Selector Stack
great to see, and there are going to be times when the opposition have their purple patch the next day, so we’ll have to react properly as well.”
While Tarbert Comprehensive made things unnecessarily difficult for themselves against Ballymahon in losing a seven-point cushion in the closing stages in Clarecastle, necessitating extra-time before they got over the line, Leane is hopeful that the learnings from that can help the side on Saturday.
“It’s relief, more than anything, to come out the end of the games, especially the last day after the way things transpired. It probably could be said that we had enough done, then just a freak five minutes, but the boys showed great character, which they’ve done in every game, and they pulled it out of the fire.
“You try and learn something every day that you go out. If that’s the learning from the last day [losing the big lead], then it’s a huge lesson to get. You never know, the same thing could happen again the next day, and they might hopefully manage the situation that little bit better.”
Stack is hopeful that, despite the exertions of the elongated outing against Ballymahon, Tarbert Comprehensive will have a full squad to pick from, brushing aside any suggestion that they might be over-dependent on forward John Coolahan, scorer of 1-8 in the semi-final.
“It will probably be last minute with a couple of them alright, but that’s just the cards you’re dealt. We’re hopeful we’ll have a full bill of health and, if we do, looking at the last couple of games, it seems to be very important to have the bit of depth.
“They’re all contributing great, so, hopefully, we will have everyone. We’re not reliant on any one player. John is obviously very important to us, but I think if you look at the last couple of games, there is a real high spread of scorers among the group.”
Leane agrees. “Different clubs are coming together, that’s what it’s all about, that’s what schools football is about. We’ve got a couple of lads coming across from west Limerick as well, and they’re all really contributing. We’re very lucky with the squad that we have.”
If Tarbert Comprehensive could navigate the last remaining hurdle in front of them, it would be the icing on the cake for the educational institution that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Stack is fully aware of the buzz within the school and the surrounding areas.
“It would be great, of course. We refer to it a lot, it’s the 50th year of existence of the school. Everybody seems to be rowing in behind us. The clubs have been absolutely excellent to us, they have really helped us out, making pitches available, making sure the boys are not being burnt out.
“In school, everyone is behind us. I’m not going to mention anyone, but staff, ancillary, office, the whole lot, everyone is involved in it, and it makes an awful difference. Everyone is rooting for us and, at the end of the day, it would be massive to win it.”