If a club final has ever had a better climax than what took place in Laois at the weekend, forgive us for calling bullshit on it.
In the final seconds, with the final attack, with two points between the sides and only one way of stopping the giants of Laois win an incredible 10th title in a row, magic was produced. Pure magic.
Stradbally won the senior football championship in the most fairytale way ever possible on Sunday when a last minute goal put paid to Portlaoise’s dominance in the county.
They say you couldn’t write the script but you could, you just wouldn’t. You wouldn’t want to submit this script that would read like the la-la dreams of a 10-year-old watching too many American underdog films. Dreams can come true though. Just ask Jody Dillon.
At the very, very end of the dying seconds of the last ember, the Stadbally full forward brought to life a fantasy world when he jinked inside and curled this unbelievable, lobbed effort into the far top corner with his in-step to win the championship for his club with what was the third last kick of the game.
In the process, he reduced grown men to uncontrollable screams at the sort of pitch they probably never thought possible.
If ever there was a dream way to win a County Final. Incredible scenes #GAA pic.twitter.com/NfH6SOWgmF
— Rory's Stories (@RorysStories) October 17, 2016
Portlaoise were actually two points to the good with half a minute remaining and had the ball in the full forward line. They lost possession and the opposition were allowed to run the entire length of the field. Whatever happened to a good, old cynical foul?
But then we’d never have gotten to believe in this fairytale. We’d never have gotten to hear that scream of pure ecstasy.
That scream though pic.twitter.com/JOgSnipGf8
— Conán Doherty (@ConanDoherty) October 17, 2016
That’s how you win a championship. That’s what you dream of when you first start playing this game.
A first senior title for the club – and any other club in Laois – for the first time since 2005. But never again will there be a sweeter one.
The GAA Hour podcast is out every Wednesday. Subscribe here on iTunes or listen on Soundcloud.
