Mayo junior champions react to winning county crown

EOGHAN MCGRATH

Six days previously his effort to kick a last-minute point missed the target by inches. On Saturday evening, Eoghan McGrath was a central figure as his club won the title at the second time of asking.

“I had the chance to win it last week and the kick went wide. I thought about it a bit during the week, but I was delighted it was me who kicked the wide rather than one of the younger lads.

“This is the greatest feeling of all. I love the club. It means so much to me and everyone in here and winning this together makes up for all days when we were a long way from the dressinroom in MacHale Park after winning a county final.

“We prepared very well during the week. We learned a lot from last week's match and studied it in detail. We knew we had to be better today, and we were very confident we'd play well and win it.”

DARRAGH MURPHY

The youth of Cill Chomain have traveled the world in search of adventure for generations and one of the areas finest footballers joined that exodus last July. Darragh Murphy headed away into the wild blue yonder to see what the planet had to offer, but on a sunny morning in Perth the phone rang and he was soon making the 10,874 mile trip to training in Glenamoy as his club prepared for a shot at the county title.

“I was in Sydney when the phone rang after the lads beat Swinford in the semi-final and Nigel was on the line. It was an interesting call to say the least and then I had to make a few calls myself, but it was an easy decision really. I'd make the journey ten times over for moments like this,” Murphy told The Mayo News.

“Last weekend was bitter-sweet. We could have lost it in the first half when we were five points down, but we could have pulled away in the second half. Our game management let us down but we worked on that all week and prepared very well.

“When the second goal went in today we knew we were nearly there but there was still two minutes to play and we couldn't think about celebrating until the final whistle went. There's lots of time for celebrating now.”

Will he be around for Cill Chomain's provincial campaign or will he be soaking up the rays on the other end of the planet?

“We'll think about Sydney tomorrow, but we have the important job of bringing the cup home now,” he added with a twinkle in his eye.

MARTIN GERAGHTY

He arrived from the sub's bench midway through the second half of Saturday's replayed final and when the final whistle sounded Martin Geraghty had his third county junior championship medal. The lethal attacker was filled with emotion when he spoke to The Mayo News as celebrations broke out all around him.

“I was there in '05 and '13 too but this is the best one. I love the club. I should have retired years ago but the drive and hunger for the community and the football kept me going. It was in the blood. I had to keep coming back. I couldn't give in,” he added before describing the miles he has covered in the past decade chasing his football dream.

“I was working in Manchester and London for years and transfered to clubs there for a year of two but they were nothing like Cill Chomain and I kept coming home to play with the club.

“I was nearly finished a few times and when I broke my arm and picked up a few injuries in the last few years people were thinking I wouldn't come back, but it's a drug, I can't give it up, I'm addicted. You wouldn't swap anything for days like this. To see the people from all the villages so happy out here on the pitch tonight is priceless and makes it worth it all.”

As he said, Geraghty spent years flying home to play for Cill Chomain but that all changed this year when he, his partner Siobhan and their son Tiernan relocated to his home village on the Atlantic coast.

“We made the decision at Christmas to move home to Gortmellia and it was a big move for Siobhan because she's from Manchester but she's a happy woman tonight. She loves it and winning tonight means so much to the three of us.

“Tiernan is two and a half now and to have him here today meant the whole world to me. It was totally different than the other two wins and I'll never forget the joy of bringing him up the steps when we were getting the cup,” the veteran attacker added before projecting forward to the journey home with the cup and entry to the Erris nation at Bellacorick.

“We can't wait to bring the cup down the road. They'll be setting the bonfires already and when we get to 'Corick Bridge it will be unreal,” he concluded with a smile.

JUSTIN HEALY

Childhood fantasies came true for Justin Healy on Saturday evening when two superb goals sealed county final glory for his club.

“I dreamt of this all my life,” he told The Mayo News. “The last few years have been tough, but this year everything was geared towards being here in this dressingroom with the cup. We timed our run and it worked. I had a phone call with Nigel (Reape) at Christmas and he said 'Justin, we need to get more out of the squad to get over the line,' and he was right. Tonight, we had lads coming off the bench adding to what was on the pitch and we had more waiting behind them because we all wanted it so bad.

“This time 12 months ago I was lying on my back with my knee all swelled up recovering from an ACL and it's amazing to think we're here tonight. The club means so much to all of us,” the man who has a personal training business based in the Cill Chomain GAA clubhouse explained before speaking about the ties which bind the squad so tightly.

“We're a team of family and friends. I had Jack, the younger brother, beside me and he kicked some massive points; Kian, our cousin was in goal and I'm godfather to Gooch's (Martin Geraghty) son. I grew up with (Joe) Mason, my best friend and I've played all the way up with Eoghan (McGrath). We're all brothers and cousins and the best of friends, and to win together on a day like this is the stuff of dreams.”