The Tarbert Comprehensive team that will contest the Masita Post Primary Schools All-Ireland 'B' Football Final.
By John Harrington
Tarbert Comprehensive certainly couldn’t be excused of taking an easy route to Saturday’s Masita Post Primary Schools Senior ‘C’ Football Final against St. Malachy’s, Castlewellan.
The North Kerry school have survived a series of searching examinations along the way but always found the answers to the toughest of questions.
In the Munster semi-final against Spanish Point they looked in trouble when trailing by five points deep into the second-half but came with a late burst that saw them win by a single point.
That was the margin of victory too in the Munster semi-final against Bantry when they overcame a three-point deficit to win courtesy of an injury-time free.
And then there was the All-Ireland semi-final victory over Mercy Ballymahon when they survived a late collapse in normal time to win it in extra-time.
That resilience is what’s pleased manager Martin Stack most about his players on their way to Saturday’s Final.
“Yeah, you look at our last couple of games... there's just a failure there to give in," he says.
“In the All-Ireland semi-final it would have been very easy for them to throw in the towel. Being quite honest, if it was the case that there was an extra play or two in the game in normal time, we could have been a beaten docket.
“But we were able to regroup at the start of extra-time and, to be fair to them, they kicked on. They never dropped their heads and I think we ran out deserving winners on the day.
“They have a never say die attitude and that’s the one thing we're really satisfied by in our last few games. You're also sort of wondering is the right way or the incorrect way to be getting to an All-Ireland, but we're there now.
“Those games were there to get through and we've got through them and we're just really looking forward to Saturday day. There's a mighty buzz in the school. Especially since the semi-final it has really started to pick up.”
In attendance at the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Captains Call at Croke Park in Dublin were, from left, Eoin Travers and Chris Kelly McAvoy of St Malachy's Castlewellan, Sean Rinn and Jamie Maloney of Tarbert Comprehensive. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
The run this team has been on is very satisfying for a few other external reasons too.
This is the 50th anniversary of the school so reaching an All-Ireland Final is a nice way to mark it.
And with around 11 clubs feeding into the school, it’s a source of satisfaction for them too.
There’s been a big drive to lift standards in terms of coaching and games development in North Kerry in recent years and Tarbert’s run to this Final is a nice validation of that.
They’re up against a St Malachy’s Castlewellan team that mirror them in some ways in so far as the Down school has come through some almighty battles on the way to this match so don’t lack for character themselves.
Tarbert have done their homework on the Ulster side but the priority is to focus on themselves and make sure they’re in the right mental space to rise to the occasion on Saturday.
“The biggest thing we've been trying to promote for the last week is to remove 'All-Ireland' from the vocabulary,” says Stack. “It's just another game. I think our lads play their best when they just go out and express themselves.
“Like anything, you play your best when you're enjoying yourself and that'll be the key to it the next day. Just enjoy the whole day because it's a great opportunity so we'll embrace it and see where it takes us.”
Saturday, March 9
Masita GAA Post Primary Schools 'B' Dr. Eamonn O Sullivan Cup Final
Tarbert Comprehensive (Kerry) v St Malachy's Castlewellan (Down), Netwatch Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow, 2pm.
