To prove my point, after attending the All-Ireland football finals of 2004, 2006, and 2007, it was impossible not to come away from those days feeling a bit forlorn, a smidgen despondent, and a tad empty from the whole experience.
The Sam Maguire cup could have been adorned with the green and gold tangles of Kerry after less than 30 minutes on those days, and those in attendance, apart from die-hard Kingdom supporters, did not get much of a kick from their day out.
Thankfully 2008 was a different kettle of fish entirely. And for me September 21 at Croke Park provided my sporting highlight of the year for a number of reasons.
Four big grown men, two hairy and two bald as eggs, pulled out from the Prom in Salthill just after 8am and blasted off for the big smoke.
The banter and craic was high octane stuff and lunch was wolfed down in Jurys across from the footballing arena before settling in for the minor game between Mayo and Tyrone.
It should be pointed out too, that any GAA man or woman worth his/her salt will always try to get to see the minor game on All-Ireland final day.
That game between Mayo and Tyrone ended in a draw and it was a rip-roaring affair full of great football and no cynicism.
Youngsters in the green and red such as Aiden O’Shea, team captain Shane Nally, full-forward Aidan Walsh, and Cathal Freeman caught the eye, whereas Mickey Harte’s feeder chain has impressive saplings in the shape of Paddy McNeice, Ryan Pickering, and Kyle Coney - if he tires of the oval ball and the land of Oz.
That game ended 0-14 apiece and set the mood for more top football to follow.
That minor final showcased some magnificent football and it whetted the appetite of all in attendance for the main dish.
The senior game did not disappoint and provided one of the best and most competitive finals in recent memory.
The tension in the crowd and in the stadium was palpable. There was a lot at stake and all the mutterings of it being the “battle for the title of the team of the decade” only increased the excitement.
The reason that this particular game was my personal highlight is two-fold.
One is because of some of the scintillating personal performances on offer - especially that provided by the majestic Sean Cavanagh who was absolutely outstanding, and the superb Colm Cooper, who almost dragged Kerry over the victory line with some inspirational points.
To be in the stadium and to see such individual performances of greatness was a privilege and a genuine pleasure. TV will bring you so far, but being at the venue and sucking in the same air as the protagonists and sharing the banter with the people in front of you and behind you is what makes such occasions special too.
The second reason those 70 minutes were my personal sporting highlight of 2008 is that it reinforced my belief that the sum of Tyrone’s parts is far greater than their individual components.
I had backed Kerry to win the All-Ireland after their defeat to Cork in the Munster final and even coming up to Dublin on that day, I still thought they would have had the firepower to succeed. Ironically being proved incorrect in my assessment of the game also provided me with a perverse kind of enjoyment on the journey home as it is always good to get a kick in the arse and reinforce the fact that there is no such thing as a “sure thing” in sport.
I have attended all the football All-Irelands at headquarters since 1989, and apart from the two that Galway annexed, this was the one I enjoyed most. The closeness of the battle and the intriguing individual duels made for compelling viewing. The only two negatives was the thrash talking that young Tommy Walsh was subjected to and the amount of systematic fouling by the victors that was not stamped out by Maurice Deegan.
That is in the past now and the history books currently read Kerry = 35, Tyrone = 3, but those figures might change again next season.
Bottling the Munster spirit
Staying inside the world of GAA, and quickly dashing for my maroon spectacles, the two individual displays by Joe Canning for the Galway hurlers against Cork in Thurles and that of Michael Meehan against Kerry in the monsoon night are deserving of mention.
Canning came of age that evening at senior intercounty level and announced himself to all and sundry as a top gun at the top level, whereas for Meehan it must have been hugely satisfying to hit the highs against a marquee team in Croker. The Caltra man was in scintillating form that night and all Galway supporters in both codes will hope to see more of the same from those two men in 2009.
Wexford’s win over Armagh also deserves honourable mention and Crossmaglen’s hat-trick of Ulster club titles is extremely noteworthy as is Drom-Broadford’s (Limerick ) first Munster title ever after beating the likes of Nemo Rangers to do so.
Away from the world of GAA, the sports occasions that have captured the imagination of the nation would have to include the brilliance and perseverance of Padraig Harrington to win the two majors. He is a class act and has become an inspiration to many Irish people.
Another team that continues to captivate is the Munster rugby team. Their game against New Zealand in Thomond Park was a fantastic occasion and one to savour. If team managers around the globe could bottle the Munster spirit, there’d be queues to try to do so.
Lastly, I don’t know much horse racing, but it would be impossible not to doff my hat to the brilliance of Aiden O’Brien and his capacity to train the finest horses in the world.
Happy Christmas to you all.
