There’s a scene in an episode of The Simpsons in which Homer thinks he has just died. On his way in the gates of Heaven he encounters Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr. Typical Homer, he barges past the triumvirate of musical greats and is quickly chided by the brash Martin for doing so.
And of course the other party had to respond with “Screw you Deano, you squandered your gift”. To which clearly bemused, miffed Deano ripostes with “Squandered my gift? I made 68 albums”! Now, the most well known Deano in Ireland, Rock, that is, has called time on his hit-laden career, which included eight All Ireland medals and numerous records made and broken from the time Jim Gavin gave him his break on the biggest stage of all in 2012.
As a Meath fan, he caused us more heartache than most – with only Mayo possibly harder hit – but what a footballer. What a man – humble and gracious. He is assured of a place in the pantheon of great kickers. A dead ball specialist of comparable brilliance to luminaries of the craft like Jimmy Keaveney and Brian Stafford and Larry Tompkins and Maurice Fitzgerald.
Now, you might think that Dean Rock was a made man before he made his own image. Being the son of a legend. Not only that, but one of the great free takers of his or indeed any era.
However, I would contend that being the son of Barney and graduating into that which is rightly regarded as the greatest Gaelic football team of all time brought a huge amount of pressure in its own right.
Not that you’d ever know from the player himself. The languid, laid back kicking style completely in keeping with the individual himself.
There will be other more glowing tributes to the Ballymun Kickhams clubman from folk more qualified than I. However, if asked to summarise Dean Rock’s importance to Dublin and illustrate as such, inclination would be to actually go back before his time.
To what must now surely be regarded as the most famous point ever kicked in Gaelic football. Whether the free ever should been awarded is another thing, but equally a moot point.
Bernard Brogan giving the signal like the blue lights of a fire brigade for Stephen Cluxton to amble forward and boot himself into the annals of GAA history is now one of the most recognisable sporting moments.
But here’s the thing – Cluxton was only on firefighting duty kicking frees because Dublin were bereft of a dead eyed Dick from placed balls which every team needs if they are to even entertain ideas of being successful at any sort of high level.
Suffice to say, that by the time those that were then Jim Gavin’s gang notched the first of their historic six in a row, they had no such worries as the free taking son of the free taking father made the role his own. Like all the true greats, such was his consistent brilliance that – in an almost blase way – his routine conversion of what were often pressure cooker, history defining moments, were almost taken for granted.
Not consciously or in a deliberately disrespectful way by any means. It was just a case of ‘free for Dublin? Rock will nail that’. And the score would be almost nonchalantly chalked up before the ball was even kicked. Nothing or nobody seemed to put him off his stride. Not even Lee Keegan’s flying GPS tracker.
The careers of the pair could actually be measured parallel to each other. The only but hugely significant different between the two being the all important Inches spoken about at great length in the iconic scene in Any Given Sunday. Keegan copped an unfair amount of cr** for doing as he did. All of which underscored the wing back’s status as one of the really great warriors. Be that in green and red or any other shade.
Anybody in the same position would’ve done the same thing in pursuance of that inch for their team. That it had absolutely zero impact on the man kicking the free only spoke even greater volumes for his guile, experience and balls of steel. A triumvirate of commodities Dessie Farrell will now have to unearth in his stead. On that score, however, it’s doubtful anybody has ever served as lengthy or successful an apprenticeship as has Cormac Costello.
Dean concluded his retirement announcement thus – “With every ending there is a new beginning. I look forward to seeing what that will bring.” Don’t be surprised if that’s a hint to future management plans. And here’s another tuppence worth, watch out for young Sadie Rock and any future siblings she may have in the decades ahead. Football pedigrees don’t come more blue blooded or glorious.
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