JUMPING FOR JOY Tommy Conroy of Ballinrobe Community School celebrates after the final whistle in Croke Park on Saturday. Pic: Sportsfile
Rob Murphy
THE dressing-room speeches were done. The cup was in the middle of the table. And the chatter was at full pelt, as the Ballinrobe Community School squad began to grasp and contemplate what had been achieved over the previous couple of hours out on the Croke Park pitch.
Two players were on the physio’s table, while two more were in the queue for some treatment. The bruises and strains were there but it felt a little different this time. They were war wounds, almost badges of honour. The door opened and in came the St Ciaran’s, Ballygawley management team led by joint manager Fionntán Devlin.
The Tyrone native pointed to a Ballinrobe player who had been helped into the room just before him, Ballintubber’s Aaron McDonnell. He had taken a knock in extra time and was brought off the field immediately. He was just returning from a check-up, worse for wear but recovering and happy. Devlin must have had some idea what he wanted to say, but that went out the window when he spotted the wing back.
“Lads, do you see that man there,” said Devlin pointing to McDonnell. “That’s what it takes to win an All-Ireland, what he went through out there, putting his body on the line. Remember that.” That was only the beginning of a spellbinding few minutes of inspirational words from the opposition manger.
This from a man who admitted he had just left a devastated dressing room on the other side of the tunnel after what he felt was a fantastic game of football. He had much to be proud of when it comes to his St Ciaran’s squad. A team full of footballers with supreme ability that produced a multitude of wonderful scores.
Ballinrobe native Evan O’Brien had highlighted how his one regret was that he wouldn’t get to play alongside many of these players ever again. It was a common theme from players on this schools team that unites eight clubs. From where Mayo Gaels clubman and inspiring centre back Liam Hughes lives to the home of the relentlessly efficient corner back Paddy Feerick in Clonbur is all of 40 minutes by car.
That point wasn’t lost on Feerick either. “Coming from Galway, I’ll never ever play with any of these lads again, be it with club or county, so it’s just one of the best feelings in the world knowing that I’ve won this with them and I’ll have the memories of that for the rest of my life,” he said.
Therein lies the point. This group of school students showed an ability to simultaneously both grasp the magnitude of what had been achieved while also appreciating how preciously rare and special the moment had been. It’s easy to see where this character and maturity in both squads stems, from after listening to both Devlin and Damien Egan, his counterpart in the Ballinrobe dressing-room, talk about the game and their players. And to think, some people try to tell you that football is just a game!
