No faulting heart shown by St Michael’s

Date Published: 17-Feb-2009

AND SO the epic journey ended without the fairytale climax. No silverware. No regrets and no excuses, either – the best team won. St. Michael’s fought the good fight in the All-Ireland intermediate final at Croke Park on Saturday night but they were beaten by a superior outfit, Kerry and Munster champions St. Michael’s/Foilmore.

It was heartbreaking to lose – the St. Michael’s dressing room afterwards was like a morgue – but in many ways, the fact that the South Kerry outfit were so awesome made defeat at the last hurdle just that little bit easier to swallow.

The lads in blue and white were understandably gutted but they can walk tall having represented their club and county with distinction throughout the campaign and their historic march to the final.

There is no shame in losing to St. Michael’s/ Foilmore – indeed, it’s safe to say the Kerry team would have beaten 10 or 12 of Galway’s senior clubs, never mind an intermediate side.

At a very early stage it was looking like the match could turn into a St. Valentine’s massacre such was the mood the St. Michael’s/Foilmore team were in but St. Michael’s didn’t surrender easily though and made the Kerry and Munster champions battle right to the end.

The Kerry forwards were, as expected, lethal. Their trademark running, overlapping and counter-attacking style of football was frightening and when they got into their groove with wave after wave of attack you…