It's been confirmed that Brian Fenton is retiring from intercounty football today. We that in mind, we thought we'd refresh a moment that summed up the best of Fenton: this altercation with Derry's Brendan Rogers in the 2024 League final
Earlier this year Derry were lining out against Dublin in the Division One final at Croke Park, and both teams delivered one of the best games of the season.
In a battle of wit, the two sides locked horns, playing exciting and attacking football, that delivered an explosion of excitement that included goals, red cards, melees, extra time, last minute equalisers and penalties.
One altercation between Brendan Rogers and Brian Fenton however really stood out as the cameras were fixed on the two midfielders as they went from pushing and shoving one an another, to bursting out laughing and even sharing a pat on the back.
The clip of this little back and forth went viral on social media and now, speaking on The Puke Football Podcast, in collaboration with the Sure What Do We Know? show, the Slaughtneil man reveals exactly what was said.
Love this.
Brendan Rogers and Brian Fenton lay into each other, then have a good laugh together 🤝 pic.twitter.com/qIA55iDb0J
— Niall McIntyre (@NiallMcintyre) March 31, 2024
So we were very familiar with them by that stage, and it was just one of those stages in a game where somebody tries to get in the referee's ear, and I can see that he's getting in the referee's ear, so I need to get in his ear", laughed Rogers.
"It was one of those things where we weren't having a go at each other, but he's a big guy too like so you have to be physical, you have to be aggressive too.
"I was sort of shouting at him going 'aye save your breath, I'm going to take you a run up the pitch here', and you're trying to dig him and push him.
"I was just like 'come one big man, I'll take you a run up the pitch here' and just stuff like that, and because it's not in a nasty tone, and not aggressive, and you're nearly pushing him on around the back - that's the way it should be played like.
"He's not a nasty guy in that he's not your typical dirty player. Like every top player, he will hit you when you need hit and all of that kind of stuff, and we have marked each other a bit, but there's not that 'I hate him, he hates me'.
"I just respect what he has done, but by no means am I going to let you walk over me, so it was just one of those things that materialised."
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Of course when you are on the pitch, you zone out the cameras and the noise, so you're never really thinking that what you say or do off the ball will draw much attention.
But as Rogers' soon learned, when you play one of the best players in a generation like Fenton, the cameras tend to have a particular interest in you.
"It wasn't until after the game that I realised we were on the spot for the camera, but it was also on the big screen at the time, so it wasn't just on the TV, like everybody saw it.
"I went back to my phone and had like 45 messages, then you're looking at Twitter and Facebook and there's 50 notifications there - it was just that same clip over and over again.
"Then you're like 'go God' what did I do, did I do something?' But it was grand, it was all in good taste, and I just forgot that Division One finals were televised, and he's one of the best footballers on at all time, so of course there's going to be cameras."
Derry and Dublin were probably the top two teams in the country back at that stage, but after disappoint exits in the championship at the quarter final stages for both sides, they will be licking their wounds over the winter.
However, both will be ready to give their all to try and right those wrongs, and we could be in for another classic between Fenton and Rogers in 2025.
You can listen to the full conversation with Brendan Rogers on his GAA career on The Puke Football Podcast, or if you want hear the longer version where the Derry man speaks about his life, hobbies, school and everything you can think of, tune into Sure What Do We Know?
