A CONTRAST IN All-Ireland final conclusions.
Last February, Kilmacud Crokes saw the spoils snatched from them by Kilcoo in dramatic fashion with the concession of a last-gasp goal.
Today the Dublin champions held firm as Glen rallied late on and secured the silverware.
Goalkeeper Conor Ferris was central to both finales, he was turned over in possession last year as Kilcoo countered to score and this afternoon it was his intervention that counted as he tipped a late Conor Glass shot around the post.
“Last year was one of the toughest days I’ve had ever,” said Ferris.
“I said to [Robbie Brennan] once, I think it was a couple of months later, “Where is my silver medal?” I want to keep that and put it on the mantelpiece so I see it every day and have the motivation to come back and go one further than last year.
“I was definitely coming back. You couldn’t leave it at that. that would be a ridiculous way to leave.”
“I don’t really know what happened,” remarked the goalkeeper of the late drama surrounding his save.
“I watched it back once. One of our defenders was to the left so the only place he could go was to the right. I kind of just jumped and hoped for the best. Thank God it went around the right side of the post.
“From a personal point of view, I came off very hurt last year. It’s just great to do it. It’s almost like a redemption.”
Kilmacud manager Brennan hailed the character of his players at responding after the heartbreak they suffered last year.
“Amazing, amazing feeling. Very proud of the lads. To come back from last year and still nearly blow it again. It’s mind-boggling that it keeps happening. I told the lads at the team meeting on Thursday that Conor would win us the All-Ireland. I said it at half-time again, Conor would win us the All-Ireland. I knew because Glen would go after goals probably in order to beat us. I was aware of his ability, that he’s a brilliant shot-stopper would come into play.
“We said on Thursday that probably last year should have broken us. Not that we lost but how we lost. It should have broken us as a group and management but it didn’t. We took a bit of strength from that.
“Conor mentions his runners’ up medal. We had it there at half-time. It’s sitting in my house for the last year. I was wondering when to pull them out. I basically did the old Joe Kernan, hopped them off the wall at half-time and said, “if you want them you can take them”. I’m just so delighted that they’re still in there.”
Kilmacud captain Shane Cunningham praised the contribution of Ferris.
“There’s probably an awful lot of lazy analysis done in my opinion on last year, as in not just from the media and stuff, but just the general public, that it was Conor’s fault.
“We looked at it as a team. There were a load of errors in that last 30 seconds against Kilcoo, so from a squad point of view it was never a thing that we were blaming Conor. He obviously felt personal responsibility like we all did, and for him to step up like he did today, it’s unbelievable.
“He’s the best shot stopper I’ve come up against.”
Brennan outlined the thinking behind starting Dublin star Paul Mannion, who has been absent through injury for the last four months.
“He has done nothing. And I mean nothing. He has had, maybe, 30 minutes of a training session last Saturday. So it was a massive, massive gamble.
“There were plenty of discussions between management. But what we came down to was that you could leave him to the last 15 but what if it flops? It might deflate us. At least this way, we were able to start him and if it wasn’t happening, then maybe we could change something then.
“I don’t know how he is able to do what he has done. It was a tough call but he has put a lot of work in. Knowing Paul, he will get better. He’s probably still not going past guys like he will.
“It’ll be to the benefit of Dublin and to the disadvantage of everybody else in the country. How he’s done it, I genuinely have no idea. It’s not a lie. We weren’t stringing people along – he was never, ever, ever in our plans until last Saturday.”
