By Evan Dalton
Gaelic Football, in a modern era that includes zonal marking, two pointers, over and back breaches and many more new introductions, is full of ‘overnight sensations.’
David Clifford is of course the pick of the lot, but more legend than sensation.
The likes of Donegal’s young duo, Finbarr Roarty, and newcomer Shea Malone, Armagh’s Oisin Conaty, Galway’s Matthew Thompson and Tyrone’s Eoin McElhom are all tipped for greatness. But there was a time where breakout superstars were not too common in our national game.
Cast your eyes back to 1994. The 31st of July to be specific.
Ireland had recently been knocked out of the World Cup by The Netherlands, Minister For Education, Niamh Bhreathnach, had just pledged to deliver free third level education to all over the next three years and Wet Wet Wet’s hit “Love Is All Around” was enjoying a fifteenth consecutive week at the top of the charts.
Dublin faced off against Wexford in the Leinster Minor Football Championship, having not won the contest for 10 years.
Led by captain Ian ‘Robbo’ Robertson, the Dubs had a superb team. At corner forward, was a pacey youngster, by the name of Jason Sherlock. The son of an Irish mother, with his father from Hong Kong. Dublin ran riot, with Sherlock rattling the crisp white nets of Croke Park twice on route to a 2-12 to 2-06 win over the ‘Yellow Bellies.’
That 1994 team recently reunited on Dublin’s Capel Street, being photographed outside ‘The Boars Head.’ Sherlock celebrated his 50th birthday two weeks ago, and is currently working in DCU as Director Of Development of the DCU Educational Trust.
Although Jason is most known for his Gaelic football endeavours, he played basketball throughout his childhood, and represented Ireland at a very young age.
“One of the lads I played Basketball with as a kid, I remember his Ma saying to me, ‘you’re going to be a star,” Jason told The42.ie.
Heading into 1995, Ulster champions Down held Sam Maguire. The Mournemen played a superb season of football to earn it, including a stunning victory over the previous holders Derry at Celtic Park, in what is considered one of the greatest games of all time.
Down defeated Dublin in Croke Park on final Sunday, to win their fifth title. Dublin had now lost three All Ireland finals in a row. The boys in blue had not brought Sam back to the capital since 1983.
The two finalists were the fancied favourites for 1995. Down however, fell at the first hurdle, losing the Ulster Championship preliminary round to Donegal.
Pat O’Neill’s Dublin waltzed through the Leinster Championship, with a commanding win over arch nemesis Meath in the final. The Dubs were fancied for the showpiece, but three final losses in a row really left a feeling of doubt over the squad.
So who better to lead the team than a debutant, who didn’t experience any of those final losses, and had a ferocious winners mentality. At age 19, Sherlock stepped up to the plate.
The first challenge was the people’s republic, the rebel county, the real capital. Cork travelled to Croke Park on August 20th with some swagger in their step. The red army shot out of the gates, led by Colin Corkery’s sharp shooting boot from frees, and gained control of the contest. Dublin had gone over 20 minutes without registering a score.
That was until Sherlock gained possession of the football in the full forward line, he dummied to his left, and quickly shimmed to his right, making defender Mark O’Connor fall to the floor, before placing the ball into the far left bottom corner, past the diving hands of Kevin O’Dwyer.
“”It was a flukey thing,” claimed Sherlock speaking to the Irish Independent. “I said that to him after the game, but when you get these lucky breaks, you’ve just got to take them.
The Dubs didn’t let the lead slip for the remainder of the contest. They remained 70 minutes away from destiny, but a Peter Canavan led Tyrone was their opponent.
Dublin’s All Ireland weekend started out horribly, with Charlie Redmond, one of their prolific scorers, suffering a leg injury practicing frees on Thursday. In spite of his groin injury, he started the game, which wouldn’t even be close to the most interesting part of his Sunday afternoon.
Teenage sensation Sherlock hunted after the Tyrone defence, and won a loose ball. Chasing after it, like a lion hunting his prey, Sherlock stretched out to reach the ball, knocking it under goalkeeper Finbar McConnell, straight into the path of an almost limping Redmond, who raised the green flag.
Redmond was sent off at the start of the second half for an attempted headbutt on Feargal Logan. Redmond never left the field, played on, and was sent off a second time, in what was a three minute saga. Dublin played the remaining minutes with 14 men, but that, and Canavan’s 11 points were not enough. Dublin had won the 1995 All Ireland 1-10 to 0-12.
That was it. A 19 year old could’ve been crowned king of Dublin there and then. The Outhere Brothers adopted/Hill 16 adopted classic, “Boom Boom Boom, everybody say Jayo,” rang around Drumcondra for years on end after the 12 year drought ended.
While Sherlock enjoyed GAA superstardom, he continued to play professional football for both UCD and Shamrock Rovers from 1994 to 1999, becoming Shamrock Rovers top scorer in his first season in 1998. Sherlock made one appearance for the Republic Of Ireland U21 side, in that breakout year of 1995.
The impact ‘Jayo’ had on Dublin football knows no bounds. The boys in blue superstar retired from playing in 2010, and joined Jim Gavin’s management team in 2015, being a vital part of the attack that won six straight All Ireland’s.
But to DCU, his place of work, he’s just another friendly face on campus.
