Heimir Hallgrímsson put his faith in the Everton defender on Thursday night in Prague and Seamus Coleman didn’t let his manager down.
Seamus Coleman celebrates Ireland’s second goal in Prague(Image: INPHO/Ben Brady)
Jimmy Dunne has paid an emotional tribute to Seamus Coleman, describing the veteran defender as “phenomenal” and “inspirational.”
Dunne, speaking in the wake of Thursday’s World Cup play-off semi-final defeat to Czechia, hailed the Everton star for “dragging us through the mud.”
It was a remarkable tribute to a remarkable player, one who, at the age of 37, has likely seen his last chance at a World Cup appearance disappear.
“To be honest, my heart goes out to Seamus and the more experienced players,” said the QPR captain.
“And also [it goes out to] players that wish they were on this journey at the minute, with Josh Cullen and a few other lads who are missing out with injury.
“I’ve never seen a leader like Seamus, it’s phenomenal.
“I know you hear a lot of stories about how inspirational he is but you don’t know until you experience it and my heart goes out to him.
“I wish there was more I could have done or we could have done for him, and we’re incredibly disappointed ourselves that for Seamus and for the staff as well that we couldn’t get over the line.”
Asked what makes Coleman so inspirational, Dunne replied: “It’s a combination of everything.
“For me it’s how authentic he is, how genuine he is, how much he really cares, not just with his words but with his actions.
“It’s him constantly being available for us, constantly performing at a really high level for us and then dragging us through the mud in really difficult times and also with words of inspiration that touches the heart and makes us feel really grateful to be here.”
For Dunne, Thursday night was a bittersweet experience. He replaced Coleman six minutes into extra-time to make his competitive debut.
“Usually I would say yeah [it’s good to get on],” said the Dundalk native. “Obviously I’m always very proud to represent my country.
“But it’s very hard to feel any other way but disappointed and heartbroken for the staff and our supporters and our families.
“We’re just going to soak up the disappointment and leave the positives for another day I think.”
When the heartache does lift, there will be opportunities to reflect with greater focus on the good things that have emerged from this campaign.
One example is the fact that a big group of young players has gained valuable international experience, and that knows what it takes to pull off a big result, as they did in November against Portugal and Hungary.
“The journey continues,” said Dunne. “And to be honest we were dead and buried in this campaign and we lifted the nation at one stage.
“I know we’ve fallen at the final hurdle there tonight, but looking forward there’s something to be really, really excited about.
“It’s hard to think about right now but there’s a lot of young players still in that group and obviously we’ve got the manager with us now for the future.
“If we continue going in this direction then we will succeed eventually.”
An easier route to Euro 2028, with Ireland as co-hosts, will redirect the focus in time.
“If you look at the amount of appearances the lads have racked up, young young players, they’re only going to grow better,” said Dunne.
“The back 3 tonight with Jake, Dara and Nathan, they’re young men. They’ve got loads and loads of games ahead of them and they’re such experienced international Irish players.
“So in the next campaign they’ll be better off for it and new leaders will appear and drag the next generation through.”