OPINION
When it comes to an All-Ireland final, there will always be the romantic stories tugging at your heartstrings. This Sunday, that could be the story of one of the most remote towns in Ireland producing a comeback for the ages against a star-studded Ballyboden team in the semi-final, their second win in a row against an urban powerhouse club.
Or, it could be the story of this St Brigid’s side climbing back up to the top of the mountain after missing out by precisely one point in the final two years ago.
For both clubs, this feels like the culmination of a long journey. There are stories of the players in Dingle gathering five years ago with a steely resolve to make the best of themselves, conscious of the fact that they had a uniquely talented group of players coming into their peak.
Here in Roscommon, the bulk of this St Brigid’s team came through as minors in 2019 and 2020, and even then, there was no mistaking that they were a special crop for whom the sky was and is the limit. Moreover, the players recognised this and crucially, were willing to do what it took to manifest that belief.
The cliché says that ‘who wants it more’ will prevail, but that feels trite since neither side will lack desire or complete focus. Whether it’s a one-point win or a ten-point win, whether it’s a Kerry clean sweep or a second All-Ireland for St Brigid’s, nobody will leave Croke Park without emptying themselves in the cause of their club.
So we strip all of that away and what remains is a fascinating, high-quality game of football between two talented panels. 60 minutes, or possibly 80, where the romance and the back-stories will fade away and it will come down to which players are able to deliver when it matters most. But in practice, what does that mean?
Hammer the Hammer
From a St Brigid’s perspective, it’s a lot easier to identify the main threats on the Dingle team. Paul Geaney’s announcement that he’s taking a significant amount of time off before returning to take up the captain’s armband with Kerry is a pretty clear signal that he’s not 100%, but he’s going to put his body on the line this weekend.
Brian Stack, the obvious man to marshal that threat, mirrors that story to a degree. The very public announcement that Stack will be fit to play the final was a little odd, because if that’s true, it’s not entirely clear why St Brigid’s would want to advertise that. But if we take it at face value, he will likely pick up Geaney and that battle will go a long way towards determining who comes through this game.
Pearse Frost is an obvious foil for Conor Geaney, Eddie Nolan hasn’t caught headlines but has been putting in very solid shifts for the club in a more defensive role and will be ideally suited to marshalling Mark O’Connor, and the real big one will be the likely match-up of Paul McGrath on Tom O’Sullivan.
For all Geaney’s scoring exploits, O’Sullivan is the heartbeat of this Dingle team. Pundits have waxed lyrical about his outside-of-the-boot kicks in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and he has a huge profile as one of the leading players with Kerry and a three-time All-Star. Nonetheless, McGrath is uniquely able to shut down an opposing wing-back (or wing-forward) while still exerting his own influence on a game; relentlessly, one small play at a time, but all adding up to a truly gargantuan body of work by the final whistle.
It could be argued that Dingle have the bigger stars, but they face a different conundrum – there is no one St Brigid’s talisman that they can target. For Anthony Cunningham and his management, the aim will be to spoil the big match-ups then win the game through their superior depth of quality.
Gavin Curran’s kickouts
The media was filled with speculation about Mark O’Connor and if Geelong would allow him finish out this campaign, and sure enough the AFL side have generously gone one step further, even allowing O’Connor to stay home and work with the club for the last two weeks.
Ironically, the big midfielder still won’t get to spend that time honing his connection with goalkeeper Gavin Curran. At the time of writing, Curran was back in Australia with his partner, awaiting the birth of their first child, and his return for the final isn’t absolutely certain. Even if he does make it back, this won’t be an area where Dingle will look to keep things too complex, particularly since his strengths as a ‘keeper lie more in shot stopping and the more ‘traditional’ values of that position.
For all the issues that St Brigid’s had in retaining their own restart against Scotstown, they did very well against Rory Beggan and they’ll have every chance to be just as disruptive against the West Kerry club this Sunday.
Back to what Brigid’s do best
One of the more notable aspects of the All-Ireland semi-final in Cavan was how Scotstown succeeded in pushing St Brigid’s off their ‘Plan A’ of moving the ball quickly into the red scoring area. Against Clann na nGael and against Roscommon Gaels in particular – but also as a general rule – St Brigid’s thrive when they move the ball quickly and accurately to within 30 metres or less of the opposition goal and strike from there.
They started that way in Breffni and Brian Derwin’s goal was an early reward for that style of play, but they adjusted as the game went on, adapting to a contest where Ben O’Carroll was struggling against Ryan O’Toole and Bobby Nugent spent more time close to goal, not as involved as he had been since his successful switch out to the ‘45 earlier this year.
Listed at centre-back for the semi-final in Cork, Conor Flannery effectively just tracked Colm Basquel, and it’ll be interesting to see how he’s deployed here, with Ben O’Carroll his most obvious direct opponent.
Either way, Dingle’s strongest line is not their inside defence, even with Kerry senior panellist Tom ‘Leo’ O’Sullivan deployed back there, so don’t be surprised if St Brigid’s go back to quicker, intermediate-range foot-passing and perhaps giving Senan Kilbride his minutes as a starter, rather than a finisher, to establish a target in that sector before Shane Cunnane potentially drifts forward to take over.
Verdict
Ballyboden versus Dingle was a wonderful game to watch, in no small part because both sides were slightly flawed. They had brilliance, and they had glaring weaknesses.
St Brigid’s have had to be consistently strong as it could be argued that in Pádraig Pearses, Maigh Cuilinn and Scotstown, they’ve beaten three teams that are at least as good as anything that was on the other side of the draw. Two years ago, they were the side with potential in a fascinating final. This week, they are not the potentials, they are the probables.