Anthony Daly: Move over Roy of the Rovers, you are in Harry Ruddle's seat
Anthony Daly: "I coached the Limerick minors one year against a Waterford minor team that Ruddle played on. I hadn’t heard much about Harry before or since that game. But everyone knows about him now."
Wow. When you’re growing up and you dream of winning an All-Ireland, the perfect dream nearly always involves a Roy of the Rovers scenario and ends with you scoring the winning goal with the last puck.
When you win an All-Ireland in that manner, after the players and the club have spent their lives chasing that dream, and you beat a Kilkenny team in the process, it can’t get any better or end any sweeter. Surely Harry Ruddle will be known throughout Ballygunner for the rest of his days as Roy.
That deep inhalation of satisfaction that Ballygunner have been sucking into their lungs over the last couple of days must be all the more enjoyable again for more than just that winning strike. Because they overcame every obstacle imaginable against one of the greatest club teams before finally leaping into nirvana.
When Eoin Reid got his goal midway through the second half to put Ballyhale five points up, it felt decisive in a low scoring enough game up to that point. Dessie Hutchinson got the Waterford side back into the game with an excellent goal five minutes later before Ballyhale responded with the next three points.
It looked to be enough. It looked set to be an even crueler ending again for Ballygunner when they hadn’t played nearly as well as they can. As well as shooting so many wides they had crucified themselves with poor decision making at key stages that led to Ballyhale points. But, no, Ballygunner refused to buckle when the need was greatest. They just refused to let the dream go.
Ballyhale will have huge regrets with the three-in-a-row perishing in such a dramatic fashion. I’m not advocating dirty play but not hauling Ruddle down before he got within striking distance will haunt them. Dean Mason was probably blinded from the bodies in front of him but one hop of the ball off that turf in Croke Park is like a golf-ball slamming off concrete.
Richie Reid, who was immense, and Joey Holden had made a few key interventions and interceptions just before that last play to deny Ballygunner that sniff of goal. At that stage, both teams were running on empty, but Ruddle was fresh and he had the gas in his legs to just provide that turbo boost to get himself into range before pulling the trigger.
It’s fairytale stuff but you need that slice of luck, which the Shamrocks can’t deny after getting out of jail against St Rynagh’s and St Thomas’ en route to this final. As a club, Ballygunner deserved it but they got it on the day they least expected it. Like, how often does an All-Ireland final end in that manner? Who was writing that script?
With this being Waterford’s first senior All-Ireland since 1959, it’s a huge boost to Liam Cahill and his Waterford side going forward. They won’t want to be thinking about the inter-county scene now but imagine the buzz those Ballygunner players will bring into Waterford training when they return?
Ballyhale looked flattened afterward, which will make it harder again for TJ and Richie Reid, Adrian Mullen and Eoin Cody to pick themselves up from this loss. It’s all fine and well to say that the hurt will drive those players on but, despite all the experience those players have, especially TJ, a defeat that cuts that deep can leave a scar that can take longer to heal than you think.
When Ballyhale imposed themselves on the match and played with such defiance in the second half, it was nearly going to take something crazy to deny them history. That’s just hurling. I’ve often referred to Niall Gilligan’s famous quote about a thousand mad things happen and then someone just wins.
I coached the Limerick minors one year against a Waterford minor team that Ruddle played on. I hadn’t heard much about Harry before or since that game. But everyone knows about him now.
The new Roy.
