Crokes primed for big push

All-Ireland Club SFC Semi-final: Ian O'Riordan talks to Kilmacud Crokes captain Ciarán Kelleher

Assuming one of the main roles of team captain is to relay information from the management to the players - as economically as possible - then Kilmacud Crokes have obvious advantage in Sunday's AIB All-Ireland club semi-final.

Corner back Ciarán Kelleher is in his second year as captain, but has spent his whole life as the son of team selector and mentor Robbie Kelleher, the three-time All-Ireland winner with Dublin and also one of the county's leading economists.

Kelleher doesn't advertise the connection, but he's clearly comfortable with both his role as captain and the role of his famous father. And by coincidence, he's also gone into the financial business.

That's given him a good grounding in risk management, and like any good captain he's cautious about looking beyond their semi-final opponents Salthill-Knocknacarra - and that dream date with Croke Park on St Patrick's Day.

Kilmacud are back in the play-off stage for the first time since 1995, the year they also celebrated their first and only All-Ireland title. But they haven't come this far by accident. The panel has been coming good for the past few years, with that blend of youth and experience. Kelleher admits it's only now ambitions are being realised.

"A lot of this team have played for the county at either senior or under-21 level," he says, "so they're well used to the big stage. And I think are all very experienced footballers. We've been lucky as well that a lot of young players have come through the club, and all that has stood to us.

"We always felt we'd one of the best panels in Dublin . . . And right now there is very strong competition for places, mostly because of the very good underage system in the club for the past few years. We've a squad of 30 players and 24 or 25 have played at some stage this year."

Events over the past couple of years have also helped form a close bond that has marked Kilmacud's progression in recent months. As Dublin champions in 2004, they fell to Portlaoise in the Leinster semi-finals, and then last year had to endure weeks of controversy surrounding their Dublin championship win over St Brigid's after the eligibility investigation of Mark Vaughan.

"Going back to 2004, I think this panel had been trying to win a county championship for three seasons, and finally did it. But by the time we got to Leinster we were a little tired, and maybe already happy with what we've achieved. This has been another long campaign, more or less starting this time last year.

"But winning that St Brigid's game was really the start of it all, especially when you consider all the stuff that came after that. Once we overcame that we knew we'd as a good a shot as anyone.

"But this year we actually gambled a little bit, and tried to peak in November. Still, it was a tough run through Leinster. Beating Rhode in the replay was a big result. We'd been up five or six points in nearly every game this year, and yet somehow took our foot off the pedal.

"We just about hung on that day, but even in the Leinster final against Sarsfields we just hung on again. Another two or three minutes and we could just have easily have lost that game."

Team manager Nicky McGrath, who is in his first year in charge, has helped to maintain the bond over the winter break by taking them on a holiday to Lanzarote, even if that trip did involve a little socialising. But they're fully focused again, knowing Salthill looked deadly impressive during their run through Connacht.

"The GAA is becoming a smaller world all the time," says Kelleher, "and between TG4 and Setanta you hardly miss a club game, so we do know what Salthill are all about. They've got a lot of county players like ourselves, and probably one of the best forward lines around.

"But then our defence has been our strength this year. If we can contain them up front, and if the two Magees (Johnny and Darren) play well, we all usually play well.

"And Ray Cosgrove has been playing very well also. To me he's just a super talent, and always has been. His form dipped a little for Dublin, but he's been consistently good for the club, and is obviously scoring a lot more doing this year. We'll need that against Salthill."

The usual talk about Dublin teams doing well in the championship - whether it's club or county - being good for the GAA is something Kelleher is not about to get worked up about.

"Sure, I think being the Dublin club does give you a little more publicity. Whether we deserve that or not. Probably not. But it's great for the Stillorgan area, which is a big area of Dublin, and I don't think it creates any more pressure. I think all pressure comes from within.

"We've been knocking around for a few years now and we'd love to win an All-Ireland title now as much as anyone else.

"It's the pinnacle for every club player, and most of us know we'll never play in Croke Park for Dublin. So this is our chance to get as close as it gets to doing that."