‘The experience they gained last year from that Paul McGirr competition stood to them’ – Fitz

MEMBERS from both sides of Saturday’s managerial divide pointed to Franz Sauerland’s late goal as central to Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne’s six-point victory.

Sauerland rose above Tralee CBS goalkeeper Devon Burns and defender Sean Hamilton to touch the ball to the net in the 54th minute, putting the Dingle school four points up in a game that had been keenly contested up to that point.

But while Éamonn Fitzmaurice admitted the goal was “huge” in deciding the game’s outcome, he felt a four-point chain by his team prior to half-time, turning a three-point deficit into the narrowest of leads, was the match’s crucial spell.

“I think that was the winning of the game to be honest,” he said. “Tralee were totally on top of us in the first half, there was only one team playing the football, really. But there’s massive credit going to our lads to stick at it, and to be going in at half-time a point up was almost a surprise.

“I think that goal was huge and Tralee got a goal just after half-time and it gave them a bit of momentum for a spell, but thankfully we wrested it back. Like you said, that goal was a huge moment; it just gave us something to take with us for the rest of the game to see it out.”

In citing the main assets feeding into his team’s successful Corn Uí Mhuirí campaign, Fitzmaurice said winning the All-Ireland at under16-and-a-half level had added expertise in game management to the 2018 senior panel, but he also praised structures both within and outside of the school as important factors in making his team a winning outfit at this level.

“In fairness to the clubs, they do massive work. There’s fierce enthusiasm in the school with the teachers at all the levels all the way up, and we try to develop them that bit further if we can. To get success on the big days is very satisfying, for sure.

“I think the experience they gained last year from that Paul Mc

Girr competition stood to them.

They didn’t panic, they stuck at it and ground it out and, as

I say, to be going in at half-time a point up was great.

“I suppose we gained some very good players from last year’s team and we knew there was a good nucleus of a team there. We knew we were a young team, but that with the couple of players we gained that we’d be able to drive it on a bit.”

He also reported a clean bill of health as the school looks to its March 28 All-Ireland semi-final against the Ulster champions in Abbotstown.

“I’d say we’re good. I’d say there’s nothing too bad, and we’d be expecting everybody to be training again next week.”

Fitzmaurice’s captain, Franz Sauerland, said the Kerry manager’s influence had spurred his charges at the half-time break.

“At the end of the day it came down to who wanted it more. You saw at half-time we were only one point up and we weren’t playing well. We went in at half-time, we regrouped, Eamonn settled us down, and we went out in the second half and did our job.

“At half-time, he just told us to settle down with the kicks and the hand passes; they were going astray in the first half…he told us to settle down, that we were going to win the game and that we’d do it in style.”

On the opposition side, Marc Ó Sé was left to regret Sauerland’s goal and felt his team did not play to its full potential.

“The two goals were the difference when you look at the way the game went, you would think,” the former Kerry senior star said.

“We didn’t perform to the way we’re capable of performing, but certainly the goal came at a bad time for us when we had just got a goal of our own. That had put us in a good position as we wanted to start the second half well, but then Dingle got back in control again. It was very disappointing as they were goals we felt we should have done better with.

“We’d done really well in the first 25 minutes. They were two halves in the first half you could say; Dingle really upped the ante and they went in at half-time in a good position. But, look, the game was still there for the taking for us.” But while the game did not end with Tralee CBS celebrating its first Corn Uí Mhuirí since 2007, Ó Sé tipped his school for success in future, point to the strength of the school’s performances at underage level to support his assertion.

“The future is good. We’ve good underage teams. The Russell Cup is going well... so the future is

promising.”