Championship

As sure as night follows day more Great Days will follow

September 20th, 2011
by Weeshie Fogarty

 That infamous Seamus Darby goal might have been scored twenty nine long years ago and a lot of water has flowed under the proverbial bridge since that dramatic day in 1982 but it is still one of the most talked about endings to an All ireland final. That goal continues to come up in conversation and I am constantly asked having been there why it has left such an indelible mark on the minds and concinouses of Kerry followers everywhere.  Well now all of you who were not even born when that dramatic ending occurred at the Railway end goal in Croke Park will now fully understand why the Darby goal has left a permanent scar on the minds and souls of all Kerry men and women.  The question had been asked a million times since. Did Seamus Darby push Tommy Doyle before he scored that winning goal?

The memories of that day were all resurrected for me last Sunday when Stephen Cluxton kicked the last minute winning Dublin point thus depriving one of the greatest Kerry teams of at least a re-play. So I need to get one thing of my chest before we look further into the game.  While the Darby incident is debatable as to wither he pushed Doyle or not, the referee that day told me in a recent interview it was "a bump". The free awarded against young Barry John Keane was not in my view justified in any way what so ever. It was a terrible decision and such an awfully cruel way to lose an All Ireland.  The Kerry player stood solid, both feet firmly planted on the ground, arms outstretched, he never moved an inch. Kevin McManamon ran at him, literally tripped over the stationary outstretched Kerry left leg, he went to ground and the rest like the Darby goal is history.  The Kerry man was fully entitled to position himself as he did and if anything it was a case of charging by the Dublin player and could have as easily been a free out.  No one will convince me otherwise.

So did Kerry literally throw away this final? many people have said they did. I believe it was a combination of events that deprived Jack o Connors men of victory. They were 1-10 to 0-9 points ahead with about seven minutes to go and it look like Colm Cooper would be making that victory speech. Kerry were well on top but worryingly were not as in past victories running at the Dublin defence. Instead it was a case of hold what we have and pass the ball over and back. More longer ball into Kieran Donaghy who was on fire might well have paid rich dividends.  The clocked ticked on. Dublin it appeared had run out of ideas.

Then the wheels literally came off the wagon in the space of a couple of minutes. Possession in one of these passing movements was lost in the middle of the field; Dublin pounced like a pride of hungry lions. Alan Brogan won possession, passed to Kevin McManamon and the St Jude's man set off on a scintillating run towards the Railway goal; he hit a blistering shot cross the body of Kerry's excellent goalkeeper Brendan Kealy. The net shook, the Hill danced and Kerry supporters were in a state of shock.   The taste of victory was now in the air and the winners scented this. Their hard tough road to this final, a better substitute bench, early dawn training sessions together with their ravenous hunger for victory together with their youthfulness and never say die attitude saw  the irrepressible Kevin Nolan kick a superb long range equalizer . Back came Kerry and the outstanding Kieran Donaghy equalized with a magnificent long high range point, one of the best I have ever seen scored in a final.  Stephen Cluxton's winning point will be spoken of for ever more. The first goalkeeper to kick a winning score in an All ireland football final. He showed nerves of steel but for me his superb catch over the bar from Brian Sheehan's long range free was a match winner in itself.

I mentioned here last week that the respective roads to the final as I compared Kerry' much easier campaign than Dublin's might decide the result. When push came to shove in those final minutes I believe this decided where the cup would rest. While Kerry were in no way what so ever inferior to their opponents and matched them until those final dramatic minutes maybe it was the little bit of mental and physical fatigue which had set in that forced those few fatal errors.  It was just one tiny question of who blinked first in that white heat of this wonderful occasion. This time it was Kerry.  Was Paul Galvin introduced too early? I don't think so. Darren o Sullivan, Kieran Donaghy, and Tom o Sullivan in particular were brilliant while Colm Coopers goal superbly set up by Darren was a sublime finish.  But for me it was Brian Sheehan in the middle of the field who shone brightest of all. His work rate, fielding and point kicking will guarantee this unassuming St Mary's man a deserved All Star award.

This squad of Kerry footballer together with Jack o Conor and his back room team owes Kerry and its supporters nothing. They have been an exceptional body of young men who have given Kerry followers some glorious unforgettable days over the last ten years. We will probably see maybe three retirements or so but when the spring comes and football championship talk once again permeates the air Jack and his men will be back. Well done to Dublin, this win will do wonders for Gaelic games in the city. Jack o Connor, Ger o Keeffe and Diarmuid Murphy will learn a ton from this defeat. There might be a winter of discontent ahead for all involved following this traumatic defeat but as sure as night follows day more great days will follow.

Fogra: Kevin McManamon the man who shattered the Kerry dreams with that goal and who won the free at the death is a member of the St Judes club in Dublin. St Jude is the patron saint of hope and we are told to turn to him in times of need and for serious or seemingly hopeless causes - including depression, grieving, unemployment, and illness - and ask for his divine intercession. Our Lord said, "He will show himself most willing to give help."  Can we now see the saint added as patron saint of the Dublin football team? And was it divine intercession that eventually defeated Kerry?


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