‘We knew that Carnew would throw everything at us’
IF he looks like a leader, talks like a leader and plays like a leader, then there’s every chance that he is a leader and you can take it for certain that Tinahely captain Stephen Dillon is a born leader.
A ferocious competitor on the field of play, a gentleman off it, Dillon led by example on Sunday afternoon. The hurt of relegation from Senior ranks last season drove Tinahely on this year and under the guidance of Alan Costello they have lit up the Darcy Sand Intermediate Football Championship.
Games between Tinahely and Carnew are rarely anything other than tight battles and Tinahely never expected it to be anything else under the beautiful autumnal sunshine in Joule Park Aughrim.
‘We knew coming down here today that Carnew were throw everything at us, and they did, fair play to them, they’re a tough bunch,’ said a delighted Stephen Dillon. ‘Fair play to them, they fought hard, but we fought that bit harder in the end. We brought that bit of experience there in David (Dillon) and David Blake and we brought fresh legs. We had a panel of 30 all year and we said we’d use a panel of 30 today,’ he added.
Club stalwart David Dillon plucked two dangerous balls out of the sky in front of his own goals late on in the game. Stephen said being able to bring on that experience was vital.
‘He took two out at the end (cathes), you need a bit of grit and experience there at the end. And we were able to hold the ball there for a bit at the end as well,’ he added.
What does this championship crown mean to Tinahely and to himself?
‘Unreal, it’s unreal. Going down last year was very disheartening. I thought it was going to take a couple of years (to go back up) but just with the group of young lads coming through, and then getting Alan and a couple of lads with him, we approached them to come a few years ago and all of a sudden, they came in a slap. Our committee works very hard. And the next few years we will be pushing on hard with more young lads coming through,’ he added.
Stephen was then joined on the field by Tinahely corner-forward Tony Darcy. Both men embraced, and the chat continued with Alan Costello’s impact on the club discussed.
‘He got everyone thinking the one way and pulling together which hadn’t happened, we were pulling different directions for a few years. And we had a few young lads come in as well. They came in and settled in straight away,’ said Tony.
‘He instilled belief from the start,’ added Stephen Dillon.
‘We hadn’t been disciplined over the years. Every year we had a bit of bother with that,’ said Tony Darcy when it was suggested that Alan Costello had helped this talented side get the most out of their football skills and guided them beyond falling foul of referees and disciplinary problems.
‘He asked us who was going to beat us at the start of the year,’ said Stephen Dillon. ‘He made us say no one. And no one has beaten us. 18 out of 18, and Arklow again now in the league (AGB in the Division 2 league final replay).
‘And we’re only taking it game by game,’ said Tony Darcy, ‘we never looked past semi-final, quarter-final, and even Carnew, we never looked past them or took anything for granted,’ he added.
Where does this day rank with the sporting achievements of Tony Darcy’s life?
‘It’s unbelievable, I just can’t believe. It’s nearly 20 years, me, Banty and David Dillon and a few of the boys have soldiered a long time. When Alan (Costello) rang I didn’t know whether I was going to play, like a lot of the older lads. When he gave the call around Christmas, we went down last year from Senor, and I told him, like all the other lads, that we weren’t going to stay down, we were going to try get back up,’ he added.