The presidential candidate, Mary McAleese, was being philosophical about the outcome of the All-Ireland football final at Croke Park. She was not making a direct comparison between her own challenge for the presidency and the winning of the Sam Maguire Cup, but she conceded that, when chances presented themselves, they had to be grabbed with some alacrity. Her reading of the trend of the match was close to a sensible assessment of what had happened out on the pitch and might well offer an insight into her presidential campaign. "I do not have any association with either team, but I believe that if Mayo had taken their chances in the first half, they would have made it very difficult for Kerry to come back in the second half and then hold on to win the match," she said. Padraig Flynn MEP, whose intrusion into the last presidential election some seven years ago proved to be both crucial and controversial, was profoundly disappointed by the defeat of his county at the final stage for the second year in a row.
"I am convinced that they should have won last year and this year as well. The chances were there both in the first half and the second half, but we didn't take them. If we had taken all our chances, or even half of them, we would have been in a position to control the game in the last quarter.
"Instead, we were always trying to come from behind and the result was that Kerry were able to control the match and always left us trailing and trying to get back on equal terms.
"I thought that, when we got the goal, we would take control and play the kind of game that we are capable of. Kerry are never an easy team in these circumstances and you have to admire them for the way they managed to keep putting on the pressure. They were well worthy of the victory," said Flynn. The patron of the GAA, Archbishop Dermot Clifford, was of similar mind. "I always feel sorry for the losing team. I realise that there is a lot of effort from all sides in a match such as this and it must be very hard for Mayo to be beaten two years in succession.
"I hope that they will continue to make that big effort because they deserve to win," he said. The Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue, might, in his official capacity, have been in favour of a draw. As a Kerryman, however, he can be forgiven for being somewhat elated by the outcome. He was being a little parochial, also, as he drew attention to the fact that players from the Cahirciveen area were prominent within the Kerry squad. Distinguished players of the past were there in plenty, among them one of the all-time greats, Sean Purcell from Galway, who longs for the return of the Sam Maguire Cup to his province. A central figure in the Galway team which won the All-Ireland title in 1956, he saw the great three-in-a-row Galway team of the 1960s bring Connacht to a new pinnacle never since climbed.
"Mayo had the chances to win it and they squandered them. You cannot do that in a match of this importance and Kerry took full advantage of that and deserved to win," he said, with a resigned shrug of his ample shoulders.
His view was echoed by the Bishop of Elphin, Christy Jones. "We all hope that a Connacht team will win in these circumstances, but we have to accept that if we don't take the chances which are offered, we can't complain. Kerry took their chances today and they deserved to win. Sooner or later, our day will come," he said.
The Minister for Sport, Dr Jim McDaid, was being as diplomatic as he could be in the circumstances. It wasn't for him as an Ulsterman to nail his colours to any particular mast, although he gave the distinct impression that he might have been just that little bit more pleased had his near-neighbours from Mayo been triumphant. Again, the question of making the most of the opportunities presented came up.
"Kerry played to their strengths and Maurice Fitzgerald was outstanding. He is the best player in the country today and one of the best I have ever seen. He makes it all look so simple. He is in a class of his own and it showed today and really made all the difference.
"I feel sorry for Mayo after losing last year, but Kerry were the better team on the day. The match was not of great quality but the excitement and the spectacle was superb and the players were all very sporting and contributed to a wonderful occasion which can make all of us feel proud," he said.
Former GAA president Paddy McFlynn said: "It is great to see a county like Laois following Westmeath winning minor titles. That means that the game at youth level is in a very healthy state. As a Derryman, I had hoped that Tyrone might win, but the standard of the football served up by both minor teams gives me great encouragement for the future." McFlynn will take part in the celebrations in New York next month to mark the only occasion on which an All-Ireland final was played outside Ireland. He is one of the few survivors of the Central Council which made the decision to play the 1947 final between Cavan and Kerry in the Polo Grounds.
