Cluxton: Winning free no big deal

STEPHEN CLUXTON has played down the significance of his winning free in this year’s All-Ireland SFC final.

In Sportsfile’s A Rare Auld Season, a photographic tribute to Dublin’s victorious season, the goalkeeper gives his first interview in years.

He recalls he wasn’t one bit daunted by what turned out to be the most vital kick of 2011.

“You go through your routine, nothing else matters,” said Cluxton. “One free is just as important as the next.”

Cluxton’s philosophy applies to matches as well. As much as it’s a cliché, he buys into the belief that the 70 minutes in that third Sunday in September was the same as the 70 in an Allianz League game.

He also emphasised that the success and failure of kick-outs are not all down to the netminder.

“I treat all games equally. No one game is more important than any other. If we didn’t treat the semi-final as important as the final, we wouldn’t have been contesting the final.

“What Kerry did or didn’t do cannot be thought about coming into a game. “Kick-outs are not the sole responsibility of the goalkeeper; it involves the coordination of the defence and midfield to work.”

Colm Cooper’s early goal was only the third Cluxton conceded in this year’s championship but he wasn’t perturbed by it and neither were his team-mates, he insists.

“Rocked? It didn’t seem to me that it fazed anyone on the pitch. We went up the field and hit the next couple of points.

“The management worked hard on steeling the players throughout the year. Games last for 70-odd minutes, it happened at the ideal time.”

Regarding Dublin’s late rally to beat Kerry, Cluxton was full of praise for his team’s refusal to throw in the white towel.

He also intimates Kerry took their eye off the ball in those closing stages.

“Games take place over 70 minutes, if you are not focused for the 70 minutes, you don’t win.

“Declan O’Sullivan came out with the ball, gave a poor handpass, I think, and Alan (Brogan) picked it up, Kevin (McManamon) was running at pace and Alan slipped it to him.”

Cluxton also revealed he wasn’t surprised he was asked up the field to take the all-important free after McManamon had been upended by Barry John Keane.

“No. I was the designated free-taker.”

Cluxton capped off a year to remember by captaining the International Rules team to a 2-0 series victory in the Gold Coast on Friday night. The 30-year-old Parnells man accepted the Cormac McAnallen Cup with vice-skipper Ciarán McKeever, who performed the media duties in Cluxton’s stead as well as giving the acceptance speech. Similar to the All-Ireland final, Cluxton did not partake in the lap of victory with his Ireland team-mates at the Metricon Stadium.

He began his journey back home from Australia early on Saturday morning and was working in St Vincent’s CBS yesterday. Although McKeever also left on Saturday, the majority of their team-mates won’t depart Australia until tomorrow .

* A Rare Auld Season is priced at €19.95 and will be available from bookshops tomorrow.