Even with nothing won yet Darragh Nelson has a fair idea of what it might be like to captain his club Ballyboden St Enda’s to an AIB All-Ireland club football title. It would mean no more jealousy, for starters.
Tomorrow in Croke Park the Dublin champions take on Castlebar Mitchells with one guarantee: neither club has won the title before, and while the Mayo champions have lost two previous finals (1994, 2014), Nelson himself has some considerable experience of big days out in Croke Park.
He was on the Dublin panel that won the All-Ireland in 2011 and again in 2013, only he played no actual part in either game. So, while he does have medals from both those occasions, winning a club All-Ireland on the field of play and as team captain would almost certainly rank considerably higher.
“It would be hugely different,” says Nelson. “Obviously we haven’t won it yet. I know it is a collective thing, and without that you can’t get to an All-Ireland, but it would be an amazing feeling, to win on the field on play.
Don’t play
“It’s different when you don’t play. It meant a lot being part of a squad that won in 2011, after a 16-year gap. That was amazing. In 2011 and in 2013 I got the medals, yeah. But there is that sense as well, ‘imagine if I come on as a sub, or did play’. . . I think there are different feelings with the ones who didn’t feature. A jealously, or whatever.”
Nelson last featured for Dublin in the 2013 Allianz Football League final win over Derry, but didn’t feature in the championship that summer.
Not long after that he opted out of the Dublin panel completely, preferring to focus all his time and energy with Ballyboden, especially as they set their targets on Dublin championship glory.
“I just felt that at the time that I wasn’t really enjoying my football. So to come back to the club, fully concentrate on that, is a lot easier to do. So, yeah, personally I can say it’s the right choice now.
“But it was a hard decision, yeah. I think you get into a routine, pushing yourself hard, and the Dublin team is very strong, and very hard to break into it. After four or five seasons of putting the work in and not getting the return I wanted I felt it was the right time.
“It just wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to hang around the fringes. I just wanted to be playing regular football. I just found I was training and training, not playing matches . ..”
Still only 25, and completing an MA in DIT in strategic management, Nelson hasn’t ruled out the possibility of giving the Dublin team another go: “Well if I did go back I would like to commit 100 per cent. There was a lot going on at the time, in college, trying to get a job, juggling so many different things. With the county you have to know that you’re giving 100 per cent to this. If that time does come around then yeah I would give it another go.”
The result in Croke Park may well influence that decision. Ballyboden overcame several tough hurdles to get this far, including the epic semi-final win over Clonmel – after extra-time – and the lesson in all those games has been to focus on the challenge in front of them.
“It’s hard to think of one moment. There’s been moments in every game is probably the best way to sum it up. For me, the Dublin semi-final against Clontarf was a huge game for us. We went a man down, a few minutes to go. That’s when you learn so much, and taught us not to throw in the towel, no matter what . . Teams can easily do that. Say it’s not their day.
“I think we have the quality and strength to match them. But Castlebar were there two years ago, know all about it. And any team that beats Crossmaglen deserves to be strong favourites. This is all new to us, a first time for the club.”
