Gavin White: ‘We’ve had some very tough years. We spoke about that at half-time’

Gavin White will savour it this title as Crokes old and new come together

Dingle's Barry O'Sullivan is tackled by Dr. Crokes Mark O'Shea and Gavin White. Pic ©INPHO/Ken Sutton

This was not so much the passing of the torch as it was a combined carrying of it. Dr Crokes, old and new, came together to power them back to the summit of Kerry football. Gavin White will savour it.

“We’ve had some very tough years,” he said on the Austin Stack Park field after their six-point triumph over Dingle. They trailed by two at the turnaround and three after 42 minutes. A five-year gap looked set to continue.

“We spoke about that at half-time, ‘this is it. It’s time to repay all the sacrifice put in over the last few years and through those defeats.’ I know it didn’t look good at half-time, 0-6 to 0-4 down and playing very poorly.

“A lot of the players inside the dressing room spoke up. We have serious leaders in the dressing room. Pat spoke really well. There were no crisis talks; it was just get back playing football.” 

How did it happen? Patrons pouring out of Tralee on Sunday night were asking that very question. White was his typical driving force from centre-back but it took club legends to help the new leaders over the line. Kieran O’Leary came off the bench and kicked 1-1. Fionn Fitzgerald was firefighting all day at the back. Evan and Brian Looney were outstanding, as was David Shaw. Their former team-mate Colm Cooper stood smiling on the field afterwards in celebration with them.

“It is a special day. It is very special playing for this club,” said White.

“I remember when I started playing football in Lewis Road on the main pitch at the very start and Pat O’Shea was coaching me the block down. I’ll remember it until the day I die. He has led us to several county championships since then. I grew up with a lot of players in this group. To win it with them and him is very special. Down through the last years we’ve been disappointed by our own standards.

“This is our own group. A new generation coming through the club. We’re very fortunate with what came through before. Look at Gooch, it is great to see him here cheering us on from the sidelines with his young fella. Real pressure? It was the pressure we put on ourselves.” 

Crokes are now club and county champions. The run continues with a Munster championship campaign to come.

“I suppose, coming off the loss to Armagh it took a couple of weeks to adjust and get back in the headspace. We came back in mid-August and Dingle gave us a right thumping. That was a serious learning block. We’ve built since then game-by-game and gone unbeaten since.”