‘It’s going to be Kerry’s day’
The Killarney native, stationed in Bantry, said: “I’ve tried to put up the Kerry colours on the squad car when out on patrol but they continued to be taken down by the locals; but come Sunday I will have the last laugh because there is no doubt in my mind it’s going to be Kerry’s day.”
However, she won’t see the game.
“I’m going to France for the Rugby World Cup this weekend and lest anybody thinks for one minute that I’m making sure to be out of the way if the result goes against us, nothing could be further from the truth. It’s just an unfortunate clash of events. I had planned the holidays long before the teams qualified for the final. Still I’ll keep in touch with home to hear how things are going.”
And, if you pardon the policing pun, she has no lack of back-up in her support of Pat O’Shea’s side.
“In the station here the staff is evenly divided between Cork and Kerry so I’m not completely isolated. The view among the lads is it’s too close to call. Munster finals will come and go, but this is the real big one. Some of the lads are saying that if they were to win, it would make up for all those defeats they suffered in Killarney over the years, and would give Corkonians along the border with Kerry the bragging rights forever.
“An All-Ireland final between them is massive and it will be hard on the team that loses. Victory for Cork would mean a lot more simply because Kerry have won so many times. I want to be able to come back in here to work in a couple of weeks time and flash the Kerry colours around as All-Ireland champions. I know my colleagues will be waiting for me if the result goes the other way, but that’s the beauty of sport — the uncertainty of it.”
Meanwhile, Damien O’Neill has more reason than most to hope for a Cork win. Winner of All-Ireland medals at minor and U21, the big one escaped him in 1999 when Cork fell to Meath in the senior final.
Bantry’s success in winning the 1998 county championship saw O’Neill being appointed captain of the county the following year. After victory over Waterford he was injured in the next round against Limerick and was replaced as captain by club mate Philip Clifford.
“I picked up a groin injury in the game against Limerick and didn’t have the patience to wait for it to heal and opted out of the scene. Losing that final was hard because Cork were well in the game but ran out of steam.”
On Sunday, he expects all the pressure will be on Kerry to land back to back titles, a feat last achieved by Cork 17 years ago.
“However if Cork are to win it, they will have to produce the performance of a lifetime.
“This is Kerry’s fourth All-Ireland final appearance in a row, and Croke Park is like a home from home for them. If you look back on both counties’ last two games in the championship, Kerry were far more impressive than Cork.
“Remember they went into the Monaghan game without a game for six weeks and managed to come through. They were always going to beat Dublin, who didn’t have the backs to hold the Kerry forwards. Cork struggled to see off the challenges of Louth and Sligo, but I’d go back to the Munster final to see the real Cork.
“They showed great character in clawing their way back into the game when it looked as if they had blown it. There is no way the Kerry forwards will get the same freedom they enjoyed against Dublin, off the Cork backs. As a midfielder I always felt it was the key area in any match and it will be again on Sunday. Nicholas Murphy is having a great season and hopefully there is one more big game in him. It’s a very hard game to call and I can’t come down on the side one team or the other, but it would make life far easier for us down here if Cork were to win it”.
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