Cameron Diamond has had quite the rise to fame over the last few weeks. The 19 year-old DCU student scored the winning point in last Wednesday week’s Dublin Senior Football Championship final.
The St Vincent’s forward managed to find the crucial score with only thirty seconds remaining in normal time.
“It didn’t even cross my mind that it was the winning point”, he says. “I just got in the position and tried to kick it over.
“It’s a huge feeling. A lot of the lads in the team have been waiting years for that and for a few of us young lads it was our first crack at it and we won it, so I’m absolutely delighted.”
St Vincent’s overcame local rivals Ballymun Kickhams by a point, after a draw three days earlier.
They went on to beat St Loman’s of Westmeath in the Leinster Championship quarter-final the following Sunday, and now face a semi-final clash with Meath winners Summerhill, fixed for November 24th in Parnell Park.
Diamond says: “It’s tough, but straight after the final on Wednesday we were down in Westwood doing our recovery session and the day after we were out doing ice baths as well. So we can only take it as it comes. Recover as well as we can, eat well and try and give as good a performance as we can. It’s been three cracking games in the space of seven days.”
For St Vincent’s, this is their first county title since 2006, when they went on to claim both provincial and national honours.
“I featured in a good bit of the league games but I wouldn’t say I was starring in all of them,” Diamond says. “But around the summer time I really just knuckled down. So yeah, I just got lucky and played well.”
Diamond is one of four brothers involved in the Vincent’s panel, all of whom are past or present DCU students. Between them they hold five All-Ireland medals with the different university teams.
Diamond and his twin brother Turlough were a part of last year’s fresher winning panel.
Their father Tony has been a prominent figure over the years in both DCU and underage football in Dublin, as well as being involved in this year’s Down senior football set-up. “It’s great to share the experience with your brothers. Football is a huge part of our family.”
Diamond’s form will surely have caught the attention of Dessie Farrell and his Dublin U21 management team for the coming year, but he insists his sights are firmly set on his club commitments for now.
“I’m just thinking of the club really, I haven’t thought of Dublin U21s at all yet so we will just have to wait and see.”
Surprisingly, Diamond has actually yet to feature for his county at underage level, although he did win the prestigious Leinster Senior Cup in rugby with St Michael’s in 2012.
Brothers Cormac and Tiernan have each lined out for Dublin at both minor and U21 level, with Cormac still currently involved in the DCU Sigerson panel, where of course Tony has been involved as a selector for the past number of years.
The family no doubt have a special bond with DCU GAA, one that Diamond is itching to continue on into the future.
“DCU has been great for me and my family. They’ve brought on my football so much over the last year, and I really look forward to working with them again in the future.”
by Eamon Donoghue
Image Credit: Sportsfile
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