Cork will not be let off lightly

YOU’D need to know a little about Eddie O’Sullivan to appreciate the significance of his comment that he ‘lives for football’.

The most senior member of Páidí O Sé's Kerry management team, he is recovering from prostate cancer and feeling lucky to be able to lead a full and active life again.

Best known as 'Tatler', after the name of his pub in Killarney, he won't be the only member of the family with a direct interest in the Kingdom's dual involvement in Croke Park on Sunday.

His son Patrick is development officer of the county board and his son-in-law Pat O'Shea is trainer of the minor team which takes on Meath.

He recalled a conversation he had with his doctor, John Buckley, before leaving hospital in Tralee. "John asked me what I enjoyed most and when I said football, he said 'do that'. To be honest, I'd be lost without the football. It's everything to me.''

After returning from America in 1975, he got involved first at local level with Dr Crokes and in time served as a selector with Kerry teams in all grades working for six years with Mick O'Dwyer. Later he served with Mickey Ned O'Sullivan and was associated with the team which was shocked by Clare in the 1992 Munster final.

His first association with an All-Ireland winning team was the minor team of 1980, trained by Tom Prendergast when Tom Dee from Ballylongford was captain. Four years later he was involved with the seniors when Ambrose O'Donovan lifted the Sam Maguire Cup. In his first year back as a senior selector, Kerry won the 2000 All-Ireland against Galway.

However, it was a very different story when Kerry faced up to Meath in the All-Ireland semi-final 12 months ago. It has never been easy to explain what happened. "We were so disappointed that we didn't know what to think really until we got going again this year.'' He adds, "You can imagine what a let-down that was, and we were all very determined to get things right.

"We set out to look for new players. We were lucky we got them. We have about five new lads from last year and a few more among the subs who are there or thereabouts. We are pleased enough about that.''

Colm Cooper, his own club-man, is one of the 'new' players, undoubtedly one of the finds of the year not just for Kerry but the game overall. Yet it's not as if he was discovered overnight. Ten years ago he was the mascot when Crokes won the AIB All-Ireland club title, when several of his brothers were members of the team.

"He has always been around football and he modelled himself on Pat O'Shea.

"He's a great lad. The year we won the county championship he was just 16. He just lives for the game."

Reflecting on the replay in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, he feels that Kerry were fortunate not to lose by 20 points.

"Cork could have had five goals that day. We did have problems that day, but things have worked out since and we are pleased. If we had beaten Cork we mightn't have found some of these players. And nowadays it's a 20-man game.

"We're lucky we have players like Aodhan MacGearailt, Tom O'Sullivan and John Crowley to come on.

What pleased him most about Kerry's win over holders Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final was the way the team finished the game.

"I can recall that over the last few years it was at the end of the matches that they were winning. They were getting those vital scores. But it happened for us the last day.''

The night that Darragh O´ Sé was sent off in Gallarus, Eddie was attending another game in Finuge. But it didn't take him long to hear the news. "It gave us a bit of a scare, we thought he was gone,'' he says.

"But it was accepted that it was a mistake. Hopefully that's all behind us. All we are thinking of now is taking on Cork on Sunday.''

The progress made by Larry Tompkins's side was predictable enough, he feels, saying they have "a better squad" this year. "But from our point of view we are happy enough with the way things have gone for us. I feel we have come a long way since the second game with Cork. A lot of the older fellows have also regained their form, Donal Daly for instance. At the start he had a lot of injuries and he had to be patient.

"We were going to play him on a number of occasions, but we didn't because Johnno [John O'Keeffe] said he wasn't right and that was it.

"Johnno is something else of course, he's fantastic at the training. Himself and Páidí complement each other. Johnno always believes in having a fellow 100% ready."

For a long time he has appreciated the talents of the Cork captain Colin Corkery, having admired him frequently in games between Nemo Rangers and Crokes.

"He's a great player, no doubt about that, and a very genuine lad. He probably got the upper hand on Seamus Moynihan on a couple of occasions.

"I'm sure the duel between the two of them will be worth seeing.''

"Looking at the Cork team overall, their backs are very strong. I don't think our forwards will get as much space as they got from Galway."

Tatler is expecting a close match and whatever about the outcome, he could never envisage Cork achieving anything like the superiority they enjoyed in the last meeting.

"We were very poor on the night of the replay. I don't think we will be that bad on Sunday.''