MUCH like Jack O’Connor down the sideline from him, Dessie Farrell was plotting for extra time before Sean O’Shea’s late, late intervention.
“I was starting to go into overdrive in terms of what we needed to do and we’d a plan in place for it anyway,” said the Dublin manager. “But a plan is all well and good until you get punched in the nose as Mike Tyson said.
“It was just an immense kick. That breeze was difficult to kick into. I don’t know whether it died a little in the second half, but it was a touch of class.
READ MORE: Monster Sean O'Shea free sees Kerry down Dublin in All-Ireland semi-final
“I think it probably was a foul to be fair,” he said of Davy Byrne’s challenge on David Clifford which resulted in the decisive free. “I didn’t see it. But just from the sideline, it looked to be.
“You were probably saying to yourself, into that breeze, the distance it is, this will probably go to extra-time.”
But Farrell insisted that there were “no excuses”.
“We just came up shy on the day and it’s a bitter pill to swallow. I’m gutted for the lads inside there. They died with their boots on.
“We were in a sticky situation at half-time. Immediately after half-time, we went six down and it wasn’t looking good at that point.
“But we rallied, and they threw everything at it. I’m very proud of them in general.”
If he was in the market for excuses, however, the absence of the injured Con O’Callaghan was available at a cut price.
“Lookit, Con is special, we all know that. But we discussed it during the week. We were either going to be good enough, or we were not going to be good enough. And that’s the way we approached it.
“You get to play 15, you get to bring on five. It’s us and them, and let’s see where the cards fall. And we came out the wrong side of that unfortunately.”
Farrell has now completed the three seasons that he was appointed for in December 2019 but was non-committal about his future.
“Do you know what, and you may say I’m talking through my backside, but that hasn’t come into the equation at all. We’ll have a couple of weeks to reflect on that.
“Obviously, that old cliché, there is going to be no decisions made tonight. For me, it’s about the players. It was great to see that type of performance today, that type of coming together.
“And the young lads finding themselves in that group is important, that sense of belonging. We struggled with that earlier in the year perhaps. As time moved on, players found their feet, led by those great individuals that are in the mix of course.
“For me, that’s the crucial thing. It’s what's next for them. I’m optimistic and hopeful for what the future holds for that group.”
He’s hoping that there won’t be an exodus from the playing stock, with Mick Fitzsimons, James McCarthy, Jonny Cooper and Dean Rock among those likely to be considering their futures.
“Some of that crew have a lot of miles on the clock and have given the most immense service to Dublin football.
“But I’d be hoping for Dublin football that they, James in particular stays around because the group dynamic has changed demonstrably over the, even the last year, but definitely the last number of years.
“A lot of young players, new players, many of them got game time today. But a lot more in the panel.
“Those players need the likes of James McCarthy and the Jonny Coopers and those lads to stay around and lead the way, because they follow brilliantly, to be fair to those young lads.
“And having that type of leadership at the helm is really important. So I’d be hoping that that crew have more to give.”
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