It's highly unlikely that any of the Moyle Rovers players will be in need of any additional sources of inspiration during next Sunday's Munster club football championship final replay against Clare's Doonbeg, but the odd glance at the bench would assuredly galvanise the resolve of the south Tipperary players that little bit more.

Sitting there in his street clothes will be John Owens, his career and immediate ambitions in tatters due to the dreaded cruciate ligament injury. Owens epitomises the gutsy spirit of Moyle Rovers, something that his team-mates have come to recognise for nearly 16 years now.

They will be mindful of the difference Owens would make to the team's effort if he were fit to play and will surely feel obligated to produce something special on his behalf.

"I am sick about feeling sick for myself," says Owens. Ironically, he had been remarkably free of injury for the bulk of his long career - he came into the Moyle senior team in 1982. Now, with his beloved Rovers on the doorstep of a history-making major breakthrough it hurts because he cannot be part of the action.

Owens first arrived on the big stage in the 1984 All-Ireland minor final against Dublin. He has been cast in the role of "key man" in Tipperary footballing circles since then.

His injury occurred at Dr Cullen Park, Carlow, last month. "It was the National Football League match, which Carlow won by 2-5 to 1-7. It was not a blatantly late tackle but maybe a little late, nothing that I wouldn't have done myself. It was painful, but I tried to shrug it off and played on to finish out the match."

The injury happened just a week before Moyle Rovers were due to play Bantry in the Munster club semi-final. Owens played despite his handicap. "I still didn't realise the extent of the injury and borrowed a special knee brace, besides taking pain killing drugs for the Bantry match," he explains. "Playing in the game meant so much to me that I tried to forget about the injury. I remember that I was getting a lot of possession over the first 20 minutes, but then it happened; the knee gave way and unforgettable pain shot up through my body." Astonishingly, Owens returned to play the last five minutes of that match still not fully aware of the cruciate damage.

He is due to have the operation next month and expects to be back playing by next September.

The scenes after last Sunday's drawn match with Doonbeg summed up the hour for him. "The Doonbeg players and officials were ecstatic, jumping about, happy with the draw. Our fellows, by comparison, looked as though they had lost."

But Owens does not believe they have left the game behind them. "True, they (Doonbeg) had a player sent off and missed a couple of chances, but for the first time this year we did not win 5050 ball and didn't get one breaking ball. We believe that this won't happen again, or at least we are hoping it won't."

Moyle Rovers is not part of Tipperary's hurling lore. The club belongs to a footballing area, but Owens is excited over the recent success of Rovers' junior hurling team.

"They would never give me a hurley," he says. "But 10 of our footballers are on the hurling team and they were due to be playing their junior `A' final on Sunday. The club is restricted to a shallow, 19-strong pool of senior footballers, but there are good junior players in the club to fill in when needed."

Owens lists Moyle Rovers' strengths. "We are very gutsy, never give up, great spirit; Seamus Delahunty has a great kick out; Derry Foley is a fine midfielder; and Declan Browne is truly an All Star."

The club are attempting to build on their third annexation of the Tipperary championship in four seasons. They went out of the Munster club championship to Kerry's Laune Rangers in 1995, the day the teenage Declan Browne made his debut - in goal. A marathon struggle with great rivals Clonmel Commercials saw them emerge as county champions after three games the following year, but that effort had taken its toll and they were a team weakened by injuries when they lost to Waterford's Rathmore.

Faced with his own bad luck, Owens puts on a brave face. He realises how important for club morale it will be to remain that way on Sunday. A final decision on the venue for Sunday's final will be made by the Munster council executive tomorrow. The match is provisionally fixed for the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick, the venue for last Sunday's drawn encounter, but if ground conditions there are deemed unfavourable the game will be switched to Kilmallock. However, Doonbeg manager Pat Hanrahan would not be in favour of the switch to Kilmallock should the Gaelic Grounds be ruled out. He claims that next Sunday's attendance is likely to be bigger than last Sunday's 5,000, and believes that the Kilmallock venue would not have the proper facilities.

"It would not be a suitable venue. Anyway, I feel that the game should be put back to the end of January as is the case in Leinster." (The Leinster final replay has been postponed to July 31st).

The Doonbeg selectors are likely to replace full back Kieran O'Mahony by introducing any one of three players, Kieran Nugent, Danny Bermingham or Dave Tubridy, besides reshuffling their defensive positions.

Jimmy Dunne, the Moyle Rovers' midfielder, is ruled out with an ankle injury. John Shanahan is likely to start this time.

Fixture

Munster Club football final (replay): Moyle Rovers (Tipperary) v Doonbeg (Clare) Gaelic Grounds, Limerick, 1.45, A Mangan (Kerry).