McConville's comeback kings Wicklow will relish Tailteann triumph

The Wicklow boss said it's too soon to confirm if he will return next season.

Wicklow players celebrate with the Tailteanne Cup after the Tailteann Cup final match between Down and Wicklow at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Tailteann Cup final: Wicklow 1-21 Down 2-16 

There's a particularly crazy statistic about Wicklow's successful Tailteann Cup campaign; they lost the first half of all six of the games they played. If they ever become a 70-minute team, watch out world.

The Division 4 outfit trailed Down by 12 points at the turnaround of Saturday's final, and by 13 after Shane Annett's point early in the second half.

But just like all the other times, Wicklow came roaring back. And Down, well, just like the Croke Park finals of 2023 and 2024, against Meath and Westmeath, they ended up experiencing that terribly familiar feeling of losing a game they were expected to win.

Conor Laverty could hardly speak afterwards.

"First half, we were extremely happy," said the Down manager. "Second half, it was a...eh, disaster."

It was that for sure. But more about Wicklow and their sheer indefatigable spirit. Captain Dean Healy had it in spades, cracking in the stunning solo goal in the 56th minute that levelled the game for the first time.

Even though they won the second half by 1-17 to 0-6, Wicklow only actually took the lead in the game in the 65th minute, through Eoin Darcy. Earlier, he'd wasted a penalty in a forgettable first half for them. But who cares about that, it's all about second halves with this Wicklow team who now possess a free pass to the 2027 All-Ireland SFC.

"We went back to Ballinakill on the Tuesday night after the Longford game," said Wicklow manager Oisín McConville, referencing the first night back after coughing up a 10-point lead in the final round of the League and blowing promotion from Division 4.

"I found it difficult to get out of the car, that's how hard it hit people. I didn't go in and lift them, we all lifted each other. When I walked into the changing room that evening, every single man was there.

"No excuses, no nothing. There were boys who cancelled work, everything, they were all there. That's the day we won the Tailteann Cup."

Wicklow manager Oisín McConville and Oisín McGraynor celebrate after the Tailteann Cup final match between Down and Wicklow at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Maybe there's something to that, that having let slip a massive lead, Wicklow simply refused to go down easily again. But they took it to extremes, trailing at half time by four points v Limerick, one point v Tipperary, one point v Antrim, eight points v Offaly and 12 points v Down, and still somehow winning each time.

"That wasn't part of the plan," assured McConville.

Healy finished with 1-1 while Darcy, Kevin Quinn and Oisín McGraynor shared 12 points evenly between them. Jonathan Carlin, a Donegal player in 2025, got through a tonne of good work too. So did the entire defence that limited Down to six second half points and forced a side that beat Donegal in the Ulster SFC into turnover after turnover.

"Listen, I'd understand if we had got penned in on our own kick-outs and couldn't get our hands on the ball," said Laverty. "But I think we were 92% on our own kick-out. That tells its own story, 25 or 26 turnovers."

Wicklow actually finished with 14 men, defender Tom Moran black carded in the 64th minute. Another nightmare all round for Down who, since winning the 1994 All-Ireland, have lost 13 of the 15 League and Championship finals they've played. And they were fortunate to scrape past Wexford after extra time in this season's Division 3 League final.

They will regret the closing few minutes when Pat Havern, Odhran Murdock, Caolan Mooney and Ruairí McCormack all wasted chances for relatively simple points. Mooney had a 63rd minute shot cleared off the line by Darragh Fee, another hero in blue.

One of McConville's kids asked him afterwards, 'What happens if Wicklow play Armagh in next year's Championship?'

"I said, 'if that's not a case for a half and half jersey, then I don't know what it is'," replied the Armagh great. 

But he mightn't even be back for a fifth season.

"I'd love to commit and to go again but we have three young kids...I'm not making this about me but we have three young kids so it's not just my decision. It has to be sat down and talked about."

With or without him, the Crossmaglen man believes that a Wicklow team that really should have beaten Dublin in the Leinster SFC in April have immense potential.

"I hope this is the catalyst for Wicklow football to realise that this is an unbelievably special group of players," he said. "And if you're asked to go and play for Wicklow, put your hand up for it. Come in and bring this on to the next level."

Wicklow scorers: D Healy (1-1); E Darcy (1 tp, 1 free), K Quinn, O McGraynor (1 tp, 1 free) (0-4 each); M Jackson (1 tpf, 1 45), P O'Toole (0-3 each); C O'Brien (0-2, 1 tp).

Down scorers: P Havern (1-2, 1 free); R Burns (0-4, 2 tpf); J McGeough (1-0); M Rooney (1 tp), C Doherty (0-3 each); D Guinness, S Annett, E Browne, R McCormack (0-1 each).

WICKLOW: M Jackson; M Stone, T Moran, G Fogarty; D Fee, E Murtagh, M Nolan; D Healy, J Kirwan; J Carlin, P O'Toole, C O'Brien; O McGraynor, K Quinn, E Darcy.

Subs: J Prendergast for Kirwan (52); C Deering for Murtagh (54); M Kenny for Fogarty (59); JP Nolan for McGraynor (68); L O'Neill for Darcy (69).

DOWN: R Burns; P Fegan, P Laverty, P McCarthy; C Rogers, S Annett, R McCormack; R McEvoy, O Murdock; D Guinness, C Doherty, M Rooney; J McGeough, P Havern, E Brown.

Subs: C Mooney for McCarthy (28); R Magill for Rogers (48); R O'Hare for McGeough (53); P Brooks for Brown (64).

Ref: B Tiernan (Dublin).