‘We’ve quite a tale to tell from our barstools!’

Mel Gibson's William Wallace has just rocked up to the Battle of Stirling Bridge (minus the bridge in Gibson's 1995 classic) to face the King Edward's numerically superior English army. Fully kitted out, Wallace finds his fellow Scots, led by Andrew Moray, not overly enamoured at the prospect of tackling the English.

"Will you fight?" asks Wallace, painted like he's just stepped out of a Dublin championship victory in Croke Park.

"No, we will run and we will live," defiantly answers one of Wallace's fellow Scots.

"Aye, fight and you may die; run and you'll live, at least a while," replies Wallace, his voice rising toward crescendo, "And dying in your bed, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they'll never take our FREEDOM!"

Cue euphoria amongst the previous disheartened Scots who dive into battle like they've just heard an Eamon Coleman team talk. Victory is secured.

The context may be different but it sounds like plenty of pre-championship match changing rooms I'd wager!

For former Steelstown Brian Ogs manager, Hugh McGrath, it's a sentiment that sums up Gaelic Games. No, not the bloodied battle part (well, maybe . . . . ), but rather the opportunity to create shared achievements, shared memories you wouldn't trade for all the world, the type that every ex-sportsperson dines out on long after the boots have been hung on the nail for the final time.

And while he's not exactly going to be lying in his bed after stepping back last week, McGrath - who led the Brian Ogs to their first championship at senior level before the never-to-be-forgotten All Ireland Intermediate Club triumph in Croke Park - can sleep safe in the knowledge he's a few reunions to attend in the coming years.

"I met up with the guys on Friday to let them know I'll be stepping down and I said to them, 'Lads, for some of you it will be 10 years, for others 20, but once you become barstool warriors at least you'll have a good story to tell,'" smiles McGrath, reflecting on his second stint at Pairc Bhrid.

"That's what sport is about, it's about creating memories. In later life, when you're not fit and able to do these things, you'll still have these memories to laugh about, to discuss and to reminisce about.

"It's a great one to have (the All Ireland). Not every club gets to have that feeling, that experience, so we are very proud we were able to help provide it."

Both McGrath's tenures in charge of Steelstown have seen huge strides forward for the Ballyarnett club. His initial spell saw the Brian Ogs reach senior football for the first time in the club's history. His second, which began with two years in charge of the reserve team, brought one reserve title, one Derry Intermediate championship, that famous victory over Trim in headquarters and another return to the senior championship.

With their place in next season's senior championship secured - albeit via means not involving a size five - the obvious question for McGrath is, why now?

"It is just the right time," he adds, "At some stage you have to let a fresh voice come in. I can't be the only man who has ever managed Steelstown at senior level, there has to be someone else out there to bring their ideas to it. People think I've only been there for two years but I've actually been there four years in this stint, and four years is a long enough time. No, the time was right for everyone, I think. There's going to be a long break until the start of the new season which gives time for the club to find someone and for that new person to put whatever they want in place and get ready for the new season."

The Saul native's second spell will always be remembered for that All Ireland title and McGrath paid tribute to the work of his backroom team as well as those he says laid the foundations even before he took charge for a second time.

"Coming in the second time, I had been around the block a bit, I'd picked certain things up and so my approach was more fine tuning than starting from scratch. When we took over, Gibby (Eamon Gibson) had done a tremendous amount of work, as had Paul O'Hea before him, so we had a lot of skilled footballers, guys who all they needed was that boost in confidence to say, 'You are more than capable of doing this so go out and express yourself. Be the footballers we know you are.'

"That's basically all it was, giving those lads a bit of confidence to say, 'We believe in you, just go out and believe in yourselves' and you saw what the outcome was."

The current season proved an anti-climax after the highs of Croke Park, McGrath seeing many of his All Ireland heroes unavailable for the league campaign and with only limited preparation time for the championship.

"It wasn't that difficult a decision in the end to be honest. I'm fairly driven in what I want to do. Once we found out the whole relegation thing was done and dusted, for me, that was the perfect opportunity to say, 'Time to move on' and to open it up for someone else because that group of players has heard my voice for long enough.

"I have no doubt they can go on further and do bigger things, better things, and I think a different voice might help push that along a bit quicker.

"We didn't quite get the rattle at it we wanted this year, but the way the whole senior set up panned out, we didn't mind that. Our entire focus from the start of the season was game five of the championship. We knew we were going to be there because after the All Ireland we had boys disappearing here, there and everywhere and you'd never begrudge that. Young fellas need to explore and enjoy themselves as well.

"Unfinished business? Maybe, because I think we would have won our game. I know it's easy to say that now but we were going quite well again. We had left a couple of results behind us but training in the build up to the Banagher game had been excellent. We had started to see a sharpness and a return to form for some guys who hadn't been there.

"We think we are a senior club; we're still a senior club and next season, regardless of who takes over, that group will put their heads down, get the work done and show what they are about."

While McGrath is stepping back from club management he continues to be part of Rory Gallagher's backroom team with Ulster champions, Derry.

"Being involved with a county set up is like a different sport, let's be honest," he adds, "It is a very different environment. It's an enjoyable set -up. I have very different experiences with Derry. The current panel is one that can go further than they have already and to be part of something like that is immense so why would you pass it up?

"Plus it is a learning experience. Anyone who has ever met Rory will tell you what deep a thinker he is and how big a football man he is, so if you weren't keen to be part of that and learn from a man like that then you are in the wrong sport."

Freedom? It's over-rated!