Mr Consistency ready for a remarkable tenth finale

STRETCHING back to 2005 this will be Brian Looney’s 10th County Championship decider for Dr Crokes as he has continued to show the consistency that has been his hallmark since emerging on the scene nearly a decade anda-half ago.

He is not one to take the experience for granted however as he said the experience of not learning their opponents until last Sunday has not affected the Killarney side in any major way.

“The week after has really been about recovery and getting our bodies right after having such a tough game with O’Rahillys. Just because we have been in so many County Finals doesn’t lessen the achievement of reaching them as well because they are such big occasions to be involved in no matter how many times you get to play in one,” the wing-forward feels.

Some changes in the backroom set-up by the Killarney side and the new look to the 2018 season have been absorbed successfully into Crokes keeping their competitive edge approaching the end of a gloriously successful decade.

“Having a few new selectors gave us some different voices in the dressing room which has been a very positive effect for the panel I feel. The great thing about the change to the fixtures is that there has been no overlapping of competitions like other years.

“The Club Championship was played off in April while the County League games were played in a very good way. There has been a clear definition of what you want to achieve in a given competition by solely focussing on that when we are playing,” Looney felt about the changes to 2018.

Despite going unbeaten in the County League, Crokes certainly had a step-up to make on the last weekend in August when the County Championship got underway.

“St Kierans gave us a massive test out in Cordal when we played them out there two years ago. They could have won that night and probably were unlucky not to beat us in the First Round this year as well.

“The main thing was though we were up and running regardless of our performance in that game,” Looney said.

Arguably it didn’t sharpen Crokes minds hard enough to the trip across the road to Fitzgerald Stadium in taking on Kerins O’Rahillys the first day as Looney cites the Legion game as the one where the defending champions really started to feel like themselves again.

“We only played well in parts the first day against O’Rahillys and didn’t play well enough on the day to win. Sometimes you need or don’t need an extra game in the campaign, but I felt we really needed that game against An Gaeltacht to work on a few things.

“We have the right blend of youth and experience now to regroup especially with the players who have stepped up for us since. The scoreline against Legion was a bit flattering, but they will probably be disappointed not to take some of the chances they had and I don’t think the final score was a true reflection of how tough that game was, much like the scoreline in the semi-final with O’Rahillys was as well,” he said of the games since.

The Senior Club Final win over Sunday’s opponents will serve as a basis for some to judge this year’s decider on, but Looney has seen enough to suggest Dingle have grown immeasurably from the side they beat in the 2012 decider to complete their last three-in-a-row.

“They have had a lot of underage success and those players are giving them the strength in depth that they maybe didn’t have in the past. I think they are very capable of beating anyone on their day and we know the problems that they can pose anyone they play,” the six-time County Championship winner said.

The fallout from Sunday’s proceedings might see more prematch talk on Dingle with what happened early in the second-half, strange as that might sound considering Crokes’ pedigree, but Looney still feels the Killarney side must keep focussed on their side of the house.

“We must be at the top of our game if we are to win and give it our all once it gets underway. We must be tuned in and get ready for whatever might come our way in a game like this.”