On a day when he watched his two nephews Killian and Adrian win their first All-Ireland medals, Pat Spillane remembered his late father Tom, who he says "would have been a proud man to now have 21 All-Ireland medals into his house".
Spillane's time as an RTÉ analyst came to an end, happily for him as Kerry proved to good for Galway in this year's footballing finale. Watching the Kingdom players lift Sam Maguire on the steps of the Hogan Stand, the Templenoe legend recalled an All-Ireland final between the same counties 58 years ago.
With some emotion in his voice, he told The Sunday Game Live: "In 1964, my father was a selector on the Kerry team against Galway. The night before the game he had a pain in his chest. He wouldn't go to the doctor and went to the game the following day as a selector. He was dead by Tuesday. Kerry-Galway matches to me always bring back this memory.
An emotional Pat Spillane speaks about the legacy of the Spillane family as more All-Ireland medals are added in this generation #sundaygame #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/wsUpZZgLP4
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 24, 2022
"My father never saw his three sons (Mick and Tom Jnr being the others) play. Today the three sons have 19 All-Ireland medals between them and his two grandsons today - Killian and Adrian - have two more. He would have been a proud man to have 21 All-Ireland medals into his house. It's just a special day."
Paying tribute to his two nephews, Spillane added: "They're chalk and cheese. Killian is so laid back to the point of horizontal. Killian was always gifted, and was always going to be the best forward, best player. Adrian wouldn't have Killian's skill ability, but what Adrian has is heart, he trains and trains; he's fierce determined and what you see is what you get - 100% effort. I'm glad for both of them."
The Spillane brothers, Adrian and Killian, react to Kerry's victory and what was needed to get over the line against Galway. #sundaygame #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/GGhjDDlWXb
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 24, 2022
As for the brothers themselves, they also referenced those who came before when speaking about their father Tom, with Adrian saying: "It's every child's dream to play in Croke Park on All-Ireland final day and to do it with my brother next to me was very special.
"Leaving home there on Saturday, our father was rightly geed up, he could have gone out and played the game himself today. He's up in the stand, a very proud man. It's great for our family, a great day out.
"It was always football as long as I can remember," said Killian.
"To hear what the lads did in the 1970s and 80s we had no other choice but to do it. It was nice to put our own stamp on it."
