Cruel rule will be run over Nemo's new wave

The Cork club's record is such that, after losing last year, nothing less than victory will do tomorrow, writes Seán Moran

One view of tomorrow's AIB All-Ireland club football final in Thurles is that it would be "unthinkable" for Nemo Rangers to lose two successive finals. It's a neat summary of the tension between perception and reality that has always dogged the Cork champions.

The club that has defined the rise of Cork football over the past 30 years and from its city base challenged the traditional hegemony of West Cork, is not some vast suburban conglomerate but a close-knit community outfit from the parish of Turner's Cross, which relies on members' intense loyalty every bit as much as tiny rural clubs do.

Leaders of the club championship's roll of honour with six titles, Nemo still haven't won the All-Ireland for eight years - a record hiatus for them - and last year got turned over by a businesslike Crossmolina team, completely uninhibited either by Mayo's failure at this level or by the status of their opponents.

Tomorrow the experience of last year is added to the weight of tradition in order to fire up Nemo's prospects, despite the more impressive form of this weekend's opponents, Derry champions Ballinderry. In truth the Cork side are facing the less palatable historical possibilities of losing two successive finals - done before only by the legendarily hapless Clann na nGael, who managed to contest all four finals between 1987 and 1990 without reward.

This would be a hard burden to bear for a team that has by objective standards done well. Only five clubs have reached two consecutive finals in more than 30 years of the championship. Even retaining the Cork title is an achievement that previous generations at Nemo rarely managed. Ephie Fitzgerald, a triple medallist from the golden age, is a selector with the current management. He disputes any unflattering comparisons between past and present.

"I would argue they're as good a team as have represented the club. They lost last year by a point so they could very easily have been going for two-in-a-row All-Irelands and people would be saying they're a great side. Sport is fickle.

"They've also retained the Cork championship and two years ago lost the final to UCC by only a point. Back in my day I think anytime we reached the All-Ireland final we were beaten in the county the following season."

In Cork, Nemo are admired for bringing what is basically a transitional team to two All-Ireland finals. Only four of the winning side of eight years ago will play tomorrow and the newcomers are young.

The conveyor belt within the club is highly regarded and has been the basis of its success. Billy Morgan has been the godfather of modern Cork football, captain or manager of the county's three All-Ireland winning sides since 1973. His influence within Nemo has been enormous. He is effectively director of football.

Not particularly successful at underage level, the club nonetheless implements a system. As one observer puts it: "Their under-10s play the same style as the seniors. They really believe in the system, a possession game with quick ball into the forwards and it means some fella who wouldn't get near other club teams can step off their intermediate side into the seniors and still be the best player in a county final."

Fitzgerald explains the background: "It doesn't just happen. Former players involve themselves with underage teams throughout the club. We don't tend to win a lot at those levels but players develop the Nemo way. Even if they're not always the most naturally talented, they learn to give time and commitment to the club."

The spirit and intensity of the club are obvious. Tucked in between the larger club catchments of St Finbarr's and Douglas, Nemo has a modest membership of around 250. Plans are in motion to relocate the club premises nearer the Greenhills area, where a younger population already supplies members.

If you talk to anyone in Nemo about club characteristics, the one that pops up sooner or later is the enduring commitment of former players. "People tend to stay involved," says Fitzgerald. "They don't go away training other clubs. We tend to keep our players and there's a great spirit."

To outsiders the club can project a siege mentality and although statistics vouch for its effectiveness, Nemo tends to be more respected than loved. Sceptics point out that for all the tiny parish talk, the club has had its share of celebrity guests and other outside influences over the years.

"I suppose any club that's successful to the extent that we have been - something like 12 county championships in 30 years - is going to provoke that," says Fitzgerald. "There's a sense of 'Oh not Nemo again' and that's natural. You've also got the city-country rivalry, but there's no animosity and most other clubs will be supporting us in Thurles."

Proof of Nemo's genuinely small catchment area can be seen in the size of crowds attending their matches and they were comprehensively outnumbered in the Nenagh semi-final against Charlestown. Recent All-Ireland finals have been buoyed by the presence of clubs from Clare, Mayo and Armagh and whereas the move to Thurles, necessitated by the Croke Park redevelopment, may benefit the hurling final, the football decider won't break any records, given the small communities represented by the teams.

But the faithful will be there. Ballinderry are staying in Thurles and Nemo have made their own plans. Tomorrow won't entail as long a journey as usual and Fitzgerald says the club have a train organised for 700 people, family and kids.

Some of his players, says Fitzgerald, have never even been to Thurles, let alone played there. In the course of a 16-year playing career he never graced Semple Stadium himself. Tomorrow, one way or the other, it's about to assume a prominent place in his portfolio of football occasions.