Veteran Ó Sé’s decision to stay another year vindicated

“NOT bad for an old fellow,” joked Darragh Ó Sé in his home-away-from-home of Croke Park yesterday.

Five All-Ireland medals on from his championship against Limerick in 1994 and on the wrong side of 30, the Gaeltacht man is clearly delighted to have committed himself to the team again this season.

His immediate future with the team is another matter.

“I don’t know now, we’ll think of that tomorrow,” was where the matter was left before explaining his reasoning for remaining on board this season.

“I was enjoying my football. It was the camaraderie. We have a good side and they’re a good bunch of lads. They’re keeping me young,” he explained.

And, of course, he was relieved that he was able to take a full and active part after an injury scare in the semi-final, when he was forced off with a hip injury, coming back on at a later stage.

“I got a scan and I was worried about it. Nobody wants to miss a final. I missed one before through injury like that, in a similar situation. I didn’t want to miss this final.”

In line with the general view, he agreed that the two goals at the start of the second half “broke the back” of the Cork challenge. “We felt we had a chance of goals, especially when Colm got the goal in the first half,” he said. And he felt the goals were the result of a change of strategy, to get the ball faster into inside players.

“We were slow enough around the middle getting it in. We were sluggish, but we upped the ante a small bit in the second half then. And we tackled a lot. Our half-backs and our half-forwards were exceptional. It was our tackling and our working — that’s really where games are gone and lost.

“We made our decision at half time that we’d try not to concede a goal. Cork did get a goal and there was always a danger they were going to come back.

“They are a good side, they were not here by chance. It wasn’t going to be a derby either, it was an All-Ireland final and it was going to be tough.”

In advance of the game, he felt good about their preparations. and the games against Monaghan and Dublin assisted their build-up in a significant way.

“I think it was a big bonus to us as well — that three weeks ago was our last game. We had kind of suffered early on with the six weeks’ break. With the last few games, when they came hot and heavy it was a lot easier to prepare.”

He was pleased to see his long time team-make Mike Frank Russell introduced and win his fifth medal.

“Mike Frank is very popular and very classy. If you look at the subs we brought on — Sean O’Sullivan, Darren O’Sullivan, Mike Frank — they’d make most teams. We’re just delighted to have them, it keeps everyone on their toes.”