Vaughan: Crokes’ time has come

MARK VAUGHAN and the AIB Club championships have had what could best be described as a love-hate relationship in the past five years. But the enigmatic forward believes Kilmacud Crokes are finally ready to achieve All-Ireland honours.

The Dublin forward has earned two provincial club medals with the Stillorgan side but those memories have been sullied by a pair of red cards as well as the club’s failure to go on and claim the top prize.

Vaughan’s first sending off in the competition came back in late 2004 when he was dismissed for striking a Portlaoise player in the Leinster semi-final, a fate he endured again early in 2006 in the All-Ireland semi-final against Salthill-Knocknacarra.

The Dublin champions face Galway opposition yet again this Saturday when they play Corofin in Mullingar in the last four, but Vaughan insists both he and the club have moved on in the three years since that day.

“Salthill was one we all want to forget. The sending-off made no difference at the end. They got a bit ahead with an early goal and lads pretty much panicked. We kicked way too many wides in the first-half with the wind.

“Lads were shooting from everywhere just trying to pull the points back but we are a more experienced team now. The bulk of the team we have there now have played in an All-Ireland semi-final already.

“The lads who have come through since then are just as good as the more senior players too so we probably have a better mix now than we did back then. We are probably better prepared.”

It has been a tough slog thus far for the south Dublin side. It took them a pair of replays to navigate through the Dublin semi-final and final stages while they somehow extricated themselves from disaster in the provincial decider against Rhode when down to 14 men and trailing by six points at the break.

Vaughan credits the side’s progress with their ability to repeatedly survive against the odds and a knack of scoring goals — they have claimed six in the last three games — has been evident since the earlier rounds in Dublin last year.

A more rounded 60-minute display will probably be a minimum requirement this weekend however, and Vaughan admits there have been a number of occasions already when he thought their number was up.

“Probably one of the Plunkett’s games or the Vincent’s game before that where I had one of my worst days kicking frees. We got one in the last minute and I didn’t think I was going to get it myself but it went over.

“Rhode as well, in the Leinster final. There have been a good few games where I thought ‘we’re in serious trouble here’ but we always managed to scrape out something. As long as we can keep that going.”

The main problem facing Crokes and all the other hurling and football semi-finalists this weekend is form, or lack of it. After all, it is eleven weeks since Kilmacud saw off Rhode in the Leinster final.

Vaughan has felt the layp-off less than most thanks to his commitments with DIT in the meantime but he readily admits that the lengthy lay-off probably lowers the overall standard.

Another result of the competition’s extended nature is the overlap with the NFL and Kilmacud’s Dublin contingent have had to look on from afar as Pat Gilroy gets his feet under the table with the county side.

“I think it is nearly an advantage,” said Vaughan. “We have been trying as hard, if not harder. I trained all through November and December with the college whereas the Dublin lads are only back since January.

“You are playing with your best mates in the club and if you come back with an All-Ireland medal in your pocket like the St Vincent’s lads did last year you have a spring in your step as well.”