HE MAY HAVE missed all of Dublin’s championship games this summer through injury, but Ger Brennan admitted he was delighted to end the year by captaining St Vincent’s to their second Dublin SFC title on the trot.
An ankle operation earlier in the year ruled Brennan out for a spell before he suffered a number of set-backs in his recovery, robbing him of the chance to help Dublin defend their All-Ireland crown.
He managed to recover in time for Vincent’s title defence and was a controlling influence at centre-back for the Marino side as they narrowly defeated Oliver Plunkett’s Eoghan Ruadh yesterday.
“It’s great. The body’s a bit sore now,” he said after the game. ”To play for your club and win a county championship at any level it is a great honour, it’s a great feeling.”
“A victory with a bunch of guys who’d do anything for you. There’s a great sense of pride to get us there, a great belonging there as well so it’s brilliant. The icing on the cake is just getting the victory.
“I’ve worked hard at rehabilitation with the Dublin and St Vincent’s medical teams. I was going well and I had a couple of set-backs but you just gotta stay positive. And yeah it’s a great end.
“I’ve had a couple of operations in the meantime and I’ve been fortunate with the medical staff in Dublin and St Vincent’s to help myself keep fit.
“I suppose a lot comes down to the management in St Vincent’s and them guiding us in a sense whereby we don’t get caught up with things too much. We get plenty of rest-time as well in between games too which is important.”
In a notoriously competitive club championship, Vincent’s became the first side since Kilmacud Crokes in 2005 to retain the trophy. While he added they have some way to go to match the dominance of great Vincent’s sides of the past, Brennan paid tribute to the management team for keeping the player’s feet on the ground after their All-Ireland victory last St. Patrick’s Day.
“I fairness to Tommy Conroy and the management team, they kept us very humble. They kept us on our toes. We tried not to get caught up in the hype, I know it’s a cliche but you do try to focus on one game at a time – otherwise you’ll get a kick in the backside. So that’s our focus going into every single game and thankfully it stood to us today.
“There’s a couple of more championships to win until we catch up with the likes of guys in the 50s, 60s and 70s. In fairness to those past guys they do support this current team and just to win it for the club is brilliant.”
