We're in this together, says Scanlon

It was back to the grindstone for St Kieran’s on Tuesday evening.

Five days after they were the victims of a robbery while training in Castleisland, they took in a session away from the scene of the crime in Brosna.

After having clothes, money, jewellery and other personal items taken, it was a dejected group of players that eventually made their way home from the Desmonds club grounds that night.

Hardly the best preparations for the divisional side’s first county semi-final in eight years. None of the stolen items have been recovered yet either.

But Seamus Scanlon couldn’t have been happier with the reaction of the squad. Describing last night’s workout as an “excellent” training session.

Under manager Martin Horgan, St Kieran’s have been revitalised. Meeting up regularly since the start of the year, the former TG4 Underdogs panellist has successfully cultivated a club ethic in a team with seven units represented.

“We used to come together only a week before games and you wouldn’t have much time to get to know the players,” recalls Currow man Scanlon of past experiences with the amalgamation.

“This year, we’ve been plugging away even when the players have gone back to their clubs.

“Martin has got us together once or twice a week and we’ve been together from January up until now. The way we see it is we’re in it together now or we’re not in it at all. There are a lot of us pushing on and we haven’t won anything with St Kieran’s.

“We got to know a lot of the players this year that we wouldn’t have known in the past. As the games go on, you get more of a bond going on.

“Whereas in previous years if you were knocked out in the first or the second round or whatever you’d hardly see those other fellas for the rest of the year. But we’ve gelled as a team now.”

Earlier in the year, Horgan brought in sports psychologist and Armagh’s 2002 All-Ireland winning defender Enda McNulty to work with the players — a move Scanlon feels has certainly benefited the team.

“I’d say at the start of the year nobody would have given us a chance, but you just have to keep that stuff away from you. Whatever the public thinks is totally different to what we think.

“We worry about our job and what we have to do. We kept away from what was being said outside, that ‘St Kieran’s had no chance’. We just took that on the chin and kept our heads down.”

Scanlon credits Horgan too with their rise in fortunes this year.

“ He’s put together an impressive set-up and the players have bought into it 100%.”

Wins over West Kerry, Kerins O’Rahilly’s and Kenmare have brought them to tomorrow’s semi-final with Dingle but it was the opening round defeat to Austin Stacks that convinced Scanlon the team had potential.

“I knew there was a lot more that this group of players could give. We never gave up [in that game] even when we were a few points down. I knew we would regroup.

However, Dingle present their biggest test yet. “We’ve put so much work in it would be a shame for it to end. We have to be more focused on our own game than Dingle’s and if we click that will go a long way to winning it.”