‘We knew we could take nothing for granted today’ insists Gaeltacht captain Ó Muircheartaigh

IT’S a bit of an exaggeration to say being ‘forearmed is forewarned’, but An Ghaeltacht captain Colm Ó Muircheartaigh did say the side took note of the fright Dromid Pearses got from Limerick opposition the previous weekend in preparing for their own Treaty County challenge last Sunday.

“When we heard the result of the Dromid game last week we knew we could take nothing for granted today. We managed to build on an early lead and took off from there.

“Dara Ó Sé has been putting up great scores all year so we knew he could create a few problems for their danger man Ian Ryan and Dara was magnificent today,” Ó Muircheartaigh said when asked about his team-mate’s performance.

An Ghaeltacht appeared to be blessed with a particularly strong panel at this point in time and Ó Muircheartaigh feels a lot of hard work this year is starting to pay off.

“We have subs that can come in and make a contribution and there is very little to choose between a lot of the players when it comes to picking the starting team. We learned a lot from losing last year’s semi-final to Templenoe in Kerry, it was the first time we encountered a side creating pressure and chances from the back and it’s something we’ve tried to copy this year for our own benefit.

“I think the amount of turnovers we managed today and created scores from shows that we are managing to do that.”

Ó Muircheartaigh played in a curtain raising game to An Ghaeltacht’s last All-Ireland Club Semi-Final against St Brigids of Dublin in Thurles back in 2004. Now he will get a chance to experience the main event when they play Moy in January and acknowledges that winning an All-Ireland Club title will be a special mission for their management team with the memory of St Patricks Day (loss to Galway’s Caltra in mind) that year in mind.

“If you talk to Dara [Ó Cinnéide], Marc [Ó Sé] and Conall, they will probably feel that there is unfinished business there for themselves from that year. We’re under no illusions about play Moy though especially the challenge of facing the Cavanaghs and it’s one we will have to put our heads down and prepare properly for,” he said about the New Year.

Before that comes a West Kerry Final with Dingle though!

“Dingle are always tough to beat this time of year but the run of the games we have had with the club and West Kerry have been good to us in giving us some tough games.

“The Mallow game and its physicality was one of them and those are the sort of games that you need to bring yourself on.”