Tommy Martin: Dessie deserved the roulette wheel to spin his way

He will be judged to have made big, brave calls, none more so than allowing a fortysomething Stephen Cluxton to amble back into the dressing room after two years away.

Manager Dessie Farrell, Cormac Costello with Killian Fitzgerald and the Leinster trophy with Colm Basquel. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Ben Brady

When an All-Ireland final is as tight as last Sunday’s, it can feel like a roulette wheel for reputations – one spin and, as far as posterity is concerned, you either hit the jackpot or lose your shirt.

But of all the high rollers waiting to see if their numbers came up on Sunday, none seemed to be playing for bigger stakes than the eventual winning manager.