Behind enemy lines

Brian Lacey could have done without another reunion, just seven days after facing off with his great friend, clubmate and long-time Kildare colleague Glenn Ryan.

Limerick’s extra-time victory over Longford was well deserved but it immediately set up the possibility of another conflict of emotions, with Tipperary and Kildare in the pot. He would have preferred to avoid them but now that the Lilywhites are in his way, the Limerick coach and selector will be doing all he can to end their championship aspirations.

“It’s strange going back to play against Kildare,” admits Lacey. “I spent seven years playing there and I still live in Kildare town. The supporters are unbelievable and it will be strange to have them against me on the night.

“It was weird coming against Glenn last week, having been in the defensive unit with him for Kildare for seven years and obviously playing at No 5 beside him for Round Towers for so long. As usual, Glenn was very gracious in defeat. It could have gone the other way and be Glenn and Longford playing Kildare. That would have been even more dramatic without a doubt. I didn’t want to get Kildare, or Tipperary but the odds of avoiding them were 50-50. Kildare are a good team that have made great progress. In particular, they have a good record in the qualifiers. I played with a lot of the guys like Johnny Doyle, Andriú Mac Lochlainn, Ronan Sweeney and Mick Foley, and also my clubmate, Mark Scanlon is on the panel.”

Limerick endured a “topsy-turvy” league but a draw away to Fermanagh was a turning point. They had a slow start against Waterford, but powered home in the second. Unfortunately, another slow start saw them go in nine down at the break against Clare. That stretched to 10 early on. Then they produced some scintillating football to go one up. But Clare rallied to win and Limerick were left devastated.

But Lacey reckons they learned from that, adopting a “no fear” attitude going to Glennon Brothers Pearse Park.

“It’s about whoever brings it on the day,” is his summary, and anyone that saw Brian Lacey play for Arravale Rovers, Tipperary, Kildare or Round Towers knows he always brought it.

Given his experience, he is perfectly placed to offer an opinion on Seanie Johnston’s transfer to Kildare.

Lacey played for his native county from 1995-’97 before getting a job in Dublin. He moved to Kildare town and joined the All Whites in 1998, winning an All Star as the Lilies annexed their first Leinster title in 42 years. Having gone out of the Munster championship the previous three years to Kerry, he derived particular satisfaction out of defeating the Kingdom in the All-Ireland semi-final.

There was another Leinster championship in 2000 and he played his last game for Kildare in the 2004 qualifiers. A couple of years back with Tipperary included what was an important Tommy Murphy Cup success in 2005.

“I think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. We all have to abide by the rules, on the field of play and off it. In the Seánie situation, he abided by the rules that are there. I know the GAA has to be careful but I actually don’t think transfers are going to be a major issue in the future. The qualifiers have proven so-called weaker counties have a chance. Most of them have matched the fitness levels required now. Seanie’s transfer dragged out and it was unfortunate the way it worked out because I didn’t think it was a major issue. He is a Kildare player now and should be left alone to get on with it.”

Lacey is looking forward to his players doing themselves justice in Portlaoise.

“We have had extra 20 minutes of football to recover from but training has gone well. And it was great to be training on Tuesday night. Beating Longford was a great weight off the shoulders and you could see that in the players. I’m delighted for Limerick to have this chance.

“All year, 4,000 is the maximum crowd they’ve played in front of, and now they’re going to get 10-12,000. They deserve that for the commitment they put in but also, to have more people see what good footballers they are.”