2013 survivor Stack aiming for more silverware on big stage

A survivor from the All-Ireland winning St Brigid’s team of 2013, it was hardly surprising that Ronan Stack was asked for his recollections of that memorable triumph at last week’s press function.

When Ballymun Kickhams surged into a lead of eight points, the way the experienced players reacted sticks out in Stack’s mind.

“As a young player, I looked around to the other lads to see how they reacted. Nobody seemed to panic. I remember Shane Curran, even after conceding the second goal, he sprinted to get his tee to take the kickout quickly. That puts something into your mind,” he recalled.

“I looked at the body language of the other players and I could see nobody was dropping the head, and we took it from there.” Pointing to Senan Kilbride’s vital goal, he said this score “lifted everything”.

“It was a crazy sort of game and a brilliant way to win it, with Frankie (Dolan) kicking the winner right at the death. It was incredible.”

Interestingly, Stack’s first full season as a starter was the 2012-2013 campaign, and he actually played with the Roscommon U21s before playing a senior club championship match.

“Nigel Dineen was the manager (with the Roscommon U21s). Basil Mannion from the club was a selector and I guess he helped me out! I found a bit of form and it fell into place for me. We went on a run to the All-Ireland final against Dublin. That gave me a good springboard and a good back of confidence,” said Ronan.

“I remember back when I joined that Brigid’s team (2012/2013), the goal was definitely to win the All-Ireland from the outset of the season. Coming from having won two Connachts in a row, that was the one they wanted.”

A different dynamic applied to the current team at the start of this campaign.

“We won the county title in 2020 (when Stack was team captain) and wanted to push on but it just goes to show that the Roscommon championship itself is a tough one to win, and we weren’t able to get over that for the previous two years. That was the main goal this year but as the year progressed, we improved as a team and got over the next few hurdles,” he said.

“The final is 60 minutes of football; it’s another game and you’re trying to build yourself up for a big performance and see where that takes us.”

Having endured a difficult third quarter in the All-Ireland semi-final against Castlehaven, Brigid’s showed maturity and responded in style by finishing strongly.

“Obviously we would have been very happy with our first half but at this stage of the championship, you’re going to expect a big backlash from the opposition. Castlehaven did change a few things and put a bit more pressure on us. We still created opportunities to score and just didn’t take them,” said Ronan.

“A few guys like Robbie Dolan and John Cunningham stepped up with big scores and everyone else rowed in. We still had the wherewithal to park the couple of wides and finish strongly. I think that showed good strength of character and it’s something we can take into the next game.”

As for the sort of challenge Glen will present in the final, Stack said: “I think they are a strong unit across the board. We did watch their semi-final after our game but the fog made it very hard to read much into it.

“They were in a really commanding position against a very strong Kilmacud team and I think that says a lot about them. Even as a GAA fan, watching the latter stages of the championship last year, they really impressed me. They play as a team and they’re well organised and set up by a good manager, and they’ll bring plenty of challenges.

“I don’t know if anyone has a good angle on the last game! But there are loads of other games that we will look into,” he added.

As a teenager, Ronan also excelled in soccer. He played at schoolboy level for Hodson Bay Celtic before getting a call-up from Athlone Town youths. From coming through the underage ranks, Padraig Moran was a strong influence and someone Ronan had “great time for”. He went on to play for the Athlone Town senior team under Brendan Place and Mike Kerley.

“I did go to county minor trials and it didn’t happen for me. Then when I got to adult level with Brigid’s as an 18 or 19 year-old, the team was so strong that I couldn’t break in.

"I ended up getting a chance with the Athlone Town first team. It wasn’t a preference of sport; it just seemed to be going better at the time. Midway through the season with Athlone, Conor Martin in the club got me down playing a few junior ‘B’ games and I just really enjoyed it and I decided to switch back,” said Ronan, who won a Connacht senior medal with Roscommon in 2017.

Asked about the challenge of breaking into the Brigid’s senior team, Stack said he was prepared to play a waiting game.

“We had a year where our intermediate team got to the county final so there was just a strong bank of players in the club. I would have a balanced view on things and I could see the team was very strong and I wasn’t expecting to be brought straight into it. When it did happen, it’s been great and a big part of my life ever since,” he remarked.

“I suppose I was a bit of a late bloomer. I was there as a fan in 2011 watching the final against Crossmaglen and that probably subconsciously put something into my mind as well. When I got a chance with the senior team, it was a fantastic way for my first year as a starter to go. I didn’t really have much doubts but I was probably a player who was just waiting for a coach to come along to give me that confidence that maybe the Roscommon U21 lads gave me. That brought me on from there.”

Stack agrees that the 2013 Brigid’s team was quite different to the current bunch.

“It’s definitely a different type of team but, from looking back on old games, Gaelic football is now a different type of game. If you watch that final (2013), the amount of long kick passes and 50/50 balls, they wouldn’t be allowed now by coaches!” said Ronan with a smile.

“It was a more experienced team and we had a lot of physical players like Ian Kilbride, Karol (Mannion), Senan (Kilbride), Darragh Donnelly. It’s a bit different now but we’re trying to play the brand of football that suits the team.

“The game wasn’t as tactical back then. We had certain things we were trying to do positioning wise, but it has definitely come on a lot tactically. I’m still enjoying the game as much as ever.

“Going back to the soccer background, the coaching in soccer was all about positioning and shifting with the play and all that. Gaelic football has gone that way as well. I know (keeping) possession has become a huge thing, but I think the better teams are taking some risks and committing numbers forward.”

Ronan, who recently turned 33, is obviously one of the more experienced players in the Brigid’s squad and if the younger brigade seeks him out for advice, he’s happy to oblige. “The lads are all very mature and mad into their football and they have a good bank of confidence. It’s probably about zoning in on the game,” he said.

“It is a big occasion, it’s an All-Ireland, but you still have to hit whatever metrics you have for yourself - put in a huge workrate and be good on the ball, make good decisions. That’s probably what I’d be saying to them. Yes, enjoy some of the build up and take it all in but then boil it back down to the job in hand,” Ronan added.