Man who welcomed Obama has St ThomasÕs in his sights

Date Published: 13-Mar-2013

BRIAN LOWRY

MIDLAND TRIBUNE

He has been the top dog in Offaly County Council, greeted Barack Obama in Moneygall, captained Offaly to their sole National League Division 1 success and been part of a successful Fianna Fáil ticket for numerous years, but this Sunday sees Kilcormac/Killoughey manager Danny Owens looking to complete the biggest job of them all.

In January 2012, Owens took over his native Kilcormac/Killoughey. Here was a team who had a name for stuttering on the big day and had been widely regarded as not having the stomach for senior success.

Owens disagreed and knew that the foundations and players were there and all that was needed was a tweak in mindset. The result? The O’Connor Cup, the Offaly Division One league, their first county senior hurling title and a first Leinster hurling title. Not bad, but he is not finished yet.

Sunday sees the culmination of 173 collective meetings including 49 matches in the space of 13 months. St Thomas’s in Croke Park on the grandest stage of them all for the biggest prize in club hurling. Dream stuff it may be, but Owens insists there will be no guarantees come Sunday.

“The mood and fitness levels are good and everything you would want going for you is going well at the moment. There is no guarantee when you go to Croke Park that everything will be right but if you prepare well and have your house in order, you would hope everyone turns out well on the day but that remains to be seen.”

Unlike their Leinster and All-Ireland semi-final clashes, Kilcormac/Killoughey will go in to Sunday’s game on more of an even keel with their opponents in the eyes of the experts and bookmakers. The man from the Killoughey end of the parish holds nothing but respect for the St Thomas’s club and what they have achieved already this year.

“We are going into a game that is kind of even-Steven with the two teams. We acknowledge the worth of this Galway team. Any team that comes through Galway has to be respected. They beat the All-Ireland champions convincingly and we are under no illusions as to what we are facing into.

“Both teams are very even in terms of their capability. We would be hoping things would work for us and we get the performance out of the lads that we have been getting particularly in the last two games.

“Something simple could happen with a mistake or some misfortune and you could wind up on the wrong end of a scoreline. All we can do is look after the things in our control and in that regard our preparation mentally and physicality. After that, you are at the peril of everything else that is going to be put before you on the day.”

One aspect of the St Patrick’s Day experience that can’t go unmentioned is the Croke Park factor. Coolderry romped into the decider last year and with a below-par performance were sent home empty handed. The feel of pitch at headquarters, the travelling up, the pre-match hype and the surroundings will be new to both teams, although there are players on both sides who have experience of Croke Park on the big days.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.