Victory ranks with the best, says Cooper

HE may have accumulated a stack of honours at intercounty level but yesterday’s Kerry championship success with his club Dr Crokes was up there with the greatest moments in Colm Cooper’s glittering football career.

He said: “A county final is very much on par with an All-Ireland because these are the guys I’ve grown up with. We’ve lost a lot of games, we’ve cried in dressing-rooms over in Killarney and up the country.

“It’s very much a local thing and a lot of these guys haven’t achieved anything before. So I’m delighted for them,” he said.

Cooper felt the experience accrued from past defeats benefited Dr Crokes in their victory over Austin Stacks.

He explained: “When Stacks came at us this year, we were patient and our experience helped. We felt before the game that we had plenty experience and the experience of bad days would help us.

“That counted for a lot come the last few minutes as we were able to stop them scoring and tack on a couple more point ourselves. That hunger and hurt from the last few years probably shone through.”

Manager Harry O’Neill sang off the same hymn sheet.

“We showed the lads a DVD last night and the first 30 seconds was footage from the end of the county final last year where we were dejected and South Kerry were doing all the cheering.

“It’s the greatest feeling you’ll ever get to be in charge of your club team and to drive them on. We (Dr Crokes) are a very passionate crowd and they’re a very critical crowd as well, they demand a lot. But they drive us on.

“I’m so happy for so many diehard Crokes people in Killarney who wanted this win so badly. There’s a huge team around me that have put a lot into this, it’s just a club effort and it’s not about one person.”

O’Neill paid tribute to the contribution of some of Dr Crokes lesser- known players and also agreed that Cooper’s second-half goal was a hugely significant moment.

“You don’t win county championships without having all your players step up to the plate. Shane Myers in all the games he’s played has been nearly man of the match. Ambrose O’Donovan was outstanding, kicking three great points in the first-half. Chris Brady was a young fella we’d to get in when Kieran broke his leg and he was fantastic. Buddy Leary was outstanding.

“You saw at the start of the second- half there, it was ding-dong between us. That’s when they would have fancied their chances, being in the game.

“They’d have hoped to pick us off at some stage. But the goal deflated them and gave us the cushion. The goal was the turning point and gave us the belief to go on and win the game. They’ll celebrate this now for a few days but we will sit down then and plan our attack on the Munster championship.”