No rest for Páidí as sights turn to Sam

Jim O’Sullivan

Ó Sé was back to basics after returning home to his family on Sunday evening by helicopter, tending to his business, visiting his mother - “Saturday night’s game knocked 20 years off her life,’’ he joked.

But, it’s back to the real business of the Bank of Ireland championship this evening when training resumes.

Speaking from Ventry last evening, Ó Sé said the focus is already on bigger prizes.

“This will be a test of their maturity. We have invested an amount of money into the preparation of the team and from that point of view it would be very wrong of us if we couldn’t keep the lid on the celebrations and give ourselves every possible chance in the quarter-final,’’ he said.

“But, I’d like to think there’s a good bit of maturity in the team. We have been to Sunderland and we have been to Inchydoney. We have done everything very professionally and we would undo everything if we actually took our eye off the ball.

“We’d like to feel we can be ambassadors for Leinster as well.’’

As he indicated in his post-match TV interview, Ó Sé would not make any comparisons between his success with Westmeath and his achievements with Kerry.

“First of all, I’m a Kerryman and I’ll always be a Kerryman. I had many great days in Croke Park with Mick O’Dwyer as a player and many great days there as a manager - as well as my bad days as well. It was something else altogether in Mullingar on Sunday, but as to whether it was as good as a day for me being with Westmeath is something I am keeping to myself and not saying to anybody!’’

Stressing the importance of having midfield star Rory O’Connell available (after his successful High Court action), Ó Sé described the successful appeal as an “act of humanity”.

Just imagine the powers-that-be, if they stopped Rory from playing. He’s one of the players that the supporters want to see, because of his fielding ability alone. He was a colossus for us last Saturday evening.

“He missed out on half of the Offaly match, the whole of the Dublin match and the Wexford game. I’m not finding fault with referees or officialdom, but thanks be to God, there was a small bit of practical sense out there somewhere.’’

Whether O’Connell will continue to be available, he said he sincerely hoped common sense would prevail.

“I am a very proud GAA man and I’d like to think that at all times I’d adhere to the organisation [rules]. But, I could see exactly see where Rory was coming from.’’

He revealed he had been quite confident that his team could triumph, saying his knowledge of Mick O’Dwyer and his respect for him as a coach assured him that it would again be a game of football.

“Micko trains football teams to play football and I experienced that over a period of 17 years. We didn’t have that to worry about,’’ he added.

Equally, he acknowledged his team had enjoyed the ‘rub of the green’.

“We got it in every match,’’ he agreed. “Laois had a great chance of a goal near the end and when they didn’t get it, I knew after that we would win.

“Our main priority now is to get ourselves focused again. We can’t really tune in until we find out who the opposition will be, but in the meantime we can get the bodies back into physical shape.

“I will never go out to say that I directed them. There was an amount of work done before me, we have a very energetic County Board and Supporters Club, a magnificent management team and a great trainer in Tomás Ó Flatharta, whom I knew personally.

“That was one of the key appointments I made up there.’’