Schutte’s winning his race to be fit for club final

CUALA captain Paul Schutte is winning his race to be fit ahead of the Dublin club’s AIB AllIreland club hurling championship final on St Patrick’s Day. The experienced defender missed out on their semifinal win over Liam Mellows due to a hamstring injury and was replaced by his brother Mark. But fellow Cuala back Cian O’Callaghan said that his former Dublin colleague is looking good for the March 17 showdown with Na Piarsaigh as they chase back-to-back titles. ‘Paul was probably just a small bit off playing against Liam Mellows,’ said O’Callaghan. ‘The rehab, by all accounts, has gone really well. He’s done this in the past when he’s got himself right for big games. So we’re hoping for the same on the 17th.’ O’Callaghan said that the build-up around Dalkey and their south Dublin base hasn’t reached the same fever pitch as last year. ‘It’s definitely been a bit more subdued this year,’ he said. ‘Probably the novelty has worn off. But I’m sure behind the scenes there’s a lot of that stuff. But as a player I haven’t seen it and I’m thankful I haven’t.’ O’Callaghan’s younger brother, Con, will once again be the star attraction in attack and will bid for a remarkable fifth All-Ireland win in the space of just 12 months. He was part of last year’s final win and subsequently won All-Ireland Under 21 and senior medals with the Dublin footballers as well as a Sigerson Cup medal last month with UCD. ‘He was doing the odd kicking session with UCD and showing his face,’ said Cian. ‘It just happened that they qualified [for the semi-finals] and it opened up the opportunity for him to play and he grasped it with two hands. ‘Luckily for him, it paid off and he’s won a Sigerson Cup. As far as competitions go, the college stuff is really high up on any player’s list. You’re playing with fellas who you’ve been living with for three or four years. It’s a massive competition to win.’ Big brother Cian is adamant that Con won’t allow all the success go to his head. ‘He understands how important it is to have his two feet on the ground,’ he said. ‘It helps that he’s sharing a dressing-room with the likes of Ciarán Kilkenny and Brian Fenton, lads who have come through that extra attention themselves.’