"It's just unbelievable, I thought these days were gone," a delighted Eddie Brennan told TG4 following Graigue Ballycallan's Kilkenny IHC win against Tullaroan on Sunday.
Nine points down at one stage, Brennan's side roared back to win by three and earn promotion back to senior hurling in Kilkenny.
Some of the reasons eight-time All-Ireland winner Brennan thought days like Sunday were behind him: it's six years since he retired from inter-county hurling; he's now on the wrong side of 40; he's now an inter-county manager having been confirmed as the new Laois boss last month.
"There's times I've hurled and you know a match is gone from you," said Brennan.
Today, you could just feel after half-time, when we got that first score, that was it, there was something there - we were never going to throw in the towel.
Something that gnawed at me was my one and only year as captain of this club, my legacy was that we got regraded. I suppose you just keep hanging in and hanging in.
To go and hurl with your club is always there, no matter what is going on. It's a great way to just get back in the saddle. It was there for me to go back and play at times; a few years ago, Westmeath dumped us out of the championship when I was over the U21s. It was a great bit of therapy, to go back and hurl with the club.
On the other side of Sunday's result was one of Brennan's long-time inter-county teammate, Tommy Walsh. There was a poignant moment on the pitch following the final whistle as Brennan consoled Walsh.
"The dream is there," added Brennan.
"We have a good crop of young lads coming through. They were probably too young four or five years ago but today, they were the reason we got over the line.
"Myself and the old brigade, James Ryall there, we just follow the young lads around."
You can watch TG4's interview with Eddie Brennan below.
An emotional @NedzerB13 speaks to #GAABEO after his Graigue - Ballycallan side came back from behind to beat Tullaroan in the Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Final. #GAA #GAABEO #TG4 @ballsdotie @The42_ie @SportsJOEdotie pic.twitter.com/UmeqQNF8vk
— GAA BEO TG4 (@GAA_BEO) October 30, 2018
