'Sideshow' draws spotlight to tonight's action in Thurles

THE Kingdom's loss in the 1998 All-Ireland semi-final, the involvement of sons on either side and the viewpoint that Mick O'Dwyer's involvement with the Lilywhites will end with their next defeat, have conspired to attract nationwide attention for this evening's fourth-round qualifier game between Kerry and Kildare in Thurles.

The '98 meeting of the sides marked the most significant milestone in Kildare's modern history, following the arrival of O'Dwyer in late 1990. They hadn't contested an All-Ireland semi-final since 1956 and their huge following in the crowd of 65,002 acclaimed his major role.

On the issue of facing his former boss for a second time in the championship, Paidi Ó Sé agrees that "it's a different situation" now and their sideline battle is no more than a side-show. "Micko has spent so much time out of Kerry that he's nearly more a Kildare man,'' he says, half joking, half serious. "A lot of the lads involved with Kerry now would only associate him with Kildare.