SuperValu Sam: Brigid’s nurturing their own culture

It was a superb performance by St. Brigid’s on Sunday.

To beat Corofin by five points (and it could have been more) is remarkable in more ways than one. It was a game we all looked forward to. We knew it would have long spells of open play, and that skill would leave little room for the manufactured footballer. St. Brigid’s and Corofin have a lot of similarities when it comes to the culture they create, both on and off the field.

When skill development is the emphasis, size becomes almost irrelevant. St. Brigid’s best players are Ben O’Carroll, Brian Stack and Ruaidhri Fallon. The former two tend to outplay players who are taller and have more kilogrammes of bulk. The latter is bigger, but he too depends on his footballing ability, not his bench press.

Apart from Conor Cunningham, Corofin’s only other big performer was Gavin Burke, the lightest player on the pitch.

How Brigid’s planned and executed this was emphatic. Their play was intelligent, ravenous and full of speed; it’s hard to beat that. They clearly focussed on the fact that Corofin had one too many experienced players who no longer had the pace. It’s hard to expose this in winter football. But Brigid’s managed to.

Liam Silke struggled with O’Carroll. He is not only Corofin’s, but has been Galway’s chief man-marker for a few years. It didn’t matter what way the ball went into Brian Stack. As a full-back, he’s brilliant and appears to still be improving.

Brigid’s set out from the opening whistle as though they knew every move Corofin was going to make, and eventually, Corofin ran out of moves. They should have made about three changes at half-time but were reluctant to take off experienced players.

At this stage of the club championship, teams are analysing and preparing with an intercounty mindset. Weaknesses get exposed. Players who aren’t quick decision-makers get shown up to be indecisive. Having more possession can be the most misleading of all the stats.

Brigid’s were very economical. You sensed a score was on when they attacked.

They dished out a big five-point hammering in December. Ben O’Carroll was composed and understated afterwards. Brigid’s last won Connacht in 2012, and followed it up with an All-Ireland in March of 2013. In 2013, Ben O’Carroll was playing U-12, along with the likes of Shane Cunnane, and Ruaidhrí Fallon. Clubs often count the number of players they bring through from a minor team. By my calculations, there are six St. Brigid’s players who togged out together at U-12 ten years ago that were part of Sunday’s Connacht winning squad. They nurture them well around Kiltoom.

On January 6th, 2024, Brigid’s will meet the winners of Dingle and Castlehaven in the All-Ireland semi-final. For now, they will enjoy this one. And they’ll think of the late Tommy Dolan too.

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