'It’s been a saga, an absolute rollercoaster', says South Kerry's John Sugrue

South Kerry may have been seven points down early in the second-half but manager John Sugrue never doubted his players. In the drawn game 14 days’ previous, they were four points in arrears in the first-half but the mountain they scaled on this occasion was a snowier peak.

Even when the inspirational Bryan Sheehan fell foul of a dubious black card in the first half of extra-time, Sugrue didn’t lament: “Bryan got sent off earlier on in the year and fellas stepped up to the plate.

“We’ve had different fellas on different days. I knew it; I knew it in our hearts that we would be hard to crack because we had different fellas stepping up on different days. Today was no different.

“It’s been a saga, an absolute rollercoaster. I’m just delighted for that bunch that they have got their reward. They’ve been unbelievable ambassadors all year, hard-working, everything you want out of a bunch of players.

“Brendan O’Sullivan came back into a game and gave us a good platform in midfield again when Bryan got the black card. Declan (O’Sullivan), was playing with one leg and half another leg.

“They’ve an unbelievable well of character and strength. We wanted a one point today and we got a one-point win. There were men who made massive contributions all over the field. The Mary’s fellas have been outstanding. Thank God, they got their due reward today.” Sugrue gave a cryptic answer when asked if the victory was justice for the time-keeping controversy and controversial point awarded to Legion in the drawn game: “There’s a feeling of great joy and I want to emphasise that word: joy. It’s fabulous and we got our due rewards for what we had worked and strived for all during the year despite resistance.”

He paid tribute to veteran O’Sullivan who put the cause ahead of his own well-being at the end. “Declan is a man of deep reserve of character and physical strength and we can never underestimate his contribution to South Kerry football. We had to give him his chance and fellas who had been toiling all year stood back and totally supported the fact Declan was going to start. That’s team-work and real unity and you have to admire fellas who came in off the bench despite not getting their start and they added massive impetus to it. We knew the depth of the squad would get us over the line.”

Killian Young, the only player not from St Mary’s to score for South Kerry (“we’re all from the one parish,” he laughed), took immense pleasure from the team having been written off at the start of the competition.

Claiming his third county title, he said: “It definitely was a sweet one because in the past we would have been expected (to win county championships) whereas now I don’t think we were even spoken about at the beginning of the championship. You could say we had an easier side of the draw but you have to take that luck. We stumbled along but the performance came at the right time.”