Goalkeeping newcomer plays pivotal role in final

Damien Donohoe

Less than two years after taking up goalkeeping, Mark Brady completed a remarkable transition by producing a Player of the Match performance as Gowna reclaimed the Oliver Plunkett Cup.

Finding a long-term solution between the posts had been an issue for Gowna, but Brady’s switch into goals has proven inspired. What initially began almost by chance on the training field has developed into a crucial part of the county champions’ set-up.

For Brady the satisfaction is in responding to the pain of last year’s final defeat.

“Last year hurt a lot of us, but this year it was about coming back, putting the foot to the wheel and producing huge performances. The quarter-final, semi-final and there today — that’s not out of the blue. That’s pure hard work. It’s a delight just to get the result today.”

The response to last year’s disappointment did not require any major team meeting or rallying call. Brady says the motivation was there individually.

“It wasn’t really a collective thing. Every lad individually was hurting and wanted to do as much as we could. It was almost immediate. You take a couple of weeks and then you just go again. We all knew ourselves what we wanted to do.”

For Brady's full interview and all the reaction to Gowna's SFC win, pick up this week's Anglo-Celt.