‘Whatever helps the team, I’ll do it’

For all the cryotherapy and treatments Darran O’Sullivan underwent to remedy his hamstring in time for this evening, deep down he knew he was behind the eight ball after scoring Kerry’s vital goal against Westmeath on Sunday.

“As I turned to shoot, I felt it straight away,” he recalls of the strike after coming off the bench in Mullingar. “Most people probably saw me running out and if it wasn’t so tight I probably would have gone off straight away. I figured I’d try and play through to the finish. Unfortunately, I did more damage to it.”

He doesn’t mind being collateral damage providing his absence isn’t felt against Tyrone in Killarney where he has been named among the substitutes.

“The team is bigger than any individual and if it means I can’t play any part this weekend having helped last weekend and we win, then great.

“Whatever helps the team, I’m going to do it, whether it means me missing more time out or whatever. If I’m told I’m not up to playing because it’s for the good of the team then I’ll sit back and hope for the best.

“If I’m told I can play a bit but might do a bit of damage to the injury then I will do it. All I want to do is help the team.”

Should O’Sullivan fail to make any appearance this evening, it won’t be for the lack of trying.

He’s visited the Shannon Cryotherapy Clinic in Ennis this past week as well as perched himself up on the physio table no end.

“Anything that can help, I’ve done it,” he sighs. “I’m just hoping for the best.”

Having felt Tyrone’s sword as an unused substitute in the 2005 All-Ireland final and then a used one in the 2008 decider, it’s not a start O’Sullivan is missing lightly.

“It’s straight knockout and we’re only in July and especially against Tyrone who we have a great rivalry and history with in recent years. We’re two teams who dominated football for 10 years. You want to play in all the big games and this is a massive game for both counties.

“These are the games you train for and want to be part of. I’d be dying to be out there but maybe it’s come too early for me.”

He doesn’t view Mickey Harte’s Tyrone as having a hold over Kerry. He just sees them as being the better team in previous Championship meetings.

“I don’t really read into the hoodoo thing. The way I see it is they’re a big rival of ours because they’ve been successful in recent years and we’ve always played each other in big games. They’re another one of the big GAA teams out there. When you’ve had a bit of heartache against a team, you have motivation but it would play very little for us. We just have a game to win.”

He’d tell you if he knew why Kerry haven’t been able to translate what they claim is excellent training into games.

“We know we haven’t been anywhere near top gear. We’re trying to work hard and fellas just want to get their heads in the game.

“I’m very confident the work we’re putting in on the training pitch will come out in a game and hopefully it will this weekend. We’ve trained and worked very hard on certain things and it’s been going well; unfortunately it hasn’t been seen in games for whatever reason. The ball mightn’t be hopping our way or little things like that but hard work always seems to pay off and we’re hoping it will find its way out on the pitch on Saturday.”

Given O’Sullivan’s difficulties and Jack O’Connor’s admission that they only risked him against Westmeath because it looked like they were going out of the Championship, the sight of the Glenbeigh/Glencar man coming on in Fitzgerald Stadium may be Kerry’s alarm bell. But they wouldn’t say no to another of his goals even if he admits his technique can get him in trouble at times.

“It depends on what angle you’re going from,” he says of his rising finishes. “If I’m going from that angle you’ve very little space to aim for so you just try and hit it as hard as you can and as far away from the goalkeeper.

“Sometimes it works, other times it flies over the bar, which has been happening a lot this year.

“Diarmuid Murphy and (Eamonn) Fitzy (Fitzmaurice) would be telling me to point my toe at it but sometimes you have to aim high.”

Even if he can’t contribute, O’Sullivan fancies the Fitzgerald Stadium crowd will have a major role to play in helping out Kerry.

“Most people will tell you support can be worth a couple of scores. Up in Mullingar, I couldn’t get over the noise from the Kerry crowd. It’s been said Kerry people only travel to Croke Park but they were there in force last weekend. When we needed a geeing up they let themselves be heard and it’ll be the same this weekend.”