The final to win is the one you’re in

On a late August evening, if the fans who were ambling into Lisnamult were told that St. Brigid’s would be racing out onto Croke Park in January, many — perhaps the majority — would have been unsurprised. However, the route Brigid’s have taken to their second All-Ireland final in three seasons has been strewn with surprises and obstacles.

The twists began that very evening when Michael Glaveys deservedly beat the Kiltoom team in one of the biggest shocks in the recent history of Roscommon club football. That result was simultaneously stunning and perplexing — nobody quite knew what to make of it.

When Anthony Cunningham’s team bounced back against Roscommon Gaels, all seemed back on an even keel. Yet, the narrative around Brigid’s since the county semi-final against Clann na nGael is that the South Roscommon side haven’t yet delivered a complete performance.

Against Pearses in the drawn county final, they teetered on the brink of elimination, only saved by the width of a post. It took a late goal from Ruaidhrí Fallon to finally and irrevocably turn a tense Connacht final in their favour.

Instead, the team that moved like a juggernaut in this year’s club championship were Ballyboden St. Enda’s, who were odds-on favourites for the All-Ireland title before a ball was kicked in either semi-final.

But here’s the rub — Brigid’s are in the final and Ballyboden aren’t.

Brigid’s gave the ideal semi-final performance — efficient and deserving winners with plenty of scope for improvement. In contrast, Daingean Uí Chúis were outstanding in the second half and extra time when they toppled the hot-shots of Ballyboden.

Austin O’Malley, manager of the Cuala team who won last year’s club title, reflected the prevailing mood on RTÉ Radio 1’s sports show on the day after Brigid’s semi-final win. When asked for his prediction, he plumped for Dingle because of the momentum they got from the semi-final. Dingle getting most of the spotlight this week will suit Brigid’s.

Brigid’s overcame Moycullen and Scotstown despite their opponents having the majority of possession. They won’t repeat that trick a third time against Dingle given the quality of the Kerry champions’ forwards, particularly the Geaney brothers. That is not news to anybody in Kiltoom.

While Brigid’s kick-out has come under scrutiny over the last two matches, it has been somewhat overlooked how erratic the Dingle kickout was against Ballyboden. Incidentally, the Dingle goalkeeper Gavin Curran, unlike AFL player Mark O’Connor, returned to Australia after their All-Ireland semi-final. It must be a unique preparation for an All-Ireland club final.

While Brigid’s nullified Rory Beegan superbly in the semi-final, there will be a great number of fires to put out against Dingle. It is when players of the calibre of Tom O’Sullivan and Paul Geaney get the extra space at club level, that they show what stellar footballers they are.

Geaney got the headlines after the semi-final but O’Sullivan was the player who kept Dingle in the match before Geaney sprang from the bench.

It is an encouraging trait for any team to have different players popping up as match-winners on different days. Nonetheless, in this final, more Brigid’s players will have to hit top gear for longer than in any of their previous matches in this campaign.

The management made the brave, and correct, call to take off Ben O’Carroll against Scotstown. It was his performance in the All-Ireland final two years ago that propelled O’Carroll to national prominence. After receiving a wake-up call last time out, Ben now has the chance to step up to the level that seemed his destiny two years ago.

Over the course of the last five matches, the baton of match-winner has passed between a host of Brigid’s players — from O’Carroll to Bobby Nugent; from Conor Carroll to Conor Hand; from Ruaidrí Fallon to Paul McGrath to Seán Trundle.

Despite all that quality, Brian Stack remains Brigid’s North Star. His shuddering fall in the semi-final was one of the scariest moments to happen on a football field in some time. Anyone who has seen the still image will understand why TG4 didn’t show a replay of the incident during their match coverage. That Stack wasn’t seriously hurt verges on the miraculous.

Anthony Cunningham’s announcement that both Stack and Mark Daly will be available for the final is a huge boost. As with Paul Geaney for Dingle, Stack’s presence alone lifts those around him. It was only after Daly was forced off that Brigid’s really began to struggle at midfield against Scotstown.

The defence, which was criticised after the county final replay and the Connacht final, was the team’s bedrock in the All-Ireland semi-final, with McGrath, Trundle and Pearse Frost excelling. The Brigid’s backs are disciplined in their tackling and confident in one-on-one match-ups.

It feels like Croke Park on the biggest day has been beckoning Brigid’s since so many of these players were shooting the lights out in underage finals — this is the stage that has long felt their birthright.

The age profile of this Brigid’s team has been highlighted and hailed. This is a team on the rise that should have its best days ahead of it. The catch is that sport does not work that way. If Brigid’s win on Sunday, it is then that the sweet spot of having so many good footballers reaching their peak simultaneously will be hit. It would give them an above-average chance of winning at least one more Andy Merrigan Cup in the future.

Nevertheless, the final to win is the one you’re in. Brigid’s have already experienced the heartbreak of losing one final, made all the more galling by having one hand on the cup against Glen two years ago. For all the talent they possess, a second All-Ireland defeat would be a shattering blow. These players know how long a road it is back to Croke Park.

In the aftermath of the 2024 final, the absence of a Senan Kilbride-like figure in the Brigid’s attack was widely viewed as the missing piece of the jigsaw. Yet, even Kilbride’s greatest admirers couldn’t have foreseen then that it would be Senan himself who came back to reprise his 2013 role.

In the semi-final Shane Cunnane took on the mantle of the tall man up front, but the influence of Kilbride and fellow 2013 hero, Ronan Stack, is significant.

So here we are — two evenly-matched teams brimming with quality and possessing a sense of destiny. This is not an easy final to call. In 2024, Brigid’s took to Croke Park as if to the manor born until Conor Glass turned the match on its head in the last five minutes.

Since they first emerged from Connacht in 2006, Brigid’s have never played poorly on the national stage. They underperformed just once, in the 2012 All-Ireland semi-final against Garrycastle, a local derby around which swirled a curious mix of circumstances.

That means that, as near as it is possible to predict these things, St. Brigid’s will play well next Sunday. They remain composed under pressure and have the football intelligence to adapt to in-game situations.

In their psyche is the memory of 2013 — this club knows what it takes to win an All-Ireland. They will have a plan to counteract the individual genius of Dingle. If that plan works and they get the luck which deserted them when in sight of the winning post two years ago, that may be enough.