Kelly reflects on ‘unbelievable’ year

Brian Kelly is still struggling to get his head around it.

The year began with his senior championship debut for Kerry.

It ended with him playing a key role in the Kingdom’s first All-Ireland SFC title in five years on Sunday.

“Unbelievable,” the big Legion man said. “If you said to me last year, I’d be after having the year I’m after having, I would have laughed at you, basically.”

Kelly wouldn’t have had much to laugh about for much of the past month though as he suffered criticism in the aftermath of both matches against Mayo, with his aerial prowess and kick-out strategy under the microscope.

But he kept his cool and his counsel with two crucial saves on Sunday, ensuring that Donegal finished the final without finding the net.

“Goals win games. I just felt we were all saying during the week that if we could keep a clean sheet, we’d be halfway there to winning. It was great to keep the clean sheet, for myself personally. The first All-Ireland final, you’d have some nerves going in to it. You’d be anxious and wanting to play well. When the final whistle went, I couldn’t believe it.”

He was first called into action in the first half when Darach O’Connor unleashed a nasty daisycutter — Kelly got the faintest of touches to deflect the effort around a post. “It was funny, I was talking to the sports psychologist during the week and he said put yourself in a situation where you visualise things. I sent him an email during the week where I said I’d come out at an angle to meet some fella and maybe tip it around the post. It was only the smallest of touches. But I’d like to think that it made the difference.”

The second intervention was more memorable. As Donegal powered forward in search of a late, late equalising goal, Patrick McBrearty let fly through a thicket of bodies. Somehow, Kelly got a hand to it, Colm McFadden punched the ball onto the post and seconds later, Kerry somehow cleared their lines. The athleticism of the save aside, Kelly’s mental agility at such a late stage was equally impressive.

“I looked at the clock around the 62nd or 63rd minute and I said right, I’m not looking at the clock any more. I’m just going to focus on the game. It was a fairly hairy moment at the end. I was expecting a bullet and I just got a palm away. Thankfully Shane Enright cleaned up the rebound, so happy days.”

And Kelly highlighted the role played by a former Cork goalkeeping legend in getting him to the summit in September. Under the guidance of Billy Morgan, Kelly blossomed in UCC’s Sigerson Cup-winning campaign — form quickly noted, and rewarded, by Éamonn Fitzmaurice.

“I graduated from CIT, had a year out looking for a job with no success and I decided to go back for a year to UCC for the Masters. Thankfully everything has turned out well. I always had the confidence in myself but it’s about getting your chance and when you get it, make sure you take it. Éamonn said it to me when he handed me my championship debut to bring the confidence I brought to the Sigerson final and everything else throughout the year. I was talking to Billy (Morgan) and the boys during the week and said I wouldn’t be here only for that Sigerson win. It’s great.”