Senior glory a dream come true for evergreen Jonjo Farrell

If anyone knows how hard it is to get to the top of the mountain, it is Thomastown’s most experienced player Jonjo Farrell.

The former Kilkenny star has slaved away with the club for so many years without success but everything has just clicked into gear for himself and the team in the last two seasons.

The attacker come roving midfielder was hugely influential in scoring two points in the SHC Final and he’s still kind of coming to terms what has happened over the last few months and he has no intention of stopping just yet.

“We won a junior back in 2005 and another one in 2012 but that was the only success I had until last year, we won the intermediate and went on to win the All-Ireland.

“Then today came along, the end of my career has been a lot more successful than the start of it. We’ll keep going, anyway.”

Whatever about the final result, the margin of 11 points between the teams is a huge surprise and for the 36-year-old it’s something that’s difficult to comprehend.

“We’re still trying to come to terms with it. Even looking at the scoreboard coming off – you don’t appreciate it while you’re playing – to win by 11 points was unbelievable for us.

“We have the utmost respect for O’Loughlins as champions but we came in with a job to do and we set the tone early, lads just putting their bodies on the line all over the field. The weather didn’t bother us at all. To come out on top like that is just dreams come true, really.”

The school teacher added how playing some of the main contenders throughout the league section geared them up for a knockout stage that saw the, defeat the likes of Shamrocks and O’Loughlin Gaels.

“We played James Stephens, Tullaroan and Bennettsbridge – three perennial contenders in Kilkenny. And then to beat Ballyhale Shamrocks, our near neighbours and legends of the game, that gave us huge, huge confidence. We backed ourselves,” he outlined.

“To come up and do it in the first year is something else,” he said. “We saw Clara doing it a few years ago. Maybe it’s easier to do it the first year when you have the momentum of intermediate success behind you. We might have a few lads going off and different things happening. You have to grasp it when the chance is in front of you.”

The win has been backed up by the club appearing in the last two under-21 Roinn A Finals and that underage pedigree came to fruition at senior level maybe even a little earlier than most would have imagined.

“Those young lads have won a minor B, an under-21 A; they’ve been coming the whole time and I said to myself, ‘Stick in at it and ride the crest of the wave with those lads’. They’re an unbelievable group.”

“I was only saying after the last day how grounded lads are. They don’t seem to get nervous maybe because they’re winning the whole way up along. You walk into the dressing room before the match and you think it’s only a challenge.

“The atmosphere was brilliant. Lads just knew that everyone had a job to do and everything would take care of itself.”

Despite having many disappointing days at intermediate level before making their breakthrough in 2023, Jonjo always knew they had the players to progress and so it proved.

“Everyone knows the history. We were beaten in three intermediate county finals and a semi-final. There was a lot of hurt there but the team was young at that time and they’re after coming now and we’re at the top table.”