Sam or Bust for The Gooch
Talking Balls Comments
“There is no extra incentive for me anyway, personally. Tyrone, everyone is probably saying that we haven’t beaten them and it’s a huge thing on their back. For some people, that might work for them. But, it doesn’t really wash with me too much because, regardless of who we are playing, I don’t really mind who we win, as long as we come out on the right side with a victory.”"In 2003, we were overrun by them – we didn’t have too many answers at all at all, 2005 was a bit closer of a game. They were better than us on the day but there were stages of that game where one or two things going differently might have changed it. But the personnel has changed a little bit on both teams.
Physically, I would say we have a physical enough team. We have a decent enough presence, which you always have to have against Tyrone, because they are very fit – they are all very, very mobile – and they cause you problems in many, many ways. We will have to try and match up as best as we can with them and, hopefully, the different personnel might help us out as well.
“In 2005, we felt that we got to the All-Ireland, but we had a lot of games from, say, the quarter-final stage on where we won comfortably. We felt we weren’t tested. But, having said that, Tyrone have come the other way this year. They are demolishing teams – they are putting up huge scores. They are there on merit. You can see how good they are in the last few games and how much they have come on – they have had tight games.
“Coming into the final, you are always looking at how you can improve, whether it’s your movement, your work-rate, your kicking, your accuracy – anything like that. That’s the little fine-tuning that happens between here and a final. I just think you have to keep your freshness as best you can and look forward to the match.
“Sometimes, guys go to All-Ireland finals a little bit fearful, I think. But I think you have to enjoy it, enjoy the build-up a little bit. Everyone knows their own little things, and come September 21st, I hope that there’s a big performance in Colm Cooper and Kerry are winning another All-Ireland.”
“You are hoping that there is a big performance in you for the final, and that’s certainly something that I will be looking for. It’s kind of demanding it from yourself at this stage now. All-Ireland final day in Croke Park – that’s the day to perform. That’s why you train all season for it. The break was hopefully a bit refreshing for me as well.
Gooch took time out last winter to tour the States. The break from the game obviously refreshed him and opened his eyes a little to the pulling power of the GAA.
“So many guys in Chicago, where I was living for a while, were saying: ‘This is where I watch the match.’ And, in their time, it would eight o’clock in the morning and you are saying: ‘Jesus’. It’s obviously huge in Ireland, but you never think that there is people in different parts of the world watching it too and it means a lot to them. It definitely opened my eyes that way, and (I) realised that it is a global event now. Just in case we didn’t know how big it was, this brings it home to how big it really is.”
