Sem well placed to see off Tralee foes

IT’S probably a tribute to the success of Colaiste Na Sceilge and Pobalscoil Corcha Dhuibhne in the intervening years that for the first time in just under a decade old rivals St Brendans College and Tralee CBS do battle in a Corn Uí Mhuirí Final.

With a combined 36 titles between them (21 for The Sem, 15 for The Green) it says a lot about both schools role as nurseries for Kerry football as a three game saga for The Green with the only school to rival both The Sem and themselves in terms of titles (Colaiste Chriost Rí, 15) dominating the build-up to this Saturday afternoon.

Following his retirement from inter-county football Marc Ó Sé certainly has got a high profile start to management in earnest with The Green and Chriost Rí affair, but speaking after their success last Saturday in Ballyvourney, the Green mentor felt both themselves and Chriost Rí deserve credit for the efforts over the previous three weeks.

“I do feel sorry for Chriost Rí; two great teams went at it over the last three weeks, something like Dublin and Meath in 1991 with the four games and despite some of the controversy in the second game, I thought it was great Football from both and no one left themselves down,” the five time All-Ireland medal said of the saga.

With the way the fixture list is, there isn’t too much time for The Green to savour their triumph as The Sem move ominously into their path.

“We know how hard this will be,” he said of the final.

“The Sem are a great challenge with the players they such as Dara Moynihan and David Shaw, but we have managed to build-up a bit of confidence in ourselves with how we’ve come through this [Chriost Rí] and we’ll give it everything we have in the final.”

For The Sem it has been a waiting game to see who their opponents would be since they defeated St Flannans in the other Semi-Final at the start of the month, but team manager Gary McGrath says Saturday presents an interesting opportunity for them in one way.

“This will probably be the first time we will have something approaching our full team with the amount of injuries we have had during the campaign. Cian O’Callaghan is our major concern at the moment but we’re confident Cian Gammell, Michael Potts and Jack Griffin will come through for the game,” he said.

The Sem boss agrees that the momentum will be with The Green coming into this after the Chriost Rí trilogy, but says that the Sem players haven’t exactly been idle coming into this.

“They have been with their clubs and with the Kerry minors in the meantime and I was happy with the test that we got against St Flannans in the semi-final. Playing it in Austin Stack Park will be an advantage to Tralee being home turf but we do have the experience of playing the O’Sullivan Cup Final there as well back in October against Pobalscoil.

“People will talk about us being favourites but a lot of times those calls are only made on scorelines and players at your disposal, anything can happen in a final such as this,” the Sem boss said.

Despite the Sem’s win that day the performance was considered not to be their finest but they have appeared to have found their feet once more. A good form guide for this might be the Frewen Cup Final of two years ago which the Sem finished strongly in to emerge victorious.

Some of the main figures that day such as David Clifford and Michael Reidy might not be involved with their respective schools anymore but it will be of use to both in their preparations for this Saturday.

The 2008 meeting between the sides featured James O’Donoghue, Fionn Fitzgerald, Jonathan Lyne and Brian Kelly as some of the main graduates from the victorious Sem side that day while Barry John Keane and Barry John Walsh were the most prominent figures in the Green side.

The year earlier The Green won their last year Corn Uí Mhuirí title over their old rivals in Austin Stack Park.

They will hope for a repeat success on the 10th anniversary of that win, but The Sem will be heavily fancied to retain their title this weekend.

Verdict: St Brendans College