Kilbrittain's Philip Wall hails brother Jamie: 'Success is as much his as it is mine'

Philip Wall of Kilbrittain celebrates with his brother Jamie Wall. Pic: ©INPHO/James Lawlor

Fourteen seconds is all it took after the sounding of the final whistle for Philip Wall to find and land into the arms of his big brother.

Jamie, on duty for TG4, had watched the second half from the Hogan Stand sideline, 35 metres or so from the Hill 16 End.

It was here where the final seconds of an enthralling fixture played out. It was here where Philip, after collapsing to the deck with teammate Seán Sexton, quickly roused himself to race over and sink his head into the lap of his wheelchair-bound brother.

A most soul-stirring embrace.

“What Jamie has done for me as a person and what he has done for me as a hurler, I wouldn't be the hurler I am today without him and I wouldn't be the man I am today without him,” the 26-year-old Kilbrittain captain said of a brother who is a two-time Fitzgibbon Cup winning coach with Mary I.

“To have him on the sideline, I am choking up even talking about it. It was incredible.

“Today's success is as much his as it is mine. The work he has put in; we went back training in 2020 [Jamie was manager that year] and we were back the night before the Tipp hurlers had gone back.

“We needed tough love, and he is a good man to give tough love. To have him there at the end, I can't describe it.” 

From the spilling of tears with a sibling to climbing the Hogan Stand steps, there was genuine disbelief on the part of the centre-forward at what had just unfolded.

“It is not even something you dream of because it is so far in the distance that it doesn't even seem like it is a possibility. I really tried to take it in as I went up. It is something I will have for the rest of my life, it is something that was so nearly gone. I can't believe we have done it.” 

They very nearly didn’t do it. The 14 men of Easkey refused to let them go. A pair of Thomas Cawley points had the Sligo side level at 0-18 apiece on 58 minutes.

Kibbitzing continued to cut openings and chase glory. Declan Harrington, Ronan Crowley, and Harrington again all had more than legitimate claims for scorable frees. None was given. They eventually got the call. Conor Ustianowski was fouled, Mark Hickey fired the winner.

Even when not hurling to the standard they demand of themselves, they found and fought a way.

“We've been fighting all year, on and off the pitch. There's a lot of resilience after being shown by the group following Oisín Gillain's passing, that has really instilled a maturity in some of the younger lads.

“Some of the scores Easkey were getting, when those scores are going over and going against you, you are thinking, ‘Jesus Christ, is this going to happen?

“We made hard work of it. I was here a couple of weeks ago with Kate [his sister and St Finbarr’s camogie player], and like they played a lot better than us but didn't win, so sport is cruel. It is a great leveller. I am so thrilled to get over the line.

“The sideline fell to Josh [O'Donovan] in the last play. If that winds up in the square it could be a goal. We've just had a bit of luck. Maybe it is divine intervention, I don't know.”