Brennan’s regret at final goal
Dublin
BUSY TJ Brennan is seeing plenty of action at present
Walsh Cup, tomorrow 1pm
BY PAUL KEANE
LOOKING back, TJ Brennan reckons a crude rugby tackle may have been the best course of action.
The Galway defender was the closest player to Kilkenny’s Cillian Buckley when the veteran Cat struck the winning goal in last year’s Leinster final.
Galway led by two points with the five minutes of allotted stoppage time up when Padraic Mannion kicked a clearance straight to the unmarked Buckley.
He still had plenty to do and isn’t known for his goals but cleverly sidestepped Brennan before striking to the net.
Seven months on, and with Galway preparing for a Walsh Cup semi at Parnell Park, Brennan still can’t shake the memory.
The Clarinbridge man
said: “It was a sucker punch to the gut. When Cillian got that goal, I was actually only a few yards from him.
“Thinking back, should I have fired my hurl at him or rugby tackled him or done something different?
“We all had those sorts of questions in our minds after a one-point loss. The defeat was awfully disappointing. It was a tough one to take.”
Brennan’s probably as well consigning the memory to a folder marked forgotten as he is also in Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup action at present with back-to-back champs UL.
It remains to be seen if he plays again tomorrow against Dublin though he doesn’t feel fatigued.
And Brennan said of
Tribe chief Henry Shefflin: “When it comes to playing a Fitzgibbon match, Henry understands. It’s a prestigious competition and he’s won it himself.”