AFTER winning an All-Ireland minor medal with Kerry last year, Dan O’Brien now hopes to follow up with a Hogan Cup success for St Brendan's College, Killarney against St Pat's, Maghera this Saturday in Croke Park and replicate some of his former Kerry Minor team-mates from Pobalscoil Corcha Dhuibhne in the process.
“We all had great respect for the Pobalscoil [Corcha Dhuibhne] lads in the Kerry minors last year who had won Hogan Cup medals, Marc O’Connor in particular being the captain of both teams. We all cheered for them last year and they are cheering us on in much the same way this year,” the St Brendan's captain said.
The Glenflesk clubman will also have some knowledge of the Maghera players himself, having encountered the Derry minors in the All-Ireland semi-final last year on the way to the Kingdom retaining the Tommy Markham Cup.
The Kerry goalkeeper that day will also be in action in Croke Park on Saturday. However, Billy Courtney will, this time, be out in the middle of the field as his outfield prowess has been a big factor in St Brendan's powerful march to Saturday’s final. David Shaw and Evan Cronin were also part of the extended Kerry minor squad last year from this present St Brendan's side.
O’Brien agrees the school’s path to the final has been pretty flawless: “We aimed for a big start against Clonmel [Munster final] and, thankfully, we got it. I was happy we kept it going all throughout after because finals can be strange matches if you let any side back into them.
“We started brilliantly against St Benildus [Hogan Cup semi-final] as well, but I thought we were a bit poor before and after half-time in the game, which is something we need to get right for Croke Park,” he said.
One of the key factors in the Sem’s previous Hogan Cup and, indeed, Munster triumphs (they have 21 Corn Uí Mhuirí titles) was the influence of boarding students in the school, something that stopped near the turn of the millennium.
While it took 16 years for them to make another Hogan Cup decider since their 1992 triumph, O’Brien feels the school have to do something unique now in trying to win the competition for the first time as an exclusively day school.
“For me, we are different to the other sides who won the Hogan Cup for the School in 1969 and 1992 in that we have no boarders like they did, so I think we are trying to do something new for the school on Saturday,” the captain said.
When it comes to who will be regarded as the favourites to win in GAA headquarters, O’Brien doesn’t feel the convincing nature of the Sem’s march to the decider makes them the more fancied of the two sides.
“I personally don’t think we are the favourites when you see what Maghera have in their ranks," he said.
"They have a number of Derry minors and we are going to have to match their intensity if we are to have any chance of winning. I know people will expect Billy [Courtney], David [Shaw], Evan [Cronin] and myself to know what to expect from the All-Ireland semi-final between Kerry and Derry last year, but it still is a massive challenge for us.”
