Kildalkey can win title

PLAYER motivation will hardly be a problem for managers Martin Curran and Pat O"Halloran as they fine-tune their teams" preparations for Sunday"s SHC final at Pairc Tailteann. Kilmessan were wounded by what happened a year ago when Kiltale leapt from the long grass in the latter stages of the championship and took the scenic route to their first senior title in 24 years, finishing the job with a victory over their neighbours in the final. Then managed by James Battersby, Kilmessan were red hot favourites to claim the Jubilee Cup for the first time in three years after they had coasted past Rathmolyon with an impressive semi-final performance. But Kiltale"s generally young team out-gunned them in the second period to such a degree that they scored only a point and didn"t register at all in the last 24 minutes. It was the centenary of Kilmessan"s first SHC success in 1907 and if they thought they had a divine right to mark it by winning their 28th senior crown, they were sadly mistaken. The merits of Kiltale"s victory shouldn"t be under-rated and they deserved their success, but Kilmessan"s performance in the second-half was poor, to say the least. As this year"s championship unfolded and the 2007 finalists topped their respective groups with 100 per cent winning records, Kilmessan were most likely eyeing another opportunity to meet Kiltale in the final, and this time there would be no slip-up. But, just as Summerhill had torn up the script in the SFC by thwarting the expected final meeting of Wolfe Tones and Navan O"Mahonys, Kildalkey did the same in the SHC by dethroning Kiltale at the penultimate hurdle. Kildalkey have been in this position before and returned home empty-handed, most recently in 2005 when they lost the final to Killyon, but the desire to end decades of frustration was so apparent against Kiltale when they played with an intensity and passion that sunk the champions. Manager O"Halloran wasn"t getting carried away and stressed that they would approach the final in a calm manner. They will also need to go into it fully convinced that they are good enough to win and forget about the weight of history which must have the more seasoned club members wondering if their day will ever come. This can be that day, but the intensity displayed against Kiltale will have to be matched, if not exceeded, if they are to beat a Kilmessan side which wasn"t seriously tested in the other semi-final against a disappointing Dunboyne team It"s a similar situation to 12 months ago when Kilmessan eased into the final and then couldn"t raise their game sufficiently when Kiltale posed the searching questions. But with that tough experience behind them, they are forewarned and are likely to be very focused come Sunday afternoon. This has the makings of a rip-roaring contest and Kildalkey"s half-back line could have a huge say in the destination of the title. Sean Corrigan, Enda Keogh and Mairtin Doran worked feverishly against Kiltale and it will take a similar effort against Kilmessan to give them a platform for success. Stephen Forde is a strong full-back and he will need to be at his best to contain the vastly experienced Anton O"Neill who registered 3-1 against Dunboyne. That probable match-up could be one of the key head-to-head confrontations of the final. Maurice Keogh and Ger Geoghegan started at midfield in the semi-final and both worked their socks off, while the brunt of Kildalkey"s scores tend to come from Noel Kirby, although Padraig Geoghegan was magnificent against Kiltale when he contributed a highly significant 1-4. His pace and awareness will give the Kilmessan defence plenty to think about. Kildalkey are likely to be without their full-forward and captain Sean Heavey who was playing very well before sustaining an injury in the semi-final. If he can"t take his place he will be a significant loss? Kilmessan have played former star attacker Stephen Clynch at centre-back this year in an attempt to shore up the middle and his ability in the air is a vital asset to their defence which looked brittle at times in last year"s final. Martin Horan was positioned at right half-back instead of midfield against Dunboyne and is a very talented player with a good work ethic. Ger O"Neill took his place at midfield alongside Peter Farrell and they operated effectively. Anton O"Neill offers Kilmessan experience and craft at full-forward, while the performance of Nicky Horan, most likely in the half-forward line, will have a major say in the outcome. Kilmessan will certainly hope for a more significant contribution than he delivered in the second-half of last year"s decider. Young Kevin Keena, who is getting his first taste of senior hurling this year, is a player of great promise who got Kilmessan"s campaign off to a bright start when he scored a late winning point against Trim last May. Add in Joey Keena, Peter Reynolds and Malcolm Doyle and the scoring potential is clearly there, but it"s a matter of delivering on the big day. Kildalkey, who lost to Kilmessan by four points at the end of the group campaign, will be all too aware that the brilliance of goalkeeper Gary McNally prevented them from losing the semi-final, but their work-rate and willingness to fight for possession and close down the opposition had to be admired. They have come a long way since Rathmolyon handed down a lesson in the shape of a 24-point semi-final trouncing two years ago. Kildalkey recovered sufficiently from that harrowing experience to reach the quarter-finals last year where they lost to Kiltale after extra-time. The rehabilitation process can be completed with a narrow victory on Sunday.