'He's still there in the dressing room' Tipp star playing for late Dillon Quirke

Irish Daily Mirror

7 days ago

Teaching third and fourth class in Kilruane National School, Tipperary's Craig Morgan is never short of feedback.
'Children are probably the most honest people out there,' he says. 'They'll tell you on a Monday morning how you went on a Sunday.
'There's no filter there. They'll ask you why didn't you do this or why did you do that. You'd be thinking about it yourself after.'
Last year those conversations would have been more downbeat as Tipp were out of the Championship weeks before the school term ended after a winless campaign in Munster.
This year, they've outlasted it by a week or so with an All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny coming up at Croke Park on Sunday.
'You take it on the chin and you get on with it,' says Morgan of the hurling chatter from his students, which is often a regurgitation of their father's opinions. 'We have a life outside of hurling too that we need to get on with.
'Our own families are a huge support to us for the amount of time that we put into it, so there are good people there as well that have your back when things aren't going so well. That's GAA, that's hurling for you.'
And going to the classroom from the pitch, Morgan says, helps to keep him grounded.
"It does of course. I suppose they're even looking at you and asking about players on the team. They look at a lot of the guys as role models and that's where they want to be. That grounds me back to where I am.
'I suppose it brings me back to being that age and thinking that I am where I am now and I need to enjoy that as well. There are going to be lows but you need to take them and learn from them.
'It's things you dream of doing so you need to just enjoy it when you're there. The kids are good to remind you of that. It's something they're looking forward to in life and that's their dream as well, so you're living their dream really."
And, in doing so, he carries the spirit of his late teammate Dillon Quirke, whom Morgan was especially close to and who was playing for Clonoulty-Rossmore against Morgan's Kilruane MacDonaghs when he tragically lost his life in August 2022.
'He's still there in the dressing room. He's still running out the tunnel with us. I know he'll be there next Sunday as well. Obviously he's in our minds every time we take the field. It's a privilege to go out and still wear the jersey. And to still play for him.
'I know even the last day, I was wearing the No 5 jersey with him as well. It's nice to bring it back to earth, I suppose. That he's there with you. He definitely is. He's still a huge part for us on this journey.'
This Sunday will be Morgan's first appearance at Croke Park, an honour that eluded Dillon at senior level.
'You'd like to imagine him there being as involved as much as we are. He's still part of that team we had under-21. He was there when the lows were there as well.
'We don't forget that either. Dillon was there when we weren't winning matches so he's definitely there with us when we're heading up to Croke Park.'