Article June Week 2 2005
GAA Legend Tom Long, Part 3
August 24th 1958 I stood under the old Cusack Stand as torrential rain and driving wind lashed Croke Park. Tom Long was picked at center forward for this All Ireland semi final against no hopers Derry. They had won their first ever Ulster championship and had never before played in Croke Park and what was to unfold over the next hour would send shock waves through the Gaelic world. To the backdrop of that dark and dismal background of rain laden skies what they were to achieve would be carved into the folklore of both counties.
The final minutes were heart stopping; the sides were level, Sean o Connell pointed to put Derry ahead with six minutes to go and then one minute later the same player goaled. He got the ball out on his right wing from Peter Smiths centre, cut into the middle and cracked the ball low into the Kerry net past the diving Marcus o Neill. Tadghie Lyne got his second goal with only seconds left, it came too late, it was now 2-6 to 2-5, and Derry went on to meet and lose to Dublin in the final.
Tom recalled for me that now infamous day for Kerry football,' John Joe Sheehy had been sent to watch Derry play Down in the Ulster final but his car broke down on the way and when he got there the crowd were leaving the pitch and Paul Russell writing in a local paper had warned us that this was a very fit Derry team as he had attended one of their training sessions. Jim McKeever was a physical training instructor and it must have been the very first time we had met a side trained in this manner, we dominate the game but kicked a litany of wides, P. F. in his match report berated the forwards and was scratching of the display and said, 'it was as well they were beaten as it saved the county a lot of expense training for the final'.
This match is also memorable for the meting between Mick O’Connell and Jim McKeever, o Connell was moved to mid field at half time and he gave an exhibition, it was the first time the great Valentia man was seen in Croke Park. 'The fielding by both men was magnificent and Micko probably got the best of the dual, they would meet many times in the succeeding years in league and Railway Cups and give more memorable displays. That Derry game was Tom Moriarty's last in the green and gold, he broke his leg that day. He had won two All Irelands with Kerry and a national League with Cork in 1952'.
The wheel of fortune was about to turn full circle for the Ventry great, on May of the following year he scored a early goal goal as Kerry won their first national League title since 1932, 2-8, to 1-8, and the same Derry side were the final opponents, Tom lined out at centre forward. And to prove his outstanding versatility, he added two more league medals to his collection, Derry were hammered 4-16 to 1-5 in 1961 with Long at centre back and two years later now at full forward he starred notching three spectacular points as the great Down side were defeated 0-9 to 1-5. He had occupied three different vital centre positions while he was equally at home at centre field. Had any other Kerry player been as versatile in such vital centre positions'.
Now the wheel of defeat was about to turn full circle and 1959 would prove to be a memorable year for the Ventry man. In a classic semi final Dublin were beaten 1-10 to 2-5 as all attendance records were broken, Mick o Connell gave a majestic display at mid field ably assisted by Seamus Murphy, 'both men were outstanding player and one of the best ever partnerships and Seamus was in my opinion the most under rated Kerry footballer ever, he was superb'. One scribe wrote of the Kerry centre forward, ' what will one say that will adequately describe Tom Long's magnificent display. Until Sunday Cathal o Leary was rated the best centre half in the county. Long blitzed that reputation with one of the best displays of his career, I cannot recall him been beaten in even one jump for possession, and one had to marvel at the ease with which he brushed off the tackles of the Dublin defenders'.
On September 27th. 1959 Tom Long won the first of his two senior All Ireland medals as Galway were put to the sword 3-7 to 1-4. While the match will be forever remembered as the Sean Murphy final, he gave a devesting display that day, Long was not far behind and the experts were lavish in their praise following his move to mid field when Mick o Connell suffered a knee injury. The late Mitchel V Cogley writing in the Irish Independent was gushing in his praise.
' Tom Long's part in the victory effort was a vital one. In the early stages the Galway midfielders Mattie McDonagh and Frank Evers were exerting what shaped like being a match winning superiority, then Kerry' astute mentors made the astute switch of Long to mark Evers, and it proved a real match winner. Long did not try to match the mighty Evers in high fielding, he used his superior pace to get to the open spaces ahead of his rival and won enough of the ball by those means to curb Galway's hitherto dominance at centre field. Furthermore, Longs astute distribution led directly to the two Kerry goals in the 15 th and 17 th minutes of the second half and put the Kingdom firmly on the road to victory, a truly magnificent display'.
When questioned about his feelings and memories in relation to winning his first medal Tom's reply was typical of his wonderful sporting attitude to the game and more importantly where his priorities lay. ' Of course I was delighted to win, however I was working in Dublin and I missed out coming home with the cup, it was up for school the following morning, times were different then, not like to day. I have two All Irelands and I think very little of them because the games were really not great, but the two semi finals of those years were against Dublin and they were outstanding games and you remember good matches rather than winning and losing, at the end of the day what is a medal, it's the memories that matter'.
Once again its well worth recounting Tom's match profile in the run up to that victory. 'Another product of Colaiste Iosagain Long helped his school win Munster Colleges titles and his performances earned him midfield position on the Munster Colleges teams of 1953-54. He graduated to St. Patrick training College in Dublin and there he played with Erin's Hope helping them to the Dublin title in 1956. He first appeared on the Kerry minors in 1952, was chosen again for the next two years and won Munster medal with them in 1954 at midfield.
He first played for the senior side in 1956 against Tipperary on the 40' and can play in any of the central areas. Two years ago he was midfield for Munster and after going in as a sub in this year's semi-final he was picked at left half forward for the final. He was 23 years of age in June'.
Weeshie's Week 
