Aim high, with or without stars

As the cold days grow more bitter, so have John Courtney's preoccupations been stripped away. It's just his Sarsfields team against the world now, a concise and simple state. The serious work was taken care of months ago, last March and April. Now, Courtney has learned to become a watcher.

"If the team is playing well, I don't interfere. You have to trust a team, have to let them play."

That is why his pulse was normal in the final minutes of the thrilling Leinster semi-final between his club and Na Fianna in Navan last Sunday. Trailing by two points with four minutes remaining, Sarsfields took an iron grip on proceedings and secured a draw with the bread and butter stuff; a pair of frees.

"We had been playing very positively up to that point so I was confident we had in it us to salvage something from the game. Okay, one or two lads took snap shots that ended in bad wides but they didn't arise from panic. The players felt they could score. So I never felt we were out of the game."

Indeed, from the kick-out after Padraig Brennan's levelling free, Sarsfields' Dermot Earley made a fetch, only to be halted by the full-time whistle upon returning to ground.

"Dermot was frustrated - maybe the whistle ought to have been blown when the ball was still in flight. But he was being blocked a lot in his attempts to jump as well because there is no one on the Na Fianna team who can jump with Earley."

Throughout the club campaign, Earley's high-flying style has been problematic for opponents. Against O'Hanrahan's, he made a series of marvellous catches only to find himself body-checked when he attempted to run through after making the pass.

"That's right, and it's something I wish referees would keep an eye on," agrees Courtney. "I stand in front of the crowd and when Earley makes a catch like that, you can hear the oohs and aahs. You know, it's one of the better sights of our games."

Not that Sarsfields is all about Dermot Earley. Courtney is not hooked on individuals. When the club lost its other star turn, longtime Lilywhite Niall Buckley, Courtney just planned accordingly. Buckley is in Chicago at present, nursing his ever-sensitive hamstring.

"The last conversation I had with Niall, I just told him that should the injury clear up he should ring me and we would be glad to have him over. We haven't spoken since that time and I haven't had a call. So I have to just go about getting the team ready (for Sunday's replay)."

Sarsfields are the epitome of the club team; one or two flashes of genius but mostly about solidity and commitment.

"Even if Niall came back, well Brian Moylan is doing a great job for us at centre half forward. You don't tamper with a team unless you have to.

"The last day, I took off John Whelan in the last few minutes, but that was because he had run himself into the ground and had broken his nose early in the game. But he's playing again on Sunday, he won't get his nose reset until afterwards. I've been telling him he looks better with it broken anyway."

Perfect as last week's game was - flowing and open with wonderful point-kicking, all winter football shouldn't be - Courtney just laughs.

"I won't waste my time trying to get inside (Na Fianna manager) Mick Galvin's head. Trying to work out what Na Fianna might do will just interfere with our own build-up."

One thing that was obvious was the Dublin side's capacity for goal-getting. They scored two and might have had at least one more.

"They can do damage, definitely. On those moves, the issue for Na Fianna becomes whether to take the point or go for goal and risk one pass too many."

Sarsfields' offensive threat is more direct, with Stuart McKenzie Smith, a former Newbridge schools rugby number eight and Enda Freaney the pillars of the attack.

"McKenzie Smith has just been called into the Kildare panel. He had a hard job the last day, being marked by a footballer like Nigel Clancy, but I still though he did quite well, won a lot of ball. And Freaney will do damage, he is due a big game and I hope it comes Sunday."

Regardless of the victor on Sunday, John Courtney reckons he will end his season at peace.

"The important thing is that we have come on a lot since the start of the county championship. We have taken some serious teams along the way. And maybe we have a bit in us yet."