Brennan: Our time to strike

The left peg remains cultured. Pádraig Brennan may be pushing 34 but 15 years’ service to defence forces has helped to keep him in decent nick.

It may be four seasons since he last kicked a ball in anger for Kildare, yet the elder statesman of the Sarsfields team has had plenty to say in making tomorrow his ninth county final appearance.

With 1-10 to his name, he has been more than chipping in, showing the way on occasions to the club’s county players Alan Smith and Gary White. He sees them now and recognises they are in optimum physical condition, nothing like when he and the other svelte-like players Mick O’Dwyer inherited on his return to Kildare 14 years ago.