Dublin senior football team manager Dessie Farrell. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
By Cian O'Connell
Dessie Farrell praised the composure his Dublin team demonstrated in the closing stages of Saturday's crucial All-Ireland SFC win over Galway at Pearse Stadium.
Following Matthew Tierney's late levelling point for Galway, Dublin responded as Tom Lahiff curled over a brilliant last gasp winning score.
Stephen Cluxton's sharp kick out was gathered by Lahiff, who subsequently finished the move expertly. “A huge kick-out," Farrell reflected.
"Big, big press coming from Galway. They're big men out in that middle third, and it's very difficult to find the pockets.
“You could see they had the bit between their teeth, and were going for it. In fairness to Stephen, he picked out Tom Lahiff and secured possession.
“Ultimately, I think the game was won in that single play there. Once the hooter went, I always felt we'd get a shot off. Whether it was going to go over or not is another thing.
“In fairness to Tom again, great composure at the end, steadied himself, and slotted it over."
Ciarán Kilkenny's value to the Dublin cause was illustrated in Salthill. “Yeah, he was a warrior and got cramp early enough in the second half," Farrell remarked.
"Generally, when a player gets cramp, there's only one thing happening, and he's coming off in a matter of minutes.
“We'd a slip written for him, but he was able to dig it out and keep going and keep going. It's very unusual to see that, but that's the type of boyo he is.
"He was excellent. Con (O'Callaghan) was really good in the first half. A lot of the young lads as well. It's a big step up for a lot of fellas. We're down to the serious stuff now at this stage. A lot of the young players did really well.
"Peadar Ó Cofaigh (Byrne) in the middle I thought had a great game as well. On days like this, brave men are wanted and we had a lot of lads standing up."
