How could you not remember, and love, a face like this?
Colm Cooper has been around the GAA block for a few years. He played in his first All-Ireland final 14 years ago, at the tender, skinny age of 18.
He may have missed out on the final this championship summer but he is eager for one more crack at it next year. If the body is able, his spirit is willing.
Cooper has long been comfortable in his role as a beacon for all of Kerry’s Sam Maguire hopes. Losing never comes easy but experience tells him the sun rises the next day and training follows on the Tuesday.
In 2004, Cooper was into his third summer of championship football and his second All-Ireland Final. He was already a recognisable face in The Kingdom and working at the counter in AIB Killarney when he encountered a Kerry fan eager to chat about that Sunday’s final against Mayo. He takes up the tale:
“I was on the counter on the Friday before the game and an elderly woman came in. She was taking €100 or €200 out of her deposit book and she asked me ‘Are you going to Dublin at the weekend?’
“Everybody in the queue and my colleagues started laughing.
“She said, ‘Are you going up Saturday or the Sunday?’
“‘I’ll go up the Saturday.’
“I didn’t tell her or say anything. She came in on Monday morning and was apologising like mad.”
Having made several scoring contributions in Kerry’s 1-20 to 2-9 victory over Mayo, Cooper revisted the tale to admit that it may have been the day after the Monday before he showed up for work again.
Or maybe the day after that.
Will it be Mayo (or the Dubs) 4 Sam? Wooly, Paul Galvin and Conán Doherty preview Saturday’s All-Ireland final replay.
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