A CHAMPIONSHIP day is always brighter with Brendan McLoughlin on the stage.

If the Larriers had a penalty or a 20-metre free, the call would go out.

Brendan would leave his security hut and head to the far end of the pitch to have a pop at goal.

No better feeling that seeing the net dance before you rush back to your own hall door.

Brendan has always been a bit of an entertainer. Once during this season’s Championship, a player was getting treatment.

It was a free to O’Toole’s deep in their own half. Brendan was about to take it. But as he waited for the whistle, he bounced the sliotar gently on his head.

EXCEPTIONAL

He’s been an exceptional goalkeeper for O’Toole’s and Dublin over the years. He has that natural swagger that’s so useful when you are trying to escape the traffic and clear the danger.

He’s happy to see Dublin hurling climbing the stairs. “It’s improving all the time. It’s going in the right direction.”

And what about the current number one, Gary Maguire? “Gary is as good as there is out there. He’s a fabulous goalkeeper.”

Brendan had his own idols. Among them the Kilkenny Cat, Noel Skehan.

“I have some wonderful memories of playing for Dublin. A few of us went straight into the senior set-up from minor at the end of ’93.

“I played against some top forwards both at inter-county level and here in Dublin. There was no shortage of good ones, that’s for sure.”

O’Toole’s almost made it back to the big-time this term. They forced Ballyboden St Enda’s to a replay in the semi-final.

“We had Boden on the run the first day, but we didn’t do enough in the replay. Still, it’s a young team. Not many of them would have played in a semi-final, or indeed have faced Boden in the Championship before.

“It was a new experience, so we’ll see next season how much we have learned from it.

“Overall, you’d have to say it was a good enough year for O’Toole’s, but we felt we could have gone that little bit further.”

And what about the chances of inflicting a New Year’s defeat on Anthony Daly’s men in Fingallians this Sunday (2.0) in the Dubs Stars clash.

“I think it will be a good match, and we’ll be certainly giving it a rattle.”

– Niall Scully