Champion Chase

USED to be that when a club would win the All-Ireland title, the town and village would go on the beer for a year, and the next thing we would hear was the defending All-Ireland champions were knocked out by a team from a small parish of 300 houses and a 15-year old as a corner forward in the first round of the championship.

They would lose their crown from Croke Park in front of 57 people and a dog on a muddy, slanted pitch.

Of course, Crossmaglen changed all that. During the four years that saw them become the standard for clubs everywhere, insatiable desire saw them winning three All-Ireland titles. There was no defeat in Silverbridge or Lurgan, no shock last-minute goal for a team who were intermediate the year before.