Kieran Fitzgerald
By John Harrington
The All-Ireland Club Championships have always held a special place in Kieran Fitzgerald’s heart.
When he was a young boy his father would bring him to the All-Ireland Finals on St. Patrick’s Day every year, and he grew up with a huge regard for legendary clubs like Athenry and Sarsfields in the hurling and Nemo Rangers in the football.
He allowed himself to dream that maybe someday he could win an All-Ireland Club title himself with Corofin, and he only just missed out in 1998 when the Galway club won their very first.
Fitzgerald joined the senior panel a few weeks after they defeated Erins Isle in the All-Ireland Final that year. So near, yet so far.
He consoled himself with the belief that Corofin were good enough to win a few more in the years ahead, but after losing All-Ireland semi-finals in 2009 and 2010 such self-assurance diminished.
That’s why Corofin’s glorious run of success in the last five years that has seen them win five county titles, three provincial titles, and two All-Ireland titles has meant so much to the former Galway inter-county star.
The ultimate success he craved was finally achieved just when he was starting to think he’d never taste it.
“I suppose back in 2014-15 I was coming into my 34th year and I suppose I thought the chances of winning an All-Ireland club title had gone away from us,” said Fitzgerald.
“But football is funny, you can't predict anything. To come away with two All-Ireland clubs in the last four years is something I couldn't even have dreamed about.
“A good crop of players have come from underage and they're really kicking on. I'm delighted to be hanging in there with them, albeit by my finger-tips.
“To be still with them is super and the club is really enjoying the moment.”
Corofin v Nemo Rangers - AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final
This year’s All-Ireland Final win over Nemo Rangers was made all the sweeter by the manner in which it was achieved.
Corofin produced one of the greatest displays of football ever produced by a club team in Croke Park as they roared to a 2-19 to 0-10 victory over a Nemo side that simply couldn’t cope with their pace, physicality, and devastating scoring-power.
“We were delighted to win the All-Ireland but it wasn't the way we anticipated achieving it," admitted Fitzgerald.
"First of all we had kind of huffed all the way along. We were taken to extra-time in two of our Connacht Championship games and then beat Moorefield by a late goal.
“And now we were coming up against a Nemo team who had beaten Dr. Crokes in their Munster Final who the previous year had given us a good beating in Limerick in the All-Ireland Club semi-final.
“Given Nemo's pedigree we expected nothing less than an awful hard battle. I suppose we knew going up to Croke Park on St. Patrick's Day that this was really a 50-50 game that could go either way and that we'd really have to bring our best performance of the year to overcome them.
“Football is funny, you can't predict the way things can happen. Nemo just didn't perform on the day and we also had probably our best game since winning the All-Ireland in 2015.
“There were a number of factors and we were just very happy with the whole team performance. We performed to our maximum on the biggest day in the club calendar.
“I don't know how many teams started out at the beginning of the year and ever club wants to be in Croke Park on St. Patrick's Day so for us to get there and perform that way on the biggest day was hugely satisfying.”
Corofin v Nemo Rangers - AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Final
Fitzgerald was one of Corofin’s better players throughout their campaign and will pick up an AIB GAA Club Players’ Football Award in Croke Park this Saturday night for his efforts, so it’s no surprise to hear the full-back he has no plans just yet to hang up his boots.
“I'll go again for this year anyway," he said. "You're basically into the new season now.
“If it was the case that you had to go back at the start of the year from the bottom again and try to get fit and all of that kind of thing then I might have had a different attitude.
“I'm fit and injury-free so I'll keep going for as long as I can. What else would you be at, I suppose?
“We're really enjoying the moment at the minute. The last few years for Corofin have been really successful. We've done five in a row in Galway, and we've won three Connacht club titles and two All-Ireland club titles.
“It's been an amazing time. Particularly as we had gone so long without winning an All-Ireland, nearly twenty years. This is a golden period for Corofin and we want to keep it going.”
