Watching brief for An Ghaeltacht's Franz Sauerland at home away from home

The teacher, who's based on Leeside, will see his West Kerry outfit line out at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday.

DOUBLE TEAM: David Clifford, Fossa, tries to get past Franz Sauerland, An Ghaeltacht during the Kerry Petroleum Senior Club Championship game at Austin Stack Park, Tralee. Pic: Domnick Walsh 

We last caught up with An Ghaeltacht captain Franz Sauerland on the eve of September’s Kerry intermediate final.

The secondary school teacher at Gaelcholáiste Carrigaline spoke of living in Blackrock, the midweek sessions at Nemo Rangers with the other few Gaeltacht players based on Leeside, and their long Friday spins back home to train with the full panel.

On this Saturday morning, each and every West Kerry resident is travelling that same road. They’ll cover, in convoy, the two-and-a-half hour spin Sauerland knows only too well.

But on the occasion that they land en masse just down the road from the Gaeltacht captain’s Blackrock base, he’s not able to join his teammates in stepping out onto a Páirc Uí Chaoimh field he passes regularly.

Rotten luck will confine him to the South Stand. Rotten luck has reduced him to a spectator on this latest An Ghaeltacht journey far from Gallaros.

Following our conversation on the eve of September’s county final, Sauerland went out and stood beside David Clifford for the hour at Austin Stack Park. Having kept as tight a rein as he could on a genius not taken to reining in, he then went up the steps to collect the silverware and confirm the club's return to the top grade.

The next Kerry forward Sauerland was detailed to tag and torment was Paul Geaney. The occasion was West Kerry’s county senior quarter-final against the standard-bearing club of the division, Dingle.

The assignment lasted four minutes. The ball arrived into their company. Sauerland went to tackle Geaney. The latter shrugged him off. The defender landed so awkwardly that he had to be stretchered from the same Tralee field that carried him shoulder-high only a month earlier.

“I tore the meniscus in my knee, an injury that is common enough and so they were all telling me I could be back in six weeks, but I suffered what is called a bucket-handle tear. A larger tear and longer recovery,” Sauerland explained.

“My knee was locked in place, so they had to surgically unlock it. Where normally it's an easy fix and you're back in a couple of weeks, I got six months out.” With a Munster campaign a few weeks in the offing, Sauerland’s season-over diagnosis was difficult to digest. The distance of his Blackrock base from the Gallaros field meant he was able to stay away. But even when home on weekends, he couldn’t face going over to training.

“I'd say it was a month before I went back. Training at home, I was kind of avoiding them. I was almost staying in Cork. In my head, I was like, I didn't really want to go back to see them there because I know it would upset me.

“Like everyone keeps saying, these opportunities don't come around often. I might never play in a Munster semi-final or final ever again, and an All-Ireland semi-final coming up as well.

“It has been difficult over the last number of months watching on. I have great belief in all of them, it's just when you have no control of the game, it's actually more nerve-wracking watching the games than having to play in them.” 

PJ Mac Láimh was team captain for 2024. A cruciate injury to the half-forward saw the role pass back the field to Sauerland. With him now sidelined, the captaincy has travelled back up the pitch to Mac Láimh.

“At full-time in the Munster final, he was kind enough to ask me to come up with him to get the Cup. PJ is great, to be honest.

“That same thrill on matchday, especially after a win, I know if I was playing it would be a bit more, but I still feel very much involved. I'm still there in the changing room, still there for the warm-up, still there at half-time, still on the sideline, still able to enjoy the celebrations afterwards, so it has been enjoyable too.” 

Today’s West Kerry takeover of Páirc Uí Chaoimh is scarcely believable when the numbers are drilled down into. An Ghaeltacht have 181 adult members, neighbours Dingle also have fewer than 200.

“As much as there is a rivalry between the two clubs, we're all hoping that both teams actually make it to Croke Park,” the injured defender remarked.

“I know they'd be out the following week to us, but it'd be unbelievable for such a small area to have two teams in All-Ireland finals. Even having both playing in All-Ireland semi-finals at Páirc Uí Chaoimh one after another is an event that will never happen again.

“It's all anyone is talking about, even people who wouldn't have any interest in the sport, they're going. I can’t see there being anyone left in West Kerry.”