A dream becomes reality for Shane O’Sullivan and Ballygunner

 The newly crowned All-Ireland club champions were slow to leave their dressing-room afterwards - O’Sullivan said they wanted to savour the moment before heading back home

Ballygunner's Shane O'Sullivan celebrates with his son Ferdia and a supporter at the end of the game

For long-serving Shane O’Sullivan Saturday was the culmination of two decades of service in the red and black of Ballygunner.

He left Croke Park with an All-Ireland club title: did he ever think that day would come?

“I did, to be honest with you. It’s the thing that kept me going for years, that some day we could come to Croke Park and win.

“It’s the one burning belief that I had, I’d have given up long ago if I didn’t believe that.” 

Ballyhale Shamrocks had the upper hand for long stretches of the game and weren’t led until the last seconds, when Ballygunner super sub Harry Ruddle found the net.

“The last ten minutes, we popped the goal but they got two points straight away. We got a point and they responded - they responded every time, in fairness.

“We just persisted, they had momentum at different periods of the match, but we persisted, we kept going.

“And it just shows that if you keep going something can break for you in a game, and that’s what happened.” 

O’Sullivan was full of admiration for Ruddle’s calmness in taking the goal chance.

“The way he did it - there was composure there from a young player coming into an All-Ireland final with ten minutes to go.

“To take a ball sixty yards out, to run thirty yards and to take a shot then - bottom left-hand corner. Incredible stuff. Incredible.” 

 The Ballygunner team were slow to leave their dressing-room afterwards - O’Sullivan said they wanted to savour the moment before heading back home: “It’s a special place with special people. That’s what life is all about. I’m sure people will be out in their droves (in Waterford). We’ve been knocking on the door a long time and it’s great to get there in the end.” 

The wing-back added that he hoped the result would boost Waterford at inter county level also: “There are unbelievable young players coming through and hopefully they’ll go on and represent our county with the same distinction they did out there today.”