Padraig’s passion

Padraig Sugrue has given almost two decades of service to the St. Brigids senior football team. The Kerry native was an integral playing part of their team for many years before he returned to become one-third of the ‘three wise men’. Anthony Cunningham (manager) and Michael McBrearty are the other two who along with Padraig currently guide the fortunes of the St. Brigids team.   Padraig says that the team has been going virtually non-stop for the last 18 months. ‘After the Crossmaglen game (last season’s All-Ireland Club Championship semi-final) we took a few weeks off but the county league started shortly after that so there has not been much of a break. However the first round of the Roscommon championship wasn’t played until the end of July, so that was a help. It was hard enough to keep it going earlier in the year but once the lads got the smell of championship football the interest came back into it again, which is great’ he said.    Padraig says that he was expecting a big challenge from Strokestown the minute the quarter-final pairing was known – and as everyone now knows Brigids only won that game after a late penalty was converted by Karol Mannion. ‘We had done well in the games against Clann and Aidans but we knew that there was a big game in Strokestown. We know that we were lucky that day but you take that bit of luck when you get it because it goes against you on other days, so it evens itself out – but the Strokestown match was very tight, surely.   ‘However we played well against Roscommon Gaels in the semi-final. We got a good start and that was all-important and we won it easier that we were expecting (to). Having said that we took our eye off the ball in the final fifteen minutes and that is a worry from our point of view. Thankfully we had enough done earlier in the game’ he said.    Padraig Sugrue is expecting a huge challenge from St. Faithleachs. ‘The facts are that St. Faithleachs could easily have beaten us in last year’s final and we are expecting a huge challenge from them again this year. We know for certain that if we don’t perform on the day we will be beaten, it’s as simple as that’ he concluded.