O’Mahony wants to make history

Aidan O’Mahony Kerry

12 September 2007

Aidan O’Mahony is set to play his part in a unique All-Ireland SFC final this weekend. As someone living on the Cork/Kerry border, being part of history and having a Celtic Cross in his back pocket by Sunday evening is the stuff of dreams for him he admits.

The mandarins at Croke Park may not admit as much but a Cork-Dublin All-Ireland SFC final this year was top of their wish list once the semi-finals draw was made.

And the truth is everyone belonging to the Cork camp would rather go head-to-head with the Dubs and the same goes for the Kingdom’s finest.

Certainly this year’s final pairing of Cork and Kerry being a country mile away from a GAA publicist’s dream partnership.

Some sceptics with an eye on the turnstiles say that Saatchi and Saatchi would be hard-pressed to sell the game to gaels in Gaelic territory in north Donegal, Antrim, Sligo etc

However try telling Kerry defender Aidan O’Mahony that there’ll be nothing in this Sunday’s final for the neutrals to get their teeth into.

"For a player, of course, it’s the highlight of his career and if he’s lucky enough to be on the winning side, well that makes it an even more memorable competition.

"I can understand the talk in some areas of the country about the negatives of the backdoor system coming into play this year in that two teams from the same province are in the final.

"Some of the talk earlier in the year centred around the possibility of it being an all-Leinster All-Ireland final so what’s the difference in us and Cork meeting?

"The way I would look at it is that as a player, I have a chance of making history in being part of a team that wins the first all-Munster All-Ireland final."

The world and his mother is predicting that no prisoners will be taken at Croke Park this Sunday and that’ll be far from a purist’s delight.

The old ’familiarity breeds contempt’ adage has been beaten to death in the media’s previews of this year’s unique final but O’Mahony isn’t a disciple of such thinking.

"It’s a local derby and you’ll have the usual intensity and passion about the game that you’d expect but I don’t think it’ll go any further than that," opines the Rathmore clubman.

"Cork are a very strong team with a lot of physically powerful players but they’re all good footballers and they’re not likely to want the game to turn out messy or foul-ridden.

"There have been minor incidents in past games but generally speaking discipline has been good with the teams and there would be a healthy rivalry between the two teams.

"Every player on both teams will be doing their best to produce their best form on the day and it’s bound to be a nip and tuck affair and the best team will win out.

"Cork are a different proposition than they were a few years ago and they have learned a lot from their experience in the championship, especially in matches in Croke Park."

It’s obvious Aidan O’Mahony is preparing to meet the Cork challenge head-on. Brave, mentally strong and totally focussed is the man’s make-up as the countdown begins in earnest.

O’Mahony is acutely aware that pressure is the name of the game in the days and hours running up to Sunday’s duel and he reckons there’ll be nothing beween the finalists.

"They ran us to a point in Killarney (in the Munster final) and I’m sure there’ll be nothing between the two teams, maybe only the bounce of a ball.

"I could see the match going along the same lines as the Munster final but Croke Park should help produce a more open game even allowing for the natural aggression that’ll be there.

"Neither side will be anxious to crowd things out around the middle so it should be a fairly open game which was the case the last few times we met.

"It’ll be close, hard and nobody will be holding anything back but that’s what you’d expect playing Cork, playing in an All-Ireland final."

O’Mahony is not one to talk up the opposition but he acknowledges that Cork’s victory over Meath in their semi-final meeting was "pretty impressive."

He describes the Rebel County make-up as particularly strong up the centre and in attack "even without James Masters."

That said, he espouses great confidence in his team-mates to repeat last year’s triumph over Mayo and make "the biggest game of my life" a winning one.

He believes Kerry are at their best when they concentrate on their own game and he believes that if they play to their full potential, the Kerry players will be celebrating this weekend.

The 27 year old defender is optimistic that Kerry have what it takes to become the first team in 17 years to retain the Sam Maguire Cup but he believes they’re far from perfect.

"We have had a lot to work on in training and a lot of sorting out to do in our own minds over the last few weeks," says the former Under 21 Kerry captain.

"We have to give it everything for the 70 or 75 minutes, something which we haven’t been doing in the championship so far.

"Having seen how Cork took Meath apart, it’s obvious that they’re very strong and very fit and we’ll have to be at our best for all of the game if we are to come out on top."

So how determined are Kerry to make the winner’s enclosure again? The word on the grapevine is that they’ll not be able to match Cork for hunger or passion.

O’Mahony disregards such talk as hyperbole on the part of the media and foolishness on the part of people who simply don’t have an understanding of the game at the highest level.

"Who in their right mind wouldn’t be hungry to win an All-Ireland medal?"

"If a Kerry player didn’t show the necessary hunger, he wouldn’t be long on the field and wouldn’t be deserving of his place anyway.

"We’ll be just as keen to win the game as Cork; who knows whether Darragh O Se will be around next year and that’s enough to inspire us all to excel ourselves on the day."

And his take on the backdoor system in general?

"There are those for it and against it and I don’t think you’re going to change people’s minds once they’ve taken sides on the argument.

"I’m sure the Cork players are only too delighted to get a second chance at winning the Sam Maguire Cup after losing out to us in the Munster final and, to be honest, we’d be the same if it was us that didn’t get out of the province.

"Cork could have won the (Munster) final and I don’t think they deserved to go out of the running for the All-Ireland but maybe if you’re from a so-called weaker county you’d have a different perspective on things.

"This Sunday will see a massive game taking place at Croke Park and, no matter what your view on the backdoor system is, it’s a game that will light up Gaelic football even more."

Interestingly, the east Kerry star says he personally never had a preference in terms of which team he would most like to meet in the All-Ireland SFC final.

Neither is he prepared to compare the relative strengths of the likes of Dublin and Cork. A fool’s occupation, perhaps?

"No, not really, it’s just that they’re two different teams with a lot of positive aspects to their game.

"They’re both tough, physical teams but I’d say Cork are the more running team but there’s little else between them.

"It doesn’t matter much. Meeting either of them is just as tough a proposition, especially in an All-Ireland final."

The teak tough defender is sure this Sunday’s decider will be no ordinary All-Ireland final because of the local rivalry characteristic.

Living in Rathmore, on the Cork/Kerry border, he’s acutely aware of just what it means to both sets of supporters that their favourites come out on top in the match.

This Sunday’s match is potentially one which can make or break players’ reputations among their own ’tribe’ and the nation itself.

Like the many challenges he has faced in the colours of the Kingdom, O’Mahony is determined to stand tall in the face of whatever comes his way this Sunday, Masters or no masterful opponents.