Farrell: ‘character-building stuff’

DESSIE FARRELL knew this day was coming.

His Dublin lads had swaggered their way into an All-Ireland semi-final on the back of five comprehensive performances, by scoring an average of over 20 points a game and conceding less than ten, but the Harlem Globetrotters stuff couldn’t last forever.

Galway finally drew a line in the sand yesterday, putting up the sort of performance that forced the Dubs to search deep inside their souls and discover whether they had what it took to best a side that refused to bow to their brilliance.

The response was impressive.

“We made hard work of it but that’s championship football,” said Farrell who bore the look of a relieved man. “To this point, we had a surreal existence in the championship. It doesn’t work out that way. We always knew there was going to be a test. The question for us was when that test came ‘do we have the right response and could we deal with that’.

Farrell also called it ‘character-building stuff’ and the experience should ensure that youngsters used to receiving superlatives stay grounded ahead of the decider against a Tipperary side that also left room for improvement in their defeat of Roscommon last week.

“It’s very beneficial,” Farrell agreed, “but ultimately it counts for nothing if you don’t go out and do it the next day.

“There is no need to build Tipperary up, they are a very good side. There are a lot of good things going on down there.”

In Dublin, too.

Like Tipp, the capital is experiencing an enviable explosion of talent and success at both underage codes thanks to some diligent background work. But such success comes with a whole host of logistical problems.

Four of Farrell’s starters yesterday – Cormac Costello, Emmet O Conghaile and Eric Lowndes – will now feature in both minor All-Ireland finals next month but, whatever about long-term complications, the football boss is sure that it can all work out in the coming weeks.

“That is the situation so we’re just going to have to deal with it. Weary limbs is a thing to avoid if possible. Obviously the mental situation for these guys is going to be very difficult to deal with but they are well grounded so I think they will be alright on that front if we let them rest.

“They’ll hurl for this week, we’ll give them a rest, and get them back in the middle of next week.”

For his counterpart, Tommie Joyce, there was little solace in defeat, no matter how plucky they may have been.

“Any defeat is hard to take but it was gallant. No-one will remember that Dublin beat us in a semi-final if they go on to win it but we’ll take it on the chin and hopefully be back at U-21 and senior level.

“We were confident enough coming up, I knew everyone else had us written off but there is serious potential in the team and I knew they’d stand up to Dublin today and were just very unlucky in the finish.”