Ó Cinnéide looks for complete performance

DARA Ó CINNÉIDE won't have the buzz of winning a Sigerson Cup at this stage of his football career - but a Munster club SFC title with his beloved Gaeltacht tomorrow would provide ample compensation for the one missing medal.

Ó Cinnéide is a big fan of the blue riband event in colleges GAA, but never won a Sigerson medal in his time at UL - ironically, IT Tralee put paid to his hopes six years ago.

"I would loved to have won a Sigerson medal," the Kerry attacker reflected yesterday. "After the All-Ireland, it's the toughest and most prestigious competition on the calendar.

"The cream of the country's footballers are involved. You make great friends also, and of course the craic is mighty. However, the club is where it all begins and ends for a player and that's why tomorrow's final is so important for both teams."

Tomorrow Ó Cinnéide gets a second opportunity to win that coveted award with An Ghaeltacht who face St. Senan's of Kilkee in the final at the newly revamped Gaelic Grounds, Limerick.

It's a first final appearance for the Kerry champions while St. Senans were involved in the 1987 and 1992 deciders, without success.

"We won our first Kerry county title two years ago and had to play Nemo Rangers in the Munster championship a week later. That game almost passed us by before we realised we were in it.

"It was only in the last 10 minutes that we began to play and then came very close to victory. This year our Munster semi-final with Castlehaven was a big one for us. If we had lost it the county final would have meant nothing. We were conscious of that coming out of Kerry.

"There was a lot of support behind us for that game and there would have been huge disappointing in the county had we lost for a second time in three years."

An Ghaeltacht struggled for three-quarters of an hour against the Cork champions before finally coming good after a couple of important positional switches.

"It's been like that in all our games this season", said Ó Cinnéide. "While our last few games have been very tight, we have been far from convincing in winning them. There is a lack of consistency which is a worry.

"When we do play the scores come freely. There was a period in the county final against Laune Rangers when no team would have stayed with us. If we could put it together for the full hour, we would be very hard to beat.

"With so many inter-county players available to us, there might be a view out there that tomorrow's final is not high on our list of priorities.

"Far from it. In another year or two we could all be back with the club and the county scene would be a distant memory. We were with the county long before the club came to prominence. It's usually the other way around.

"It's time now to give something back and a win tomorrow would the perfect way to say thanks to the club for giving us the opportunity to play."

If this was an inter-county clash, one would automatically lean towards Kerry, but St. Senans are no bad team, a point not lost on Ó Cinnéide.

"Reports tell us that they are particularly strong at midfield where the Russell brothers David and Denis were very impressive in their win over Cahir in the semi-final.

"You say what happened to us in that area against Castlehaven. If we don't get break even there, we could be in real trouble as they have a couple of very good forwards in Ger Keane, his brother Micheal and Barry Harte.

"All the lads are well up for this game and there is an extra spring in the step. There is a possibility of history being made and we all want a piece of it".

An Ghaeltacht will start favourites, if only for the amount of talent they have available. If their inter-county men come good together - and to date they haven't - then the Michael O'Connor Cup, called after one of their own, should reside in the Kingdom for the first time since Laune Rangers success in 1996.