'Dogs' ready for the hard road

YOU know you're in trouble when the five-year-olds start to question your chances. Underdogs captain Mairtin Ó Cinnéide was accepting a presentation from the under-fives he coaches in St Brigid's, Castleknock.

Then one of them piped up: "There's no way you're going to beat Kerry. Who's going to mark Gooch?"

Ó Cinnéide laughs at the memory. As full back in tonight's game against the All-Ireland champions, his precinct is likely to have to answer some emergency calls, but there's no point in ducking the inevitable.