Leinster PP Schools Senior preview
March 07, 2014Playing on the hallowed ground is the icing on the cake for two sides who have had a great year in which they would have been considered outsiders throughout the competition.
"In fairness it's a great opportunity and it's an honour to get in there", says Marist manager John Parker. "We hope we have a good day. Two of our lads would have played there before, one with Roscommon and another with Westmeath. There are certainly some nerves playing in Croke Park but both teams have had a chance to walk around during the week to get the feel of the place which was very much appreciated.
"There has been a great buzz around the school all week and hopefully we will be celebrating Saturday night but we know how good a team Colaiste Eoin are. This will be their third final in five years and they have a lot of last year's team so from what I'm told we are expecting to the underdogs."
Even in last week's semi-finals both the Dubs and the Westmeath lads would have been given that same underdog label but Colaiste Eoin overthrew champions St Pat's Navan 4-10 to 2-6 while Marist defeated the highly fancied Good Counsel 2-15 to 1-5.
The Marist mentor says that his side will have it hard containing the crowd from the capital up front but having hit 8-31 in two games the Westmeath school have not been shy in terms of the scoreboard. Still Colaiste Eoin have some hugely talented county minors with Conn O Ceallachain grabbing the eye throughout the championship.
However, Marist College once again have Paralympian Mark Rohan in their corner. "Mark was hoping to be at the final and he had made space but when it was fixed for Saturday he could not make it home from training in Greece. Still, he is sending messages to the lads and explaining to them how to enjoy the day and still perform well, it's like he is over here with us," says Parker.
That kind of X Factor can give a team a psychological edge but when the players cross the line it's all how they react and the fact that Colaiste Eoin may have the benefit of more players who know Croke Park and the hope that the Dublin fans will come in early before the senior team take on Kildare in the NFL should give them a boost.
But, all the texts in the world, pep talks and cheers from the stands really count for nothing and there is a sense from Colaiste Eoin's point of view that on one hand they have more experience those experiences have not been good in recent finals. Will they be feeling more pressure on Saturday?
According to their coach, Padraig McDonnchadha, it is more about excitement than nerves within his camp. "We are really looking forward to it. Between hurling and football this is our seventh weekend in action and we want to make it count. We lost to Kieran's in the hurling so now we want some reward for all our work," says the Colaiste Eoin boss.
"We lost the final in 2010 and 2012 so now all we are doing is trying to get over the line. It will be a great experience for all the players and families to get to play in Croke Park and we really want to enjoy the experience. A lot of our lads would have played there as far back as primary school but the venue I feel levels it and puts ourselves and Marist on an equal footing."
There are lots of questions that will remain unanswered until 6.15pm on Saturday -barring extra time! With two sides who are capable of putting up big scores you would expect more of the same in the vast expanse that is Croke Park.
It all depends on who copes best with the big pitch, the nerves and everything else surrounding this great occasion. Tweet
