‘We were going to win or die trying’

AARON KERNAN was incredibly honest in the bowels of the Hogan Stand yesterday evening.

As well he can afford to be, says you, after winning his second All-Ireland club title.

But he was in pure confessional mode. He didn’t expect to be here. Not this year, not ever again after losing to Kilmacud Crokes in the 2009 final.

“I remember walking out of the hallway here two years ago — after Kilmacud — and I said I’d never be back with my club,” admitted Kernan. “And that’s probably being a bit negative, but that’s just how I felt at the time

“It takes so much to get here, and I felt that boys had given so much, I didn’t know whether we could be ignited again.

“But Tony and Gareth, our management team, came in and they’ve just been absolutely unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve ever worked under a set-up that thinks as much about a game.

“They’re so focused. They know exactly what they want. They never contradict each other. Their message is very clear.”

Furious at half-time that they were a point down to St Brigid’s, the Crossmaglen players made a pact that they wouldn’t return to their dressing room defeated.

“We said that we were going to die standing on our feet if we had to. We weren’t coming back into that changing room unless we were All-Ireland champions. That comes from a bunch of boys who are united, who are all as one, and who will do absolutely everything for each other. And that (attitude) comes from leadership at the top.”

Kernan was full of praise for his older team-mates, hailing the likes of Oisín McConville and Francie Bellew as men “who changed the mindset of not only Crossmaglen people, they changed the mindset of Armagh people”.

After claiming his fifth All-Ireland medal and in doing so bagging six points at the age of 35, the obvious question for McConville was about his future but he wasn’t giving too much away.

“I’m going away for a while! I have to go on a honeymoon,” he laughed after delaying his wedding celebration because of the club’s All-Ireland run. “As I say, I’ll think about it and do whatever is right.

“One thing that isn’t right is that we have players coming off the bench day in, day out that would grace any other club in the country. It’s unfair to keep them on the bench. Some of them, we call them young, but they’re 23 and 24 and it’s time to give them a try too.”

St Brigid’s manager Noel O’Brien made no excuses for his side’s defeat, claiming Crossmaglen’s second goal from Jamie Clarke proved the undoing of his team.

“We thought we hadn’t really performed as we could in the first half,” he said. “We went in at half-time not too happy although we had the breaks. They fell for us so we had to adjust a couple of things at half-time and we did and got a few scores. But if you concede two goals in any game, the chances of winning it are always going to be slim and the second goal was a real killer.”

O’Brien rued not getting the ball quicker to Senan Kilbride, who had an excellent game at full-forward.

However, their Roscommon inter-county midfielder Karol Mannion shipped some of the blame for that.

“Myself and Garvan (Dolan) didn’t have the near dominance we had in the last couple of games around the middle.

“In fairness Crossmaglen had their tactics. They had three or four men around the middle and we couldn’t contend with it.”