“We expect to put in a big performance”
Rathgormack's Manager Kenny Hassett with selector Frannie Halpin. Photo: Sean Byrne.
Rathgormack must deliver their best display of 2024 to defeat Dr Crokes and make their first Munster final according to manager Kenny Hassett.
2007 was the last time a Waterford club got the better of Kerry opposition in the provincial championship. Ballinacourty won away to Kilcummin on that occasion. Rathgormack rattled Laune Rangers back in 1996.
“Laune Rangers were the All Ireland champions in 1995 and won Kerry again in 1996,” Hassett recalls. “We played Moyle Rovers and beat them. Laune Rangers came to Fraher Field and it ended in a draw. Cracking game. What I remember most about it was the atmosphere. The replay was below in Killarney and we lost by eight points to four. The lads were magnificent in both games. We hope to put in a similar performance on Sunday but hopefully the result might be a little bit different!”
Dr Crokes boast eight provincial titles and two All Irelands. “Dr Crokes are one of the kingpins of Munster club football. I saw them against Castlehaven; they were very impressive. They’re a typical Kerry team. They’re comfortable on the ball, they kick off both feet, very sharp, quick forwards, their work rate is very good. They have names like Tony Brosnan and Gavin White who are members of the Kerry panel and have All Irelands behind them. Look, we have our own stars as well and we expect to put in a big performance on Sunday. Whether it will be good enough, I don’t know, but we definitely aim to get that big performance out of us.”
Billy Power will again make the long trek from Dubai to Dublin, just like he did for the county semi-final and final. “We’re a few days out but I would be hoping that Billy will be there. Huge commitment but that’s Billy. He loves it, he loves being involved. Like all the other players, he sees this as the next step and the next challenge. They want this challenge. We know that we’re going to have to perform better against Dr Crokes than we have done at any stage in the year but that’s a challenge they want to accept.”
The village was absolutely buzzing last month as both Rathgormack and Comeragh Rangers brought back county cups in the space of nine days. “It was great. You could feel the momentum. The joy after they won when everyone was out on the field. We carried that on. We played The Nire on the Sunday and Ballinacourty the following week. The bunting was up and the flags were up. It brought a feelgood factor to the village.”
Hassett was delighted with how his team dealt with the wild conditions on county final day. They scored 2-3 in the second half against the elements. “You saw the wind that was blowing. We always got windy days in Fraher Field but that was as windy as it ever got. We were defending a four point lead and it looked more than a four point wind. We dug in, we defended really well and then we had our runners and we created a lot of chances going forward. We were exceptional.”
After going back to back in Waterford, Hassett gave his players a breather. “We took ten or eleven days off. Everybody needed a break. The lads needed a break from us and we needed a break from them! We’ve lads who have been with the county all year then went straight into the hurling championship and straight into the football championship. In fairness to the lads, since we’ve come back, they’ve been at it. They’ve been keen to improve on what we did in Waterford and hopefully that will show against Dr Crokes.”
Tony Brosnan will take minding after shooting 1-7 against Castlehaven. “He has done it for Kerry at the highest level. He is a danger inside. They’re not afraid to look for him inside or Micheál Burns or David Shaw. We can’t switch off because they’ll punish us.” Hassett wants to see all the Déise football diehards in Dungarvan on Sunday. “We’ll have good support and I’m sure Crokes will as well. We’d be hoping that the football fraternity in Waterford will come along, give us a dig out and get an atmosphere going. We’d be hoping, with ten or fifteen minutes to go, for the game to be still in the melting pot. I’d back my boys.”
