Royal return: Bray relishing second shot at glory after ban

WHEN the red mist descended on Stephen Bray in Portlaoise a few weeks back, the Meath attacker immediately feared the worst. His football season, which had been sizzling with promise, looked to have ground to a premature halt.

Tangling with Limerick defender Mark O’Riordan late on in their fourth round All-Ireland qualifier, prompted Armagh referee Pádraig Hughes to order Bray off the pitch and his pleas to the GAA’s disciplinary chiefs for clemency, fell on deaf ears. A season which had begun in a buoyant manner as Bray was handed the captain’s armband after helping guide Navan O’Mahony’s to county title success last autumn, was closing on a glum note.

But then Bray’s Meath teammates provided an escape chute from his misery, as they wrought a surprise yet merited success over Mayo in their All-Ireland quarter-final clash. The build-up to the game had been a trying time for Bray and he greeted the result by exhaling a gale of relief.

“It would have been a hard one to take if we’d lost. But I said to people in the lead up to the game it was not affecting me or getting me down, it was just when I knew what the result was going to be that I would react to it then. The rules are rules and you have to live with them. Thankfully we won and it was a huge burden off my shoulders.

“I said to the lads a massive thanks and huge gratitude to every single one of them and the lads who came on. I thought the warm-up before the game just set the tone, the lads were so focused I was just very confident we would win. It wasn’t easy to watch but I was delighted after to put the head down like everyone else and look forward to the next game in Croke Park.”

Bray may have been absent from his half-forward role of pulling the strings, but the input of Meath’s right corner-forward ensured the family name would not stray too far from the headlines. David Bray illuminated the match with a sparkling 1-3 haul, yet his older brother believed there were others in attack worthy of being showered with praise.

“David did very well, but at this level you need at least 12 or 13 guys winning their personal battles. When we needed scores, a lot of lads were chipping in and I was really delighted for Joe Sheridan because he took a lot of criticism in the past few years. Even this year he didn’t get a clear run at the league either. I suppose nobody believed in himself more than himself and he’s getting to show everyone what he’s made of now.”

Bray’s own form graph was rising steadily before he departed the Limerick game in ignominy, having weighed in with four valuable points in that game and his role will be critical again next Sunday. He also has to accept the responsibilities that the captain title bestows upon him, yet it was a position he mulled over before assuming it.

“A lot of people ask me about it and I don’t think I’m the most obvious captain now. I’m honoured, believe me I’m honoured. There have been some great players who have been captain in the past and for me to be chosen was a huge honour. But it wasn’t one I took lightly. I was wondering whether I would be effective as a captain, did I have that presence.

“But in fairness to this bunch of lads and this team you don’t really have to be shouting or be at lads or anything like that. There are plenty of lads with loads of experience, probably more experience than me, they do as much talking as I do.”

The key motivation for Meath in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final is to produce a proper performance, one incomparable to their meek submission against Cork two years ago. They may have jumped from the pack to jostle with the All-Ireland contenders, but now that they are there Bray is intent on making an impact.

“2007 was a bit hard to take after beating Tyrone. Realistically you don’t get that opportunity every year and we totally didn’t perform on the day. We certainly didn’t do ourselves justice and we don’t want to be blown away like we were against Cork. At this stage of the championship you would be getting a bit greedy when you get this far and this opportunity doesn’t come every year especially as a Meath player. Kerry have such a great tradition and if they get a run on you like they did against Dublin, they can blitz you. But we’re relishing what’s ahead of us.”