FINGAL rejoiced at the weekend, with both All-Ireland Senior final ‘Player of the Match’ awards going to players from the area.
Castleknock’s Ciaran Kilkenny picked up the accolade after the Dublin men’s fifth All-Ireland SFC win in a row on Saturday, quickly followed by Lyndsey Davey of Skerries Harps taking the honour after Dublin’s Senior Ladies footballers claimed their third All-Ireland in succession.
Kilkenny grabbed four points from play in Dublin’s 1-18 to 0-15 win over Kerry on Saturday, while the following day in front of a record breaking attendance, Davey was a key player scoring a point in a low scoring 2-3 to 0-4 final win over Galway.
Kilkenny was delighted to claim another All-Ireland title.
“It means absolutely everything,” he said.
“What we put in to the last couple of weeks in terms of preparation and going after our recovery; getting around each other; our families having to put up with us at home; it just means so much to us.
“Fair play to Kerry they are such a great team and just to get over the line means so much to us.
“I’ve never felt anything like that before in my life. Everyone running around to each other after the game.
“It’s an incredible feeling. That’s what football is for, and what the GAA is all about and we are absolutely delighted.”
Davey was equally thrilled to pick up further All-Ireland silverware – 15 years after first lining out for the Dublin Senior team, and having lost three All-Ireland finals in-a-row, to come back and deliver three titles on the bounce.
“I think a lot has to be said for the character and resilience of the team over six years,” Davey said.
“To go from losing three All-Irelands to when Mick (Bohan) came in (2017).
“What Mick has done these past three years, to bounce back and to win three in-a-row is just phenomenal work. I think it really is a team effort.
“The backroom team have just been amazing, the girls on the pitch – he’s really given us all the tools we need to go out and perform.”
Her side prevailed 2-3 to 0-4 in drenched conditions over Galway and manager Bohan hailed the likes of Davey who has been part of the setup for well over a decade.
“That was an absolute war out there today. And all the scraps, but if you look at the key scraps in that game they were won by the older players,” said manager Bohan.
“When you talk about developing people for the world, for so many different skillsets.
“I look around our camp at the moment and see those leaders.
“That is what they do. They do that in so many ways night after night.”
