Fitzgerald feels vibes are good for Nemo

By now Nemo Rangers are well used to that inevitable burden of being favourites - damned if they win and damned if they don't.

With 13 Munster titles and seven All-Irelands, they boast the most successful club football record in the country, with the wealth to go with it, which effectively means they go into most games taking on the underdog.

This Sunday's Munster final against Ballinacourty is no exception. Having collected a sixth Cork county title within the last eight years, Nemo come up against a Ballinacourty team looking to win a first Munster title for Waterford.

Ballinacourty are not without their chances (both The Nire and Stradbally came close to winning the title for Waterford in recent years) and have already upset Kerry's Kilcummin in the semi-final.

Yet Nemo are aware that victory for them will hardly cause a ripple while defeat will cause a stir. "It's true that we're more or less expected to win every time we play," says manager Ephie Fitzgerald, who himself boasts five Munster and four All-Ireland medals from his playing days with the Nemo.

"But we're not too perturbed by that. We just prepare as best we can, get on with the job at hand. I mean if you look at the odds for next year's Cork title we're already something like 6 to 4 to win, which is a little ridiculous.

"Having said that, we set out at the start of the year thinking we had a good shot of winning another All-Ireland. We've already won back the Cork title, and now we're in another Munster final. So this is phase two, and we're one step away from achieving that.

"But of course we're taking nothing for granted against Ballinacourty. They're a big, strong, physical team, and still cock-a-hoop from their win over Kilcummin. They've some very good footballers, particularly the four Hurney brothers, and like a lot of teams, Nemo have never had it easy against Waterford clubs. The Nire came very close to beating Dr Crokes last year, who had just beaten us."

Nemo won't be at full strength for Sunday's game in Killarney, with two of their county players - David Niblock and Seán O'Brien - both out of the country. Niblock is in the US, while O'Brien has left for a longer stint in Australia.

Both players were also missing for the Munster semi-final against Limerick champions Ballylanders, where they found themselves a point down early in the second half before hitting 1-5 without reply to secure a place in the final.

The quarter-final against Tipperary's Moyle Rovers was also tight, and Ilen Rovers came very close to upsetting them in the county final, leading by three points at one stage in the second half.

Still, Nemo came through on each occasion, and Fitzgerald is confident his team won't unduly suffer from the absence of two experienced players: "We do have a very strong panel, and a good mixture of younger and older players. And we always get one or two good minors coming through," he said.

"So I suppose we are always a club in transition. We have 25 or 26 players equally as good, and I'd say so far this year we've used 27 or 28 different players over the course of the club championship."

Having last won the All-Ireland in 2003, Nemo, given their record, are probably due another one, but of course they can't look that far ahead. While he accepts they'll start as overwhelming favourites, Fitzgerald still reckons anything can happen against Ballinacourty.

"I think the standard of Munster club football has been improving all the time. Every match this year has had an edge, and the weather can be a great leveller at this time of year as well. So I'm expecting a great match, an open game. But our vibes are good, and we've prepared the best we can."