“We’re on the cusp of it, another goal and they’re fucked.”
Kevin McStay dreamed about it. The whole of Roscommon dreamed about it. On July 9th, they went out and did it.
Their first Connacht title since 2010. None of these players felt anything like it before.
The Behind the Gates documentary has given us a unique insight into life in an inter-county set-up, but you really would still wonder if other counties were powered by similar levels of spirit, motivation and raw emotion.
That’s because these boys were written off by everyone. As Kevin McStay said himself, nobody believed they could win, nobody wanted them to win.
There was a massive player exodus, criticism was levelled at McStay and the group for a poor league campaign. Enda Smith spoke emotionally about his brother Cian – a former county minor who had to stop playing the game he loved because of cancer – being the drive behind his ambition.
Enda Smith opens up in emotional speech, McStay digs them out after challenge game – this is powerful stuff https://t.co/aog8lZWSUI
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) October 17, 2017
This was raw, this was unfiltered, this was desire.
The big day finally arrived, and part 3 of Behind the Gates captures the big day superbly, from a powerful pre-match speech from McStay, to a desperate Conor Devaney inspiring his troops at half-time with the most genuine display of passion you’ll ever see.
Indeed, the hairs of the Roscommon players must have been hitting the roof of the Pearse Stadium dressing room at half-time, such was the power of Kevin McStay’s speech.
“We’re Roscommon people, we’ll go like fuck. I know ye will not stop, it’s yer’ nature. Don’t have any regrets about the next 35 minutes of yer’ lives. Whatever it takes now, we’re going to survive, and we’re going to fucking win.”
How could they lose it after that?
After the game, the celebrations, the bus home, the scenes – it was beautiful.
Watch it all here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyKE9YcjGio
