DR CROKES EOIN Brosnan’s relief was palpable at the Gaelic Grounds today.
With the clock ticking down in their AIB Munster SFC club final against Cratloe, a draw was the height of the Kerry senior’s ambitions for 14-man Dr Crokes.
Managing to grind out an improbable win had not entered his thought process.
“I thought a draw was the best we were going to do. There’s a definite sense of relief. The game was gone from us really with 59 minutes gone and you’re a point down.
“You’re looking down the barrel of a gun really. Credit to the lads, we got the kick out, played it short, held on to the ball and got the couple of scores.”
Stumbling over the finish line with a point to spare was not something Dr Crokes had envisaged when they held a commanding seven-point advantage at the break. Where did it all go wrong in the second-half?
“I would think there was possibly some complacency after half-time”, outlined Brosnan. “We came out and just never got going. Once you lose momentum, it’s pretty difficult to get it back. We never expected how good they would be in the second-half. It’s a concern for us.”
Still victory was attained and for a long-serving player like Brosnan, managing to win a third consecutive Munster title is a feat to savour.
“Three-in-a-row is fantastic. For years we were struggling to get into Munster competition and now we’ve done three in a row. We’ve been a credit to ourselves really in the last few years, how we’ve managed it.”
Trying to replicate that form on the national stage won’t be easy. Mayo’s Castlebar Mitchels will crop up on the horizon next February.
“The Castlebar management and a few of their players were possibly here today. They’ll have seen how to beat us. We’ll have a lot to work on. I know our management were up at the game last week. Any team that puts out All-Ireland champions is very formidable. We’ll sit back, enjoy the Christmas and go at it again.”
