a day ago
21 stitches in Croke Park - and the curse of ironically cheering a 15-point beating for Kerry
JOHN MCDERMOTT CAN still hear the ironic cheers. Twenty-four years have passed but the sound remains locked in his memory, marring everything they achieved that day. He regrets that he didn't do something at the time. A gesture, a signal – anything to implore the fans to stop.
What should be a highlight of his football career is forever entangled with the roars of disrespect for what was otherwise a great Kerry team. It was a rare win for Meath and an even rarer day of poor form for the Kingdom, a world away from this weekend's final All-Ireland series meeting between the two counties.
Kerry's 15-point beating in an All-Ireland semi-final was humiliation enough. The jeering from Meath fans that came with it in Croke Park was needless, and it certainly wasn't appreciated by the team they were supposedly there to support.
In the final five minutes, McDermott, a two-time All-Ireland winner with Meath, turned to his teammate Trevor Giles. They both agreed that they should slip into neutral gear from here. No further trashing required. Their place in the 2001 All-Ireland final was assured. Not even Kerry, the reigning All-Ireland champions, could conjure a comeback from here.
But still, the jibes continued to pour down from the stands, inviting bad karma before the All-Ireland final against Galway. And karma never forgets an address.
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'If I had my time over again,' McDermott recalls, 'I would have got the ball, kicked it into the Hogan Stand and said, 'Stop that bloody rubbish.'
'It did us no good in the final.'
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Players contesting for a ball in the 2001 All-Ireland semi-final. INPHO INPHO
McDermott was supposed to be retired at this point. At 31, and with a decade of service banked, he felt it was time to make way for the younger pups. Three All-Stars along with his two Celtic Crosses felt sufficient at the time. But by June of 2001, reports of the midfielder's return were starting to circulate. He was back in the number nine shirt in time for their Leinster final victory over Dublin.
There were a few strides left in his system. The longing wouldn't go away either.
'Probably missed it,' McDermott explains about his retirement u-turn. 'The first year, you miss it terribly. And after that, not at all. I was still going well with the club. I thought I could contribute.'
Interestingly, both Meath and Kerry played in All-Ireland quarter-final replays that year.
Seán Boylan's side were fortunate to get a second bite against Westmeath after a bizarre drawn game which saw Meath concede three first-half goals. They were nine points down after 21 minutes. Ollie Murphy rescued the draw with a late goal and the replay produced a 2-10 to 0-11 win for Meath.
Kerry accounted for Dublin after a quarter-final odyssey in Thurles. The drawn clash is the one that is best remembered for its dramatic conclusion, and a beautifully struck sideline kick from Maurice Fitzgerald in the face of a testing wind, and the close attention of then-Dublin manager Tommy Carr.
Between them, Meath and Kerry had won the last two All-Ireland titles, but Kerry were hotly tipped to win this semi-final even without key defender Tomás Ó Sé who was ruled out through suspension.
'There weren't too many flat tyres,' as McDermott recalls of that Kerry team which was still packed with All-Ireland winners and generational talents across every line.
Séamus Moynihan was their resident full-back and standing just in front him in the six jersey was Éamonn Fitzmaurice. Darragh Ó Sé and Donal Daly were a powerful force at midfield while their forward line included Aodán Mac Gearailt, Dara Ó Cinnéide, Mike Frank Russell and Johnny Crowley.
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Páidí Ó Sé and Jack O'Connor at the 2001 All-Ireland semi-final. INPHO INPHO
Of course, the iconic Páidí Ó Sé was their manager while current Kerry boss Jack O'Connor was a selector at the time.
What puzzled McDermott about that Kerry team, though, was the omission of Maurice Fitzgerald. And even though he wasn't in the starting line-up, Meath still had a plan for his introduction.
'Probably the best forward in my generation, and he wasn't starting the game.
'Before the game, we said, 'He's going to come on. And nobody touch him. Don't shoulder him. Just shake his hand and say you're a big admirer of his.' Kill him with kindness.
