Kernan’s abiding final day memory
Joe Kernan, Armagh’s 2002 All-Ireland winning manager, was said to have provided one of the great motivational moments in sport without uttering a word.
His team returned to the dressingroom at half-time dishevelled, having given an out-of-sorts first half performance against Kerry. What happened next has gone down in folklore.
Kernan produced a wooden plaque he received as a player in the 1977 All-Ireland final defeat to Dublin. He asked the players to take a long, hard look at it. What in essence he was really asking was for them to take a hard look at themselves and each other. It had the desired effect as Armagh went on to win the final by a single point, 1-12 to 0-14.
The Armagh captain that day was Kieran McGeeney, now the manager as the Orchard County as they seek a second All-Ireland title. In the bowels of Croke Park that momentous day in 2002, Kernan was asked for a standout memory from the final’s tense finale.
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“What will be my greatest memory of this day, Kieran McGeeney running through a crowd of players and running 50 yards with the ball. When the final whistle went, the ball was in his hands and there was no one more fitting to have it. I know Kieran’s desire, I get the phone calls every night, he could talk all night on the phone about this team, I have never seen an individual more focused,” Kernan said.
That’s what it took for Armagh to win 22 years ago and there can be little doubt that McGeeney will have drilled down into the minutiae of ensuring that his team is as well prepared as it can be for the task that lies ahead tomorrow afternoon in Dublin.
In numbers
74: The minute in which Stefan Campbell kicked the equalising point for Armagh as they drew 1-12 to 0-15 when the side met earlier in the championship.
In words
“An ultimate competitor, an ultimate warrior. It is just extraordinary the strength he has exhibited, the resilience, the mental toughness for him to have held that dressingroom for 10 years, despite the doubters, despite the negativity that was directed towards him from numerous quarters.” – Justin McNulty talks about his former Armagh team-mate Kieran McGeeney with whom he won an All-Ireland medal.
Pearse Stadium giant screen for Galway fans
Galway GAA and Galway City Council have come together to open Pearse Stadium from where tomorrow’s All Ireland football final against Armagh at Croke Park will be broadcast live on a giant screen for those who don’t have tickets to attend the game in Dublin.
The ‘Galway Fanzone’ is a free ticketed event. Patrons will be accommodated both on the field and in the stand depending on their ticket. The match will be shown on a 10m x 6m HD screen with a state-of-the-art stadium sound system installed for the event.
Paul Bellew, Chairperson of Galway GAA said: “A big thank you to Galway City Council for making this family friendly event happen and we hope it will prove to be a memorable day for all.” Doors open at 1.0pm, television coverage starts at 2.15pm, the consumption of alcohol is not permitted and all under-16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Joycean narrative rings true for Galway
Trawling through the flotsam and jetsam of pre-All Ireland final trivia, this column was struck by a quote from Galway manager Pádraic Joyce after his side had beaten Mayo to win a 50th Connacht title on the first Sunday in May.
The first line is a beauty.
“We know there are a lot of gobshites out there. We let it in the left ear and out the right ear. I say to the lads, all that matters is what is in our four walls. If we can get ourselves right, we’ll have no one to blame at the end of the year, only ourselves if we don’t get where we want.
“One thing I say, you can never question the character of these boys and the way they train. We’ve had a troubling year with injuries and whatnot, the loss of form as well, trying to get every one right. We were given no chance going into the game, a lot of talk about it.”
His appraisal rings so true when weighed against all they have achieved that day and subsequently, especially in the manner in which they dethroned the reigning All-Ireland champions, Dublin. No one gave them a prayer in the quarter-final but the ‘Joycean’ narrative has certainly proved an enlightening experience for his players.
