HOME FROM HOME MAX THIEMAN: EMMET RIORDANtalks to a promising German-born Gaelic footballer who has been called up by Kerry after an epic school campaign

THE CASE of Max Thiemann proves that when it comes to Kerry football, nature can have a lot stronger influence than nurture in creating further generations of green and gold heroes.

The 17-year-old was born near Stuttgart to German parents Bernard and Ursula, before moving to Sligo at three years old and finally arriving in south Kerry when he was eight.

Keen on all sports growing up, it was love at first sight when he started to join in games at primary school in Waterville.

“I always loved sports growing up and found it very easy to fit in to any type of sport. When I came to Ireland then, especially in south Kerry it was just football.

“I loved it from day one. It took me quite a while to get into some of the rules, but once I did I loved it,” he said.

His footballing education would take a giant leap forward when he moved on to secondary school at Coláiste Na Sceilge in Caherciveen and the guiding hand of Kerry senior boss Jack O’Connor.

“Your dream coming in to first year is the Corn Uí Mhuirí and the Hogan Cup. I knew the standard was very high, seeing as the school had already won three Corn Uí Mhuirís in a row at the start of the decade. There are great trainers there too and they make a really good job of it.”

O’Connor coached that three-in-a-row side that claimed their first title in 2001 in their first year competing in the competition. The All-Ireland title eluded them during that run but that would all change this year when they secured the Holy Grail of colleges football with a Hogan Cup final victory success over St Mary’s of Edenderry.

Thiemann, a fifth-year student, played his part with his physical performances in midfield, while O’Connor’s son Éanna contributed some some vital late scores throughout the campaign, including a dramatic late goal in the decider.

Thiemann is quick to play down the individual aspects of their success, pointing to an unbreakable team spirit that saw them through some tough encounters as they first made it out of the treacherous waters of the Corn Uí Mhuirí and then past St Patrick’s of Dungannon to make the decider.

“Back when we played a few games in Kerry we were a couple of points down at certain stages. But our forward line was always able to get goals and did that in the semi-final of the Corn Uí Mhuirí especially, with a goal in injury-time to win the game against Skibbereen,” said Thiemann.

Éanna O’Connor had the midas touch again that day and they would go on to claim their fourth Corn Uí Mhuirí crown of the decade in a hard-fought decider against Intermediate School Killorglin, where they claimed the title by a single point, 2-8 to 2-7.

Having safely secured their passage out of Munster, they would enter their Hogan Cup semi-final against St Patrick’s of Dungannon as underdogs.

Tyrone sides may have caused problems to the Kingdom’s senior stars during the decade, but the Kerry side chose the moment perfectly to put in their most impressive display of the campaign in Portlaoise.

Thiemann puts the performance down to the fact that the pressure was off to some respect after claiming the Corn Uí Mhuirí. “All the other games in Kerry and Munster we were always the favourites to win and that’s a very big burden to have.

“Then in the semi-final of the Hogan Cup we were the underdogs and we really played our football that day. That burden had kind of gone and Jack was saying to us to just believe in ourselves and play football and we’d be okay,” added Thiemann.

They certainly did believe and a 3-10 to 1-6 scoreline for the Kerry side saw them go into the final as overwhelming favourites to claim their first All-Ireland title back in Portlaoise.

“It was always hard going into the final, in any All-Ireland final there’s going to be nervousness. The tag of favourites was back on us and we had to deal with that after the semi-final,” remarked Thiemann.

Whether nerves or complacency set in, their title dream looked a distant one at half-time in the decider as St Mary’s enjoyed a 0-6 to 0-1 lead. Time to panic? Not a bit of it as O’Connor set about reassuring his charges that the game was still there to win.

“We believed in ourselves and Jack and Micheál Ó Sé were just saying to us to just keep the heads and play our football and we’d hang in there and point by point we’d get back at them,” remembers Thiemann.

And so it transpired as they levelled matters with 10 minutes to go, only for the Offaly side to come back and lead by one point with time running out. But O’Connor junior would have the final say, firing home to the back of the net with the last kick of the game to spark great scenes of jubilation amongst the Coláiste na Sceilge players, coaches and supporters.

“It took a while to sink in, to win an All-Ireland is great and we saw it as a reward for all our hard training since last September,” added Thiemann.

It wasn’t Thiemann’s first All-Ireland title, with three under-21 titles and other underage successes with Sive Rowing Club playing a big part in his summer activities over the years. And he also shared in the success of his club, St Michael’s Foilmore, as they secured the All-Ireland intermediate club title at Croke Park back in February.

He has parked the oars for the time being, fulfilling a long-held ambition by making his debut in the green and gold colours for the Kerry minor side in their victory over Tipperary that secured them a Munster semi-final clash against Clare in Tralee tonight.

“Putting on that Kerry jersey is something else, you’d notice straight away the standard of intercounty football is another step up from earlier in the season. You really have to up your performance, you can never take your foot off the gas.”

Taking it to the Max then – it’s the Kerry way after all.