Whelan still feels pain of Blue murder in Croker
Like Mayo’s David Brady in the 2006 All-Ireland final, he entered the fray to limit the damage done by Kerry. To stick a flower in a tank gun already smoking. A thankless and futile job.
He deserved better.
As Kerry return to face Dublin in Croke Park for the first time since his last game for the Blues, that 2009 All-Ireland quarter-final, that image of a bewildered Whelan in a Kerry jersey turned inside out comes flashing back.
Not for Whelan, though. The truth is he’s never stopped thinking about it.
“It was a day you won’t forget,” he recalled about Dublin’s 17-point defeat. “You’ve got to hand it to Kerry — they gave us a clubbing.
“From my position on the bench, it was difficult looking on for the first 20 minutes. Sheer frustration not starting but that was the manager’s choice.
“The game was effectively over after the first five minutes but I went on and it was just hard to believe any self belief in the lads had drained out of them.
“We had a couple of chances before half-time. Diarmuid Connolly and Alan Brogan went for goals but they didn’t come off.
“Even points at that stage would have got us to within six points with a sniff of a chance but the heads were gone and that was the reality of it.
“The previous year’s scars were opened up and it was just a horrible, horrible day to be in Croke Park.”
The build-up to the game was remarkable in the sense Kerry were written off after stumbling through the All-Ireland qualifiers and seemingly no end of column inches were devoted to speculation of unrest in the camp.
Dublin, meanwhile, were coming off a fifth consecutive Leinster title, also their most satisfying after a bruising final win over Kildare.
They weren’t lacking in confidence of finally getting one over on the Kingdom for the first since 1977.
Kerry players still talk about reading extravagant newspaper interviews with Dublin players on the train to the capital for the 2009 game.
But Whelan remembers the management were also guilty of not showing Kerry enough respect.
“I was always worried coming into that game. As much as Kerry had struggled in the previous weeks against the likes of Longford and Antrim, I was worried once they got back into Croke Park because it’s their spiritual home ground and they would discover their mojo very, very quickly.
“The first 10 to 15 minutes were crucial and I think if the Dublin management were to reflect on 2009, there was probably an air of complacency going into that game. We were much better positioned and to read so much into that was a grave mistake.”
Eighteen months on from arguably the watershed moment in Pat Gilroy’s reign, Whelan is happy to report Dublin have recovered.
With opening Division 1 wins over Armagh and Cork, they are justifying the early season hype while Kerry are now the ones struggling.
“They’ve invested a lot of time in the whole mental process over the last 18 months and they’re in a stronger position for it,” says Whelan.
“When Meath beat them out the gate last year things looked bleak. The curve has only gone upwards since.
“Kerry have had the heart ripped out of their team through retirements and Australia.
“It just shows 18 months is a long time. Having said that, Kerry thrive in Croke Park and Jack O’Connor would have targeted this as his most important game in the league campaign.”
Whelan has also noticed Dublin’s tactics are prettier on the eye this year.
“Last year they were effective but weren’t very good to watch but I think they’ve tweaked their game plan to a certain degree.
“They’re now playing an attractive brand of football. They’re very exciting when they are on the counter-attack. They are playing with more men up front.
“It was maybe overdone a small bit last year but Pat was trying to establish a defensive mentality and that’s there now and has allowed them to focus more on their offensive game.
“I’ve liked the football they have been playing so far this year. The open space of Croke Park at this time of the year when teams aren’t fit also lends itself to that excitement.”
Dublin’s switch to Croke Park for their home league games this year is also beneficial.
“If I was still involved I’d have been absolutely delighted playing my home games in Croke Park.
“It is an advantage and any county would take it, especially when you’re trying to develop new players because Croke Park can be an intimidating place for teams who are not used to playing there.
“Is it unfair? I don’t know. Croke Park is in Dublin. We haven’t won an All-Ireland since 1995 so we need any advantage we can get!”
But as Whelan reminds us, Croke Park is Kerry’s spiritual home. The latest round of territorial bragging rights are up for grabs tomorrow evening.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
