Proud moment for Killoe captain Joe McCormack in lifting the Connolly Cup
Delight for Killoe Young Emmets captain Joe McCormack (right) and his first cousin Sean McCormack as they lift the Connolly Cup following the extra-time win over Longford Slashers in the Senior Football Championship Final replay at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Sunday last.
Sunday was a proud moment for the McCormack household when Joe lifted the Connolly Cup for Emmet Og for the first time in 17 years.
Speaking to the Leader the Emmet Og captain noted that it was a real family affair for him:
“It’s like a real family thing for us with daddy (Tommy), uncle Terry a selector, Sean and Padraig playing and also another cousin Seamus on the panel. Jimmy is there as well. It’s a massive day for me personally. It’s a dream of mine for a long time. It’s a surreal moment and I don’t know what I’ve achieved just yet.”
The normally chatty McCormack was a little lost for words after the game and the occasion overwhelmed him: “It’s hard to put the game into words. Slashers are a fantastic outfit. They have won two county finals and were in another one. 140 minutes of football and there was only a few points between us. Someone said that it was the hardest fought county final ever. I know we deserve it when we beat a team like Slashers.”
Although he’s Captain McCormack admitted there are plenty of leaders around the field for Killoe and that’s what helped them win on Sunday: “I don’t have to say anything to these lads. These lads know what winning is about. I don’t know how I ended up as captain. I think they were more afraid of me with the facial hair,” he joked. “There’s no leading these boys. We have leaders all over the field. It’s them that are leading me and they showed that today.”
McCormack praised his team-mates for their fantastic performance and also mentioned his cousin Sean who was named man-of-the-match: “Sean knows how to do it. I was very disappointed that he never got a nomination for an All-Star. Sean is a big player. Left foot, right foot, it doesn’t matter. It’s brilliant having a forward like that. But there was great work-rate from the lads around him. Sean ended up with the scores but it’s the boys that are finding space and Sean will say it’s very much a team effort.”
After 17 years without a county senior title McCormack summed up what the win meant for the people of Killoe: “It’s a community and parish thing; not just the players that wore the jersey. It’s the crest, that’s what it’s all about. Our mentality was it’s not the number on the back but the crest on the front. It’s Killoe.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Longford, Ireland
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
