All-Ireland

Croke Park. Over 80,000 people. All-Ireland final day. You stand in the stadium wondering how such an occasion, maybe the most attended sporting one of the weekend in all of Europe, can slip under the radar of the international media. You could produce special edition supplements that would make for captive reading for any sports fan or historian the world over. It goes unnoticed by the masses though. Maybe that's the way we like it.

Still, in Australia, they'll (the Irish abroad) have partied all night awaiting the throw-in. Over in The Big Apple they will rise for breakfast in anticipation of football's marquee day. On the West coast they'll deliberate between staying up all night or having a very early start. They are all the lucky ones who will see a live transmission. There will be plenty more scattered across the world in Internet cafes finding ways to get updates.

You could stand there for hours looking around, watching the people flow in and the stands being engulfed by a sea of red as was the case on Sunday. Your heart starts to beat that bit faster as the noise levels rise. Of course it has become more commercial but the key ingredient, amateurism, is still retained. That keeps the connection between player and supporter.

Martin Clarke left a promising Aussies Rules career to return home. He'll have felt it a decision justified as he headed down Jones Road on Sunday morning. So to Ciaran Sheehan, a Carlton trialist last summer, at 18 yrs of age. He stayed for personal reasons but no doubt a potentially promising G.A.A. career had some influence.

Cork won, Down lost. There was no pitch invasion. We had the Cork team doing a lap of honour before they ever got their hands on Sam. Then the Down team marched over to congratulate them, a gesture that gives a better example to a young player, than running onto a pitch ever will. Conor Counihan, with his young fella glued to him and maybe for the first time in his tenure, seemed to lose track of his emotions when he was talking to Marty. Great to see.

Graham Canty marches up the steps. Himself, Murphy, Lynch and Miskella have tasted defeat too often to the likes of Ollie Murphy in '99 and Kerry in '07 and '09. Think of everything they have sacrificed to win this All-Ireland. Over ten years, constantly working away, having to bounce back from defeats and injuries whilst trying to build careers and businesses in the real world. The first word of thanks out of Canty's mouth is for his club. Where it begins and ends. They never forget that.

The footballers have always been second class citizens to the hurlers in Cork, always having to deal with the fellas whispering that they wish is was the hurlers winning Stupid comments are made about them being bottlers. That gets to me most. All-Ireland U-21's wins by a point in 2007 and 2009. The semi-finals won by the same margin. Dublin and Down beaten this year, again by a point and from behind. Hardly the stuff of bottlers. Yeah, there is the Kerry factor but maybe they were just a better team and people should accept that as history. Cork were clawing them back in recent times and hopefully they can settle that score next year.

The team's performances this year are judged against their blitz of Tyrone last year which is also based on a perception of where Tyrone were at last year i.e. serious contenders. Every man and his dog were critical of them this year. Have you ever tried to pick out a pass when 26 players are in one half of the pitch? Gaelic Football has become extremely tactical and revolves around getting men back, closing the spaces and breaking fast. On Sunday Cork took their opportunities to let it in when it opened up and got the reward. That space wasn't there all the time.

Tonight, Ciaran Sheehan lines out for Eire Og against Cloughduv in the Muskerry U-21 HC, in front of maybe a couple of hundred people max. The G.A.A. must keep the show on the road and Sheehan will be there. Club & county, player and supporter, intertwined in the fabric of the G.A.A.