Sheridan makes case for interpros defence

Interpro Championship final: Leinster v Ulster

With ticket sales for tomorrow’s football final between Sheridan’s Leinster and Ulster in Croke Park in aid of Our Lady’s Hospital for Children, Crumlin not believed to be selling well, the Meath man recognises the games have to be promoted better.

He praises GAA president Liam O’Neill for adding the charity element this year but hopes more can be done for a worthwhile competition.

“Maybe people just think we get together and have a bit of craic and basically meet up to have a bit of a training session, to be honest,” he said.

“We met up last Saturday, we had a session, we’d a couple of meetings, we discussed the play, we got to know all the lads playing some bowling. We had a bit of craic there but it was all geared towards winning on Sunday.

“That’s how serious lads take it. Lads could have gone off and get some rehab work done. Lads might be struggling with injuries but they’d be pushing themselves so hard to make themselves available and that just shows how important they see it in their own eyes.

“Myself included, you might have a couple of niggling injuries but you try and get over them to play.”

Sheridan continued: “I think there should be an awful lot more importance placed on it. It’s great to hear Liam O’Neill on the radio coming home from the Connacht game pushing it and saying he was trying to find a good spot in the calendar for it. It’s great that all the money from the final is going to Crumlin. It’s fantastic and if people see that they will come out and support it more.

“It’s about letting people know that it’s on and it’s all for a good cause and good, free-flowing, entertaining football. A lot of people have been giving out about some of the games in recent years. If they want a good game to watch they should come to Croke Park on Sunday.”

Sheridan, who starts a new job with Acorn Insurance on Monday, insists people shouldn’t mistake just how much the players involved want to win.

“It’s so free and open. There are no tactics as such. We discussed a few things we wanted to work on but it’s man-to-man marking and there’s no zonal marking. You go out and try and beat your man, simple as that.

“I was watching the first half of the Connacht game and some of the points their boys kicked were unbelievable. A lot of the scores are from play and people don’t realise just how quick and fast it was.”

As a fellow Meath man, Sheridan has take pride in seeing how many players have been lifted by the presence of Sean Boylan in Pat Gilroy’s management team.

“Sean is just great to be around. All the lads who wouldn’t have dealt with Sean before are just amazed at how he keeps himself going. He’s full of energy and himself, Mickey Whelan and Pat as manager... you can’t really complain about that set-up.”