Emmett O'Shea: We have the tools to reach junior summit 

SCORING THREAT: Emmett O'Shea attacking at Laois Hire O'Moore Park, Portlaoise. Pic: Denis Byrne

Fossa forward Emmett O’Shea is in bullish form ahead of the club’s All-Ireland JFC final in Croke Park on Sunday.

O’Shea, who has scored 3-10 in his last three championship outings, isn’t concerned they will suffer a similar fate to fellow East Kerry team Gneeveguilla who lost last season’s junior decider to Mayo’s Kilmeena.

While acknowledging he was slightly wary, O’Shea then qualified: “But we’re not Gneeveguilla, we’re our own team and we can get it done. Especially with the two boys (David and Paudie Clifford), the subs who came on (v Castletown) and kicked a few scores. We have that and we can definitely win it.” 

O’Shea pointed to the amount of work the group have put in over the last 12 months, especially over the festive period, and is confident it will stand to Fossa when it matters most. 

“We were training all the time, three or four times a week,” he says of the break after the Munster championship. “We trained the day after Christmas, we were very committed.

“We’ve all been training since last January, we’ve been climbing up mountains, doing all this tough work. To get to Croke Park, it’s just magical. We’ve all dreamt about it the last year or so, so it’s great to get there.” 

Although they registered just one wide, the 12-point semi-final win over Castletown in Portlaoise last Saturday hardly flattered Fossa and O’Shea feels they have the potential to improve on the display. 

“We performed well but there’s more in the tank and hopefully next week we will show what we can do.” 

 O’Shea hailed the work put in by the management team, especially Adrian Sheehan and former Kerry senior manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice.

“Adrian has been my coach since U14 so I know him the last six or seven years. Éamonn came into the set-up last year and he really changed things. He’s the man behind it all. The two of them are geniuses. Magical. The trainings are so intense and everything is there.” 

 Sunday marks O’Shea’s first game in Croke Park since he scored three points when Kerry lost the 2019 All-Ireland minor semi-final to Galway. 

“It’s a huge achievement to play in Croke Park but it’s just another pitch where we have to get the job done and get the win.” 

Facing Stewartstown Harps, he expects a typically tough encounter from a Tyrone side. 

“Tyrone teams, they bring the intensity and the physicality and hopefully we can match them and get the win.”