By John Harrington

Thurles Sarsfields star Ronan Maher says everyone in the club has learned to cope with great expectations.

The Tipperary centre-back will man the same position for his club in Sunday’s County SHC Final against Kildangan and knows everyone in the town believes they should be winning a sixth county title in just eight years.

The club’s history of high achievement – they top the honours list by some distance with 34 county titles – means playing under pressure is something their players have had to get used to.

“There’s a lot of pressure on lads in the club, they're expected to achieve every year, that’s the way the club is and it’s not too bad,” says Maher.

“We’re going for six out of the last eight or whatever, that’s a great achievement as it is. Please God we can do it on Sunday but there’s huge expectation in the club between the people around in the town.

“I think it’s just because the panelists that are there for the past few years, they want to achieve a bit more, while you have the likes of Larry (Corbett) and them there.

“There’s a huge a panel of players there, we’ve a very good intermediate team as well, there’s almost 40 training every night. It’s a huge panel and we’re trying to achieve while we have that kind of standard.”

Sunday’s County Final will be the 12th Sarsfields play in 17 years whereas their opponents Kildangan are contesting one for the first time since 1938.

The North Champions are very much there on merit though after shocking a fancied Drom-Inch in the quarter-final and then comfortably beating Killenaule in the semi-final.

They’re a very talented side, and Maher knows he and his team-mates can’t afford to take anything for granted going into Sunday’s match.

“I only seen a small bit of it to be honest, but they’ve been very impressive all-year long,” he says. “I think they haven’t lost this year. Their forwards are very consistent, especially Paul Flynn who is huge for them, Joe Gallagher brings a lot of experience.

“Their forwards are very lively, they’re all hurlers, so they’re going to take a bit of marking. They’ve nothing to lose on Sunday and I suppose you could say that the pressure is on Thurles Sarsfields, the bookies have them as massive favourites. Kiladangan have nothing to lose and they can go out on Sunday and throw it all out, and please God we can take it throw it back at them.”

Maher is likely to be up against a familiar face on Sunday – former Tipperary team-mate Darragh Egan. The Kildangan man was a sub-goalkeeper for Tipp until recently, but at club level is a powerful focal point for his team’s attack.

“Darragh brings an awful lot of experience to the table, he’s a very strong man, they lump a lot of puckouts on top of him,” says Maher. “If you give him that split-second, he’ll put the ball over the bar.

“You could see that from last Sunday, he was very good. Like the rest of the forwards, he’ll talk a bit of marking. We’re confident that our backs are strong so hopefully we’ll do what we do every day, go out and try to hurl them off the field. We look forward to that task but we’re not underestimating them, they're a strong team.”

Were Maher to win a county medal on Sunday it would cap off an incredible year for him. He’s already won a Fitzgibbon Cup medal with Mary I and an All-Ireland senior medal with Tipp, and admits that latter achievement has yet to properly sink in.

“I didn’t reflect on it much yet because we’re straight back in with the club but between college and Tipperary, it has been an exceptional year,” he says. “It would be nice to round it off winning with the club.

“It will take until Christmas when you’re relaxing at home on the couch to realise what a great year it has been. Before we know it, we’ll be facing back into the county scene with Mick Ryan...

“I suppose we are going to have to take some time now to realise what we are after doing but its been a very good year, we are absolutely thrilled.”