O’Sullivan steps away from Kerry football with every honour the game has to offer
HE leaves with every team honour Gaelic football has to offer - as well as the individual recoginition that an All Star bestows - after 14 years as a Kerry senior and almost 140 appearance in the green and gold geansaí as a senior player.
Throw in the ultimate honour of having accepted the Sam Maguire Cup on behalf of his team and county, and the highlights reel of grass-scorching solo runs and net-bulging goals, and Darran O’Sullivan can walk away with his head high and the gratitude of the Kerry GAA supporters for a job well done.
O’Sullivan was one of a rare kind of footballer who played senior Championship football before he debuted in the National League, and though that 2005 All-Ireland Final cameo against Tyrone ended in defeat for Kerry just think about it for a moment. On that September afternoon in 2005 O’Sullivan was only four months past his 19th birthday and here he was, 364 days after playing against Tyrone in an All-Ireland Minor Final, being called up to try to turn an All-Ireland Senior Final Kerry’s way against the Red Hand county.
It says exactly what Jack O’Connor thought of the 19-year old that he was thrust into that environment in the company of Cooper, Hassett, Galvin, Russell and his namesake Declan.
If he didn’t win a Celtic cross that day he hadn’t long to wait - 12 months - before he won the first of his four, with his All-Ireland quarter-final goal against Armagh a highlight of the season.
A second All-Ireland medal came the following year but it took until the latter end of the 2009 Championship before the Glenbeigh man began to hold down a regular starting place on the team. Nevertheless, he was a starter in that ’09 final when as team captain he became the first Glenbeigh/Glencar man to receive the Sam Maguire Cup.
A reputation as an ‘impact substitute’ was something that would follow O’Sullivan for much of his Kerry career, and successive managers often preferred to spring him from the bench and let him use his power and pace to punish tiring defenders. O’Sullivan was happy to oblige.
His best season, arguably, was 2011 when he started all six of Kerry’s Championship matches upto and including the All-Ireland Final loss to Dublin - the only game of the campaign that he didn’t score in. His audacious heel-flicked goal in the All-Ireland quarter-final win over Limerick was another for the scrapbook and a fitting nod to a multi-talented sportsman who was a talented soccer and rugby player.
The 3-10 he scored in the Championship that year helped earn him his first and only All Star.
Injuries were a near constant blight on O’Sullivan’s career and one such problem greatly curtailed his involvement in Kerry’s Championship winning run in 20145 to the extent that a late cameo in the quarter-final win over Galway was his last involvement that year as he picked up his fourth All-Ireland medal.
He remained an integral part of the panel in the last few years - coming on to score two points in the 2015 All-Ireland Final defeat to Dublin, but try as he did to rage against the dying of the light in the last couple of years the now 32-year old was being pushed to the periphery of the team by the next generation: much like he did himself all those year ago in 2006.
Eamonn Fitzmaurice described O’Sullivan as a “Croke Park player” and there’s no doubt that in his prime and pomp he thrived in the expanse and atmosphere of the Big House.
There’s no doubt, either, that Kerry football is that little bit poorer now for the departure of an All-Ireland winning captain, a leader, an inspiration and a exceptional talent.
Abridged statement from Darran
“I’VE been extremely blessed to have had a career I could never have dreamed of. I joined my boyhood heroes in the dressing room during the winter of 2004, fresh faced and straight out of Minors and since then, have been lucky enough to have pulled the green and gold jersey on for 70 Championship appearances, as well as having the opportunity to captain Kerry to All-Ireland glory.
“To my team mates who I was lucky enough to play with, I want to thank you all for the memories we made and the bond that we created inside the dressing room. To say this was the greatest period of my life, is putting it mildly, I loved every minute of it and I wouldn’t change anything. The successes were well celebrated, and the disappointments were mourned together. There’s nothing more powerful than a dressing room united pulling in the same direction and that’s what I will miss the most. However, the highlight is that I am leaving that same dressing room with incredible friendships, friendships which I know will stand the test of time.
“To the managers and management teams who I was lucky enough to play under, thank you for all your time, effort and support. During my 14 years involved, I got to play under former team mates and some of my idols and I was always encouraged to express myself on the pitch. Every management team had their own style, but the one constant was always a huge love and respect for the traditions of Kerry football and it’s something that filtered into everyone in the dressing room.
“To the Kerry fans, what can I say only a massive thank you. You demanded the best and we did our utmost to provide it. Unfortunately, in recent years we didn’t deliver but I’m very confident with your continued support, that success is on the horizon again. Nothing will replace the feeling I got when I would hear you all erupt as we entered the field. I look forward to joining you and cheering on the next generation to glory.
“To end, I just want to say it has been an incredible journey. I’m lucky enough to have played with and against some of the best players and teams of this or any generation. I’ve made memories and friends that will last a lifetime and I can’t ask for much more than that. “To the next generation, relish the challenge of being a Kerry footballer and never forget the players who went before you and put their heart and soul into it. The greatest honour you can have is pulling on that green and gold jersey and the pride that washes over you as it rests on your shoulders.
Ciarraí Abú!