Shock will recede and then Kerry will bounce back

Shock will recede and then Kerry will bounce back

It’s hardly surprising there’s shock all over Kerry after the loss of Sunday’s All-Ireland football final, given that nobody – even the most fanatic Mayo supporters – actually expected the Kingdom to falter.

Before the final a small sliver of hope still survived in the hearts of true Mayo believers, but that was it. However, the prospect of taking Sam Maguire back to Castlebar on Monday evening was so far beyond expectations as to be unimaginable.

And this explains the scenes after the horn blew and realisation dawned; Mayo’s torment was over. God was truly with them, at last.

Páidí Ó Sé famously described Kerry fans as extremely demanding, even if he didn’t exactly use those words precisely. People in Kerry know their football and know the standards that are required to stay at the top.

Let’s be honest – it’s hard to please them, this being the result of dining at the top table for so long.

The more Kerry footballers and their fans tasted victory, the more of an appetite it provoked. This was the legacy of generations before the organisational gurus ever dreamed up the concept of the Virtuous Circle, already invented by Kerry football.

Sunday was extremely disappointing for a county like Kerry. But as good as Kerry people are at winning, their nobility shone through equally, if not more, in defeat.

Everybody lucky enough to be in Croke Park on Sunday knew that Mayo’s victory was a special moment. That’s why the vast majority of those attending waited for the Mayo captain to receive the Sam Maguire. To witness for themselves the end of all those 75 years of devastating heartache.

Such good manners was an outstanding tribute to the extraordinary resilience and determination of Mayo football. Kerry fans who only a few moments earlier were urging on their heroes were now smiling as Mayo savoured the moment.

Not a single Kerry fan begrudged Mayo’s wonderful success – that is, of course, after the event, and properly so.

As a man born in Mayo and with great affection for the county and its people, I recall visiting the late, great Paddy Prendergast at his home outside Tralee.

He won two All-Irelands playing full-back for Mayo in 1950 and ’51 and right up to his death nearly five years ago, he could never get away from the ‘curse’ – that Mayo would never win another All-Ireland until all of that 1951 team had died.

It’s sad that Paddy and other great players didn’t witness a Mayo win before they took their leave of us.

There’s no denying that this is a setback for Kerry, because if it was worth winning then the pain of not doing so has to have meaning.

So, as before, Kerry will regroup when the time is right. Then it’ll be back to the business of winning games.

Because Kerry always bounces back. No doubt about that.