to have gone against them, to my mind, are the final foul not being called at the end of extra time before Dingle’s winning score, and the probable black card for Paul Geaney in the second half of normal time.

Had either decision been given the other way, it’s fair to say Andy Merrigan would probably be resting in Kiltoom at this very moment.

Still, as the hours pass and the emotion abates, the more clinical analysis will be colder and less forgiving. Yes, they played excellently, but their scoring efficiency wasn’t good enough. That’s where Dingle had the edge.

We suspected they’d have a clear advantage on kickouts, but that didn’t turn out to be the case at all. Brigid’s were excellent in this area. Shane Cunnane gave his best display of the season and played like a real leader for his team. Okay, he made some mistakes but show me a guy who makes no mistakes and I’ll show you someone who takes no risks. Cunnane was heavily involved throughout.

It was easily the best I’ve seen of him in the air — he made one particularly outstanding, soaring catch. His kick-passing, as is often the case, was superb. That ball in over the top to Brian Stack to create a goal chance near the end of normal time was brilliant. That play, in fact, was a super illustration of the quality of the match.

Brilliant ball in by Cunnane to begin with. Brilliant by Stack to catch and swivel and get his goal-shot away. Equally brilliant then by Dingle’s Mark O’Connor with his diving block to deny the score.

O’Connor was excellent for Dingle. So, too, was Tom O’Sullivan — the corner-back who scored five points from play. Was it just me or did each of his points seem like a carbon copy of the one before it?

Their best player though was Dylan Geaney, who was a menace to St. Brigid’s throughout the 80 minutes. There was no surprise when he got the official Man of the Match award.

Conor Carroll did very well in goal for Brigid’s. I thought some of his kickouts were outstanding, particularly the mid-range, risky ones. There were four Brigid’s players in particular who stood above the rest and really shone on the Croke Park stage. I’ve already mentioned Shane Cunnane’s performance, while Ruaidhrí Fallon, Brian Stack and Conor Hand were excellent too.

It’s generally accepted that the Man of the Match award goes to the best player on the winning team and in this case Geaney was a worthy recipient, but the best player on the pitch over the course of the 80 minutes for me was Ruaidhrí Fallon. He was phenomenal.

Looking at Conor Hand tearing it up in Croke Park will have Rossie fans wondering why we haven’t seen more of him at intercounty level yet. I’ve already mentioned Tom O’Sullivan, the Kerry corner-back widely regarded as one of the best in the country and who had a great game on Sunday. Well, he couldn’t handle Hand’s pace at all, which is really saying something.

And as for Brian Stack, I’ve run out of ways to phrase how good a player I think this guy is. My hunch is that we don’t know the full extent of the injuries he was carrying, especially after that bad fall against Scotstown. Yet he was outstanding once again.

I had a thought during the game on Sunday. If I was to pick my ultimate Gaelic football team of current players across the country, obviously David Clifford would be the first name down on the team sheet, but the second? Brigid’s number 6.

Is there a good way to lose an All-Ireland final? No, I don’t think there is, but there’s huge honour in performing the way Brigid’s did. Their very high level is something for all of Roscommon to be proud of.