Kilmacud Crokes star Dara Mullin is looking forward to a different sort of challenge when they take on Kilcoo in the All-Ireland final this evening.
Crokes have become accustomed to gradually wearing down packed defences in Dublin and Leinster this year but in Kilcoo they’ll come up against more of a kindred spirit.
Robbie Brennan’s side dominate the football anywhere they go and that was evident in the semi-final when they ground their way past an ultra-defensive Padraig Pearses outfit.
An early goal from Craig Dias proved vital in the end as Pearses were unable to build on a fast start and Crokes’ relentless possession eventually wore them out.
Kilcoo, who were beaten by the historic three-in-a-row Corofin team in the last All-Ireland final two years ago, also like to play possession football.
The Down club needed extra time before finally prevailing against St Finbarr’s of Cork in their semi-final in Portlaoise two weeks ago.
That makes for a fascinating prospect in Croke Park on Saturday evening as two teams noted for their patience in possession and stamina meet in the biggest game of the year.
“Kilcoo are one of the best club teams of the past couple of years.” Mullin tells Dublin Live.
“They ran the great Corofin team very close for the three-in-a-row a couple of years ago in the last All-Ireland club final.
“We're under no illusions about the challenge they'll pose to us on Saturday evening. They've got pace and threats from all over the park.
“They're very well-structured and very well-drilled outfit. It's going to be a huge challenge but one we're looking forward to.”
He adds: “They're very patient in their approach. You can see that against Derrygonnelly in particular in the Ulster final.
“They had a huge share of the possession in the first half and second half, so they're very patient.
“They'll wait for the opportunity to arise and they'll strike then when they feel the time is appropriate.”
That contrasts to teams like St Jude’s, who Crokes beat by a point in the Dublin Championship final, and Roscommon outfit Pearses.
Naas ran Crokes close in the Leinster Championship final at Croke Park, but Covid-19 restrictions meant the crowd was limited to 5,000 people.
There will be no such restriction on Saturday night, however, and Mullin hopes the sound of a fervent local crowd will help them over the line.
“It's brilliant sharing those moments with your family and friends,” the former Dublin panellist says.
“There's been great work done here locally in all the primary schools and I don't think we've had this level of support for a long time in Kilmacud Crokes.
“It's really great to see and hopefully a couple of that younger generation will be inspired to achieve what we've achieved in the next couple of years.”
He adds: “What the public only see is the lads that come on the pitch but there's another ten or eleven lads who can consider themselves unlucky not to be getting some gametime.
“That's been a real positive for us this year, the real strength and depth we have in our squad.
“A lot of young lads coming through that have played at a very high level with Dublin minors, under-20s and playing with their colleges and different things like that.
“The competitiveness and the strength of the squad have been a huge thing for us this year.”
