Pressure is on to deliver minor title

THE number-crunchers, historians and nostalgia buffs will relish the pairing of Kerry and Roscommon in tomorrow’s ESB All-Ireland MFC final at Croke Park at 1.30pm.

Roscommon, contesting their first decider in any age group since 1980, last landed the Tommy Markham Cup in 1951 — the same year as Mayo’s last All-Ireland senior success.

Kerry, the most successful county at minor level with 11 titles to their credit, feel the weight of history too as they bid for their first crown since 1994 — a team which included Mike Frank Russell.

Helping them in their quest are Walsh, Moran and Kennedy, not some Wall Street law firm, but sons of Kingdom greats, Sean, Ogie and John — the latter being the manager.

The pressure to deliver a minor title is something Kennedy senior knows all about but makes an interesting observation: “Underage is ultimately a conveyor belt, a stepping stone to get to senior team. We might not have had successes in recent years but look at the number that have come through. That is a victory in itself. From a management and player’s viewpoint it is not an issue but there is always going to be plenty of talk about it. It is the furthest thing from our mind. Our focus is on Roscommon — not on history.”

Kennedy’s side limped to victory in their Munster Championship opener against Tipperary, stormed past Limerick (4-11 to 0-9) in the provincial semi before Tommy Walsh and skipper Paddy Curran guided them to a 1-13 to 0-8 win over the Premier and their 39th Munster crown. Kennedy’s son, Eoin and Dr Crokes Johnny Buckley — recalled for the final tomorrow — were among the goal scorers in the quarter-final win over Mayo.

Then came Donegal in the semi-finals and the one of Kennedy’s season highlights. With his side trailing by four points, Kerry goalkeeper Tomas Mac an tSaoir produced a brilliant save from Donegal’s Dualtach Molloy.

“We went down the field and hit four points on the trot before half-time and we were back in it,” he said.

The Kingdom ran out 2-13 to 1-10 winners. “This team has tremendous character and a huge work ethic. They are the best bunch of fellows we as a management team have every worked with. Their feet are firmly on the ground, the have developed into a unit but most importantly they want to be successful. People might talk about how good this minor team is. That judgment can only be made on Sunday around 3pm.”

Is he surprised by Roscommon’s progress: “Meath were favourites and Donegal were favourites in the two semi-finals but they are not there tomorrow. Two of our selectors, Paddy Creagh and Brendan Donnelly, went to the Connacht final and came back tremendously impressed by Roscommon. I saw them in their semi-final win, and from the moment they ran out on the field, I was very impressed by how professional they were.”

Roscommon Minor Board chairman Brendan Cregg agrees that their minors have given GAA in Roscommon a massive shot in the arm.

“This time last year Roscommon GAA was at an all time low, with the financial problems, with the performances on the field and the conduct off the field. This team came from nowhere, they had no success at underage, they were scraping to victory, they had no credentials. It is amazing what has happened.”

Peter Domican, David Flynn, David Keenan, Conor Devaney and Donal Shine form the core of the side but much of this success is due to team boss Fergal O’Donnell — the same O’Donnell who captained the Rossies to their last Connacht senior triumph in 2001.

Cregg said: “He took them when no one else would take them. His passion for the county knows no bounds and their preparation is on a par with any senior team in the country. He has covered all the bases. He knows the pitfalls and is protecting them from the negative pressure, the hype and is dampening expectations — all the type of things that might have affected Roscommon teams in the past.”

“The big test were Meath (in the semi final),” continued the chairman. “At half time, a lot of Roscommon people gave the players a standing ovation as they were leaving the field. That meant so much to them.”

Alas, many of those supporters wouldn’t be in Croke Park tomorrow.

“We got less than 3,000 tickets. We had 6,000 at the semi-final. It seems pretty paltry for us and there will be a lot of genuine supporters who wouldn’t be there.”