18 January, 3:40pm. Páirc an Chrócaigh, Baile Átha Cliath. A breezy and crisp day, perfect weather for a game of football. Varying predictions and tensions glide along the breeze that blows through the city. A tight game is expected. This speculation was more than correct. Dingle GAA and St Brigid’s GAA, of Kerry and Roscommon, respectively, faced off in what has now been labelled one of the most exhilarating All-Ireland club finals in recent history.
First Half
Dingle dominated the first quarter of the game, a Tom O’Sullivan point opening the score line after two minutes of Dingle possession. This was followed by another stylish O’Sullivan score from the outside of the boot and a two-pointer from Conor Flannery from the number six position.
St. Brigid’s broke this purple patch from continued usage of the break in ball. Their opening score came in the ninth minute with a point from Shane Cunnane, who – alongside Mark Daly – excelled in breaking the Dingle kickouts down and taking over the middle third, opening space for Ciarán Sugrue and Conor Hand to break through the Dingle defence. They decidedly reclaimed the majority of possession from Dingle within the last 15 minutes of the game, making for a well- balanced opening 30 minutes.
Half Time
At halftime there was still everything to play for. After a decidedly tight first half, St. Brigid’s had the upper hand, Bobby Nugent’s last minute free leaving his team 9 points to 7.
Second Half
Ruaidhri Fallon’s goal in the 38th minute sent the St. Brigid’s supporters into a frenzy. St. Brigid’s went down a man after Pearse Frost’s loose tackle in the 43rd minute earned him a black card and 10 minutes in the sin bin. This marked a huge turning point in the game as Dingle used this advantage to go for back to back scores and intense pressure on Brigid’s’ kickouts. They proved exceptionally good at pushing up on the Brigid’s’ defence, pressuring Conor Carroll’s kickouts. They looked like they were totally in control of the game, until a great burst of pace from Conor Hand through the centre of the park led to a well needed score for St. Brigid’s.
The final 15 minutes proved to be a nail biter, as the teams went score for score, the white flag being shown for both Dingle and St Brigid’s – from Tadhg Browne and Dylan Geaney to Conor Hand and Shane Cunnane. Dingle keeper Gavin Curran proved himself crucial after pulling off the second of two strong saves to deny St. Brigid’s another goal.
Tadhg De Brun for Dingle was a standout in the dying minutes of normal time, scoring to send his team two points up, 16 points to 1-11 (14). Dingle held on heroically to their two point lead, displaying strong ball-carrying and defensive skills as time trickled away.
An outstanding full body block was carried out by Dingle’s Geelong star Mark O’Connor to deny Brian Stack a goal in the last five minutes of the game. Questionable decisions followed as the ball seemed to clearly rebound off Stack, yet a 45 was called by match officials, which St Brigid’s converted. This was a definite turning point in the game for St. Brigid’s, so the controversy the decision caused (the uproar that could be heard from Dingle’s supporters section) is understandable.
Despite this, the score seemingly boosted the morale of St. Brigid’s, and Ruaidhrí Fallon stepped up to take the game to additional time for his team, with a spectacular outside of the boot finish from just beyond the arc that levelled the scores. 1-14 (17) to 17 points.
Extra Time
The 20 minutes of additional time were the pinnacle of what the whole game was about – spectacle, leadership and nail-biting tension. Dingle pressed immediately with early pressure on Brigid’s, who were patient, minding the ball and holding possession for the first two minutes, before Fallon added another point to his tally for the Roscommon side.
Dingle were not to be struck down, however. Tom O’Sullivan lead his team fearlessly in extra time, racking up three late scores that would in the end prove the difference, yet it was still impossible to call until the very last second, as St Brigid’s continued to retaliate. Conor Hand carved a path through the Dingle defence to create an easy score for Fallon, who soon after popped over another two-pointer for St. Brigid’s.
Substitute Charlie O’Carroll had huge impact for Brigid’s, winning frees and helping create opportunities as well as adding a score of his own in the 77th minute. Dingle, however didn’t panic, keeping a steady stream of scores throughout extra time. It proved to be a battle to the very last minute, with purple patches for both sides.
In the dying moments of the game, it seemed St. Brigid’s were going to do it, a single point keeping them precariously in the lead. But the taste of victory proved to be short-lived, as O’Sullivan proved himself too strong, nailing home a score and opening up the field for substitute Mikey Geaney’s winning score for the Munster side.
Final score: 0-23 points to 1-19 (22)
Stand out performances from Paul Geaney and Tom O’Sullivan for Dingle, as well as Ruaidhrí Fallon and Conor Hand for St. Brigid’s.
Another year of absolute heartbreak for St. Brigid’s, the loss marking their second defeat in All Ireland finals in the past five years, but a fantastic win for Dingle, making a triple threat of wins for Kerry clubs this year. They celebrate alongside An Ghaeltacht and Ballymacelligot, who claimed titles in intermediate and junior football respectively.
