McNamee: ‘Title win gave whole village a lift’
RHODE’S 12-time Offaly football champion Niall McNamee has hailed Sunday’s dramatic win over Tullamore for lifting the ‘heavy cloud’ of sadness that enveloped the club over the past two years.
Two of the club’s players – Dean Morris and, earlier this year, Emmet Mayon – passed away, but McNamee insisted they were with them in spirit as the Offaly star kicked a late mark to see Rhode regain the title they lost to Tullamore last year.
And McNamee labelled his club’s latest title win as ‘special’ because of what the club had endured. ‘Best one yet,’ he replied when asked to rank their latest triumph.
‘Well, I don’t know actually, we’ll reflect on it. They all have a special place, they all come at different stages.
‘I suppose the fact of where we came from after last year. I won’t oversell it, but we lost some clubmates over the last few years as well.
‘It’s tough like, just great for their families, kind of feels they are still here with us, so that’s a special thing.
‘It was a big downer on the team last year, a really sad time and there was a heavy cloud around the village over the last year, so to be able to win it back was special,’ said McNamee.
It was also a special day for his 40-year-old brother Alan, who in winning his 13th medal joins hurling goalkeeping legend Damien Martin as the most decorated club player in Offaly history.
And McNamee has not ruled out his older sibling coming back for more. ‘We won’t catch him, some of us have 12 but we are not going to get him if he doesn’t stop shortly. But we mightn’t win them without him either, that’s the thing. The man lives and breathes it, it’s unbelievable what he does to his body to keep it in shape.
‘That man lives in the gym, lives in ice baths, does whatever he has to do to get himself in shape.
‘And he’s experienced enough now to know when to peak for the year.
‘The problem with him is he loves it too much but he wouldn’t play junior because it would drive him mad – if the guys weren’t training it would just drive him mental.
‘So, I’d say if he’s going to come back, he’ll come back and go strong again,’ added McNamee.