“Sport can be tough. Sport can be cruel.”
Regardless of how much you know about Gaelic Football or how much the outcome of the 2017 All Ireland final mattered to you, if you’re a fan of sport, what follows will undoubtedly strike a chord…
At full-time in Sunday’s final at Croke Park, Dublin were the victors – seeing off Mayo 1-17 to 1-16. For Mayo, a side that has not tasted All-Ireland success since 1951, the feeling of missing out has become all too familiar.
Their latest defeat, which came twelve months on from losing the 2016 final to the same opponents, was made all the more cruel by the fact the decisive blow came deep into added-on time.
For the second winter in succession, Mayo’s coach Stephen Rochford will be left to stew over a championship that appeared tantalisingly close, only to be wrenched away at the very death.
“Erm, they [defeats] are all very difficult to take. Too many of them now at this stage. But it is what it is. Sport can be tough and cruel but today is about Dublin. Three in a row is phenomenal in this modern era.
“We’ll do our best to resurrect over the winter and see where we go from here.”
The full, heartfelt interview, which has been spread high and wide in the hours since Sundays final, can be viewed below.
Mayo manager Stephen Rochford: "It's fine margins. I couldn't have asked for any more from them. They died with their boots on." pic.twitter.com/JFwdziSVS9
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) September 17, 2017
