Provincial victory may only be the start of it

Leinster club football championship semi-finals: The upcoming Leinster club football semi-finals are notable for the inexperience of the final four.

Three of them, St Brigid's (Dublin), Arles-Kilcruise (Laois) and Clonguish (Longford) are contesting their first Leinster championship whereas Kildare's Round Towers have never won the title.

Such circumstances can create an opening for whoever wins to turn the momentum into a national title next spring. It's a familiar situation for recently-appointed Wicklow manager Hugh Kenny who was full back on the Baltinglass side that won their first - and only - Leinster title nearly 14 years ago and followed it with the 1990 All-Ireland title.

"The four remaining teams will fancy their chances," he says. "It will depend on who's learned most over their first two matches. But they will know there's a great opportunity to win a provincial title."

He's not particularly surprised at the breakthrough of so many new sides at once, believing cyclical fortunes are inevitable in club competitions.

"Every club side, like our own here in Wicklow, goes through lean periods. There are new teams coming through every year. Unless you have a very good youth policy, you can't stop new sides coming up."

Like many successful clubs from weaker counties (including their current Wicklow successors Rathnew) Baltinglass built a platform on dominating their local championship. Having reached a Leinster final in 1985, only to lose a replay by a couple of points to Portlaoise, Baltinglass returned two years later and contested eight successive provincial championships.

"If you're successful it gives you a great chance to maintain your position," he says. "In Baltinglass we always looked forward to playing in the Leinster championship and our best football was usually played in it.

"We made a name for ourselves even being in the Leinster championship. Clubs like Nemo Rangers used play challenges against us. We only won one, the year we won the All-Ireland, but we were in a couple of semi-finals when we only lost by a kick of the ball."

For a number of years the Wicklow club were big players in Leinster and developed a great rivalry with Dublin sides Parnells and especially Thomas Davis, with whom they clashed in front of big crowds in Newbridge over the three seasons 1989-92.

"We had a very young team in 1985," says Kenny. "Players like Kevin O'Brien were only 16 or 17. We had won two or three under-21 titles. Then from 1987 fellas like myself and Seán O'Brien came through. I think we knew we had a super team and we were serious about it.

"I remember when we went to play Thomas Davis in Newbridge and the match was called off because of fog. We were on the bus straight back to our clubhouse and we trained that night."

Baltinglass made their one Leinster title pay by going on to defeat first Cork's Castlehaven in the All-Ireland semi-final and Clann na nGael of Roscommon.

The club's fortunes appeared to inspire the county and under Niall Rennick Wicklow had a number of eye-catching performances: taking Meath to a replay in 1991, being the only county to defeat Donegal in their All-Ireland season a year later and adding the All-Ireland B title.

The county hasn't had the same dividend from Rathnew's recent success - Leinster champions two years ago.

"At our best we provided the backbone of the county team," according to Kenny, "but I'd say it's immaterial as regards our county at the moment."

Ask him why he believes that is so and the answer is diplomatically vague: "Internal things".

They included dissatisfaction in Rathnew with the appointment of Kenny's predecessor, John O'Leary, and the recent statement from Ronan Coffey that he didn't wish to play for the county while county chairman Donal McGillycuddy remained in office. Kenny hasn't given up the ghost on that issue yet but is letting the county champions recover from their recent defeat by Round Towers.

Work has already begun on preparations for the county side and training has been moved around club grounds. "There's a great response from the players already. When you're training at eight o'clock on Sunday mornings and get 30-plus attending, that's a good response."