‘I never doubted son Dean would slot winner’ – Dubs legend Barney
THE father of All-Ireland winner Dean Rock said he never doubted that his son would slot home the match-winning point in the dying seconds of the game at Croke Park.
Barney Rock, himself a Dublin legend and All-Ireland winner, said it brought back memories of the 2011 match-winning score by Stephen Cluxton when Dean scored a longrange free-kick in the last minute of the game to seal the Dubs’ third All-Ireland in a row.
“I’m delighted for him, all the hard work and practice he has put in has finally paid off,” Barney told the Irish Independent.
“He kicks the frees well in general and I was in no doubt he would kick it over.
“He missed the first one, but I’m delighted for him that he got the one that won the game.
“It’s easier said, but he kicks most of them from around 40 metres out.”
Barney also touched on how the Mayo players were not the required distance from Dean as he lined up the match winning score, but added: “We’d do the same ourselves.
“It was a great kick, just like Clucko’s against Kerry, in a similar position but down the other end of the pitch.
“To win it’s great, if we would have lost there would have been three or four instances where things went against us.”
Dubs legend Barney also believes that this Dublin team will be in the running for more All-Ireland titles in the years to come.
“There’s no doubt they will be competing to win for a few more years.
“Jim (Gavin) will probably say we didn’t play too great to win this one, and the same as last year, but we can sit back and relax for the next nine months until the Championship starts up again.
“There’s players who have now won four All-Ireland championships, and the three in a row is really the cream of the crop,” he added.
Another Dublin GAA legend, Jimmy Keaveney, believes the current team is good enough to win five All-Ireland titles in a row.
Jimmy was part of the legendary Dublin team in the 1970s which won three titles, narrowly missing out on three in a row.
“I was in at the match of course, it was a great game. I reckon they’ll win four, if not five in a row.
“They’re good enough, and also importantly young enough, that they could win another few All-Ireland titles,” Jimmy said.
Dublin fans admitted feeling nervous as the match drew to a nail-biting conclusion.
Peter Walsh, from Stillorgan, took in the game with his son, Conor (7). “This boy was very, very worried about it, but look, with 10 minutes to go the Dubs done the business.
“We’d have taken a draw, with a minute gone [into injury time], but in fairness the Dubs stepped up.”