REACTION: Family ties and fierce spirit drive Upperchurch to Munster glory, according to captain!

There was disbelief and pure delight in Keith Ryan’s voice as he tried to make sense of what his club had just achieved. Munster champions.

A sentence few inside the parish would have dared to imagine last January or February, yet a reality they embraced under the lights on an unforgettable night in Limerick.

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"It is unreal," he said, still absorbing the scale of it. 

They promised themselves they would give the provincial championship a right rattle. It might, Ryan admitted, be the only chance many of them would ever have to play at this level. They threw the shoulders in and gave it everything. 

The final itself was chaotic and gripping in equal measure. The game ebbed and flowed through a tight first half before bursting open after the break. When two opposition players were sent off around the 39th minute, the contest took on a frantic energy, but Keith felt his side handled the turbulence superbly.

"For the first few minutes, it was chaotic," he said. "But there are many leaders in that team. Lads sorted it out. Pick a man and go from there." 

With extra bodies around the half-back line and midfield, they controlled the pockets that mattered and built attack after attack. Once they settled with the advantage, they kicked on in ruthless fashion.

Much of the credit, Keith insisted, belongs to the management team. Liam (Dunphy), James (McGrath), James Greene and John Quinlan have transformed standards within the squad. Their attention to detail, their study of opposition teams and their clarity in setting out how they want their own side to play has had a huge impact.

"We try our best to implement what they tell us to do," he said. "Their knowledge is unbelievable. You fully back them, and thankfully we are reaping the rewards."

This resurgence has been shaped by setbacks, too. The club spent years in Premier Intermediate, not the place they wanted to be, but the journey back up has steeled them. Medals were scarce until this campaign, which has brought the hardening effect of finals both won and lost.

"We are not a team to turn our nose up at any trophies," Ryan said. "Winning finals is a good habit. We have had our fair share of losses, but we have got a bit of rub of the green in the last 12 months."

And now they stand on the brink of something even bigger. An All-Ireland final awaits. The players will enjoy the next few days before turning their minds to that challenge. 

Ryan insisted they have not spent time dwelling on history, despite becoming the first club from the county in 13 years to win at this grade. Focus remains fixed on the next task.

What gives this run its deepest meaning is the bond within the group, according to the winning captain.

"It is unbelievable," Keith said. "You have grown up with these lads, you have soldiered through thick and thin. It is a special feeling."

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