Tally: "one of the greatest ever stories in gaelic games"
February 21, 2017
St Mary's manager Paddy Tally sinks to his knees at the final whistle as his side claim the Sigerson Cup after defeating champions UCD in the final in Ballyhaunis.
©Jerome Quinn Media.
Manager Paddy Tally rates St Mary's stunning Sigerson Cup win as "one of the greatest ever stories in gaelic games".
The Ranch defied the odds last weekend by beating UCC and holders UCD to claim the prestigious third-level silverware for the first time since 1989 and Tally was suitably impressed by what his charges achieved:
"I said to the players after the match, 'You have to understand what you have actually done, what you have achieved. What you achieved here is one of the greatest ever stories in Gaelic games. In terms of team sports, it might be one of the greatest stories ever written'. There is no other way to describe it," he told The Belfast Telegraph.
"You can't really put your finger on what happens in St Mary's. It's unique. The only thing it is akin to is your club team. And in those four years you probably spend more time with the St Mary's lads. You are living with each other, you are spending 10, 11 hours together, so it's an intense friendship. And when they go onto the field, there is a bond that you refuse to lie down.
"All of a sudden we had this bunch of players that I knew were strong and were good. We just had to make sure we got the rest of it right. As the competition went on, the day they beat DCU they realised they could go and win the thing. That was the day that we knew we were good enough to win the Sigerson Cup."
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