Meath’s Brian Carroll may be the youngest player in the court in today’s senior final but he is as seasoned and battle-hardened as they come.
A veteran of countless wars down through the years, the 27-year-old will man the right side of the court today as he and Tom Sheridan go in search of that elusive 40x20 All-Ireland title together.
Carroll was satisfied with the result of the semi-final against Mayo’s Dessie Keegan and Joe McCann, but was not necessarily over-joyed with the performance.
“We have played the Mayo lads a lot over the years and we have had the upper hand the last few years but it’s always a tough battle.
“I suppose the key to getting through it was to keep on battling, we were 12-6 down in the second game after losing the first and our kills weren’t really coming off. But we just hung in there, went to the roof a bit and played our way back into it.”
What makes today’s match-up so intriguing is the clash of styles and also the fact that the teams are so evenly-matched.
“Tom is so experienced, he knows the right shot to play at the right time. My job is to retrieve the ball and cover a lot of the court and I think we team up well, not many teams can beat us easily when we are playing well,” said Carroll.
“Obviously Brady is the best player in the world and makes very few mistakes. Michael Finnegan is a very solid right-side player, he keeps plugging away and misses very little and together they are a good partnership.
“But we know we have what it takes to beat them and to win. It will be a matter of concentrating, making our kills and focusing on every point. It’s hard to believe that two years ago after two and a half or three hours, there was only one point in it, and last year there were only two. It just shows that any point you lose can be the one that costs you.”
While they have dominated in 60x30 senior handball, the Meath duo have lost three small court doubles finals together.
The Kells men have been involved in some momentous, dramatic tussles which have showcased the best aspects of the sport.
“I just love competing. It’s a privilege to play in a lot of big games, in the small alley and in the big alley. The results haven’t gone our way against the Cavan lads but it’s always very close, I think there is very little between us.”
As for the tension in close third-game finals, Carroll actually enjoys it.
“I think I’d rather be in the court than outside looking in at it, at least you can do something about it when you’re in there!” he smiled.
Interview by Paul Fitzpatrick