Last weekend, Tralee's finest Austin Stacks claimed their first Kerry county title since 1994. The victory over Mid Kerry in the final capped a marvellous for Kieran Donaghy.
Stephen Stack, two-time All-Ireland winner with Kerry and famously the only player to bridge the gap between the 1986 and 1997 All-Ireland winning teams, was appointed Austin Stacks' manager at the end of 2012.
Last year, he guided the team to the Kerry county final but they were badly beaten by an imperious Dr. Crokes outfit.
Reeling from the blow of that heavy defeat, Stacks' stalwart, and another All-Ireland winner, William Kirby had a startling epiphany in his manager's presence.
Stack recounted the tale of Kirby's realisation in the wake of last weekend's triumph.
William Kirby said to me last year, when the two of us were absolutely blind drunk on the counter of Connolly Park inside in our own club park, he banged the counter and said 'Stephen we just have to work harder!' and we all felt the same. We were prepared to make the sacrifices this year.
Kirby's banging fist on the table belongs up there with Rob Kearney's speech as the Irish team meeting in Cartoon House in late 2008 and Davy Fitzgerald pouring out Mi-Wadi for his youthful Clare players in 2013. Magic stuff.
Read also: Balls remembers: Kerry - The Lost Years, 1987 - 1996
