This poem was written by Joe Crossan, a teaching colleague of Donegal star Rory Kavanagh at Scoil Cholmcille in Letterkenny.
Joe met Rory for lunch and during the conversation, he was struck by an idea for a poem about the Donegal team.
He pictured the playing field as a battle ground and he wanted to capture the feelings of the dressing room before going out, the intense focus of the manager and the players, the sounds of battle on the pitch, continuing to fight to the final whistle and then that feeling when that whistle goes and you realise your dreams have come true.
Joe and Rory are good friends and he has heard about the team’s training and has seen at first hand, Rory’s dedication to the team, the sacrifices he has made, the dietary adjustments etc.
This led him to pen this poem for his friend and it’s intended to serve as a tribute to him and the team and maybe it will inspire other young people out there to work hard and dreams can come true.
All from a kick of a ball
I look around the room and see the heads bowed,
They feel the same as me
We’ve just taken a beating and it doesn’t feel good
This must be the worst it’s going to be?
We leave that room and head for home
Friends and families await
I don’t know if I can face them
But you can’t escape your fate
Change was needed and needed fast
Everyone agreed
The papers were full of talk
Didn’t care if they made us bleed
A new year began with much promise
Trying to get stronger, fitter, faster
Running until our lungs would burst
Aiming for success instead of disaster
Long nights spent on the pitch
Stomachs emptied at the side
Arms and legs sore from weights
Weariness and exhaustion inside
But a seed of hope has been sown
And the heads are no longer bowed
We are as one now
Standing tall and proud
Now we sit and wait in that room
Our enemy awaits
The crowd bay and cheer with excitement
I concentrate with my team mates
The manager is focussed
His plans for us already laid bare
All he wants of us
Is to leave it all out there
We leave together when told
On the pitch we huddle like circled wagons
Then the ref blows the whistle
And we breathe fire like dragons
Tackles come thick and fast
Lots taken, more given
We’re bruised and battered
But mistakes are not forgiven
I gaze upwards for a moment
As my eyes settle upon our prize
Then my focus quickly returns
As I note my opponent’s size
The seconds tick away
Our opponents look tense
The ref looks at his watch
He’ll blow it now if he has any sense
Finally he puts it to his lips
For a second no-one moves
Then we erupt with joy and charge around
As if we all had hooves
Our opponents sink to the ground
Their heads go down and some tears flow
We shake their hands and pat their backs
And generosity we show.
We march up to the summit
Where the precious trophy waits
Our captain holds it high
I know this happiness will not abate
Our manager smiles from ear to ear
His face unbridled joy
My head is filled with emotion
Things I’d dreamed of as a boy
The fans have been fantastic
Flags and banners wave to and fro
The smiles on everyone’s faces
They’ve really enjoyed our show
We land back in our home county
Crowds all line the street
Speeches are made by all
Thank God it wasn’t a defeat
We’re all so touched by the support
How can we thank you all?
Who’d have thought this could happen
All from a kick of a ball!
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