Tough Rhode ahead as Crokes boss Carr gears up for classic

KILMACUD CROKES manager Paddy Carr is predicting a “classical final” when his side does battle with Rhode for Leinster club honours.

Crokes have shown tremendous resilience to reach the decider, consistently managing to overturn interval deficits despite a lengthy list of unavailable players due to injury, suspension and studies.

Adrian Morrissey’s controversial suspension will be appealed, but Mark Davoren, Darren Magee and Paul Griffin are long-term absentees. Niall Corkery was forced out of Sunday’s semi-final victory over Garrycastle though and is “highly unlikely” to be fit for the final.

“Niall’s knee is not right at all at the moment,” said Carr. “He’s still in London and we’ll try and do what we can to get him right but, to be honest, it’s highly unlikely that he’s going to feature.”

Carr joked that he wasn’t going to allow Rory O’Carroll to return to France, where he is currently studying, if he didn’t confirm his availability.

“It’s great to have him and lads are making those kind of decisions that are making a big, big difference to us.”

Sunday week’s clash is a repeat of the 2008 final, which Kilmacud won en route to annexing an All-Ireland title. That defeat will serve as a major spur for the Offaly men according to Carr.

“They are a serious outfit. They will use the disappointment of two years ago. We’ll gather ourselves together and we’ll go at it as best we can now for the next fortnight.

“It’s the makings of a classical final. Rhode are a top class side and we will give them the respect they deserve. We’ll try and improve and get ourselves right for the game.”

The ongoing improvement in Mark Vaughan’s fitness will undoubtedly help in this regard. While he looked well off the pace early on despite kicking the opening score of the game off his left boot, and made a number of errors, he contributed to the creation of at least three other points and grew in confidence in the second half. He will certainly benefit from getting an hour’s play under his belt.

But it is the squad’s fighting spirit that is the key to them. Prior to Sunday’s hard-fought victory over Garrycastle at Parnell Park, team captain Pat Burke had declared that they would have to look at why they kept giving themselves mountains to climb. But as long as they can keep doing so, it isn’t an issue. “When you get into football at the back end of November, it does really come down to heart and character,” says Carr.

“There is a certainty in our dressing room that lads give everything and that’s the kind of honesty that you have to get from footballers. Winter football brings that out in them. We’re back in a Leinster final and we’re hugely pleased about that.”