By Eugene Kyne

Sunday, October 1

2 p.m.: SF B Final Cork vs. Sligo

NOT a novel pairing at this level, but certainly one that surprises. Although they both deserve to be here based on their semifinal showings, only Sligo had given any indication that the championship game was on the cards for the 2006 season for their squad earlier in the year.

Sligo reached the final of the KO competition last season where they ran Derry close for a half, and indeed that may have been the foundation on which this year’s successful campaign was built.

They have trump cards in their forward line, with John O’Neill fantastic on the top of the square all year. He has got terrific support at varying times from Mike Creegan, who has a tremendous burst of speed, perhaps the quickest in the county over the first 10 yards, Nester Allen, who has a superb left peg, and Brian McDonagh, who enjoyed the space on the 40 last time out.

Of course the horse that leads the way and indeed takes the hard thumps and responds is former county player Enda Henry, who never appears ruffled and he has a calming influence on the younger lads. Dermot Fleming in the net is top five in New York, with Kevin Cafferty solid at full back.

Cork will have their hands full, but they too have some aces up their sleeves. Keith McMahon, who won this title with Mayo two years ago, is a solid full back. He does not take prisoners, and indeed the heavier the going the better he likes it.

Enda Lally who came up through the Celtic ranks has settled into the corner back role, and they stand strong in front of another of the top home based keepers in Brian McGonigle.

When Cork played Derry in last year’s county final, McGonigle was terrific with three breathtaking saves. The availability of Tadgh Foley will be paramount for the Rebels as they already lost CJ Doherty for the year through injury.

Tom Moylan looks likely to start again after his superb semifinal display, with Eoin Coeveney also likely to get the 13 shirt. His display off the bench against St. Barnabas when he kicked six points from frees and play was the difference. Look for Pat Mahoney, another former New York player, to have a big game on the top of the square also.

It has all the trimmings for a free flowing, exciting contest, and while Cork have the experience from last year’s encounter Sligo have a forward line that cannot be contained for a full 70 minutes.

It just might be the Yeats men’s year to return to the A division in a high scoring contest.

4 p.m.: SF A Final Kerry vs. Leitrim

THE pinnacle of football in New York, perhaps in North America, is the county final at Gaelic Park. Legends have graced the lush pasture in the Bronx in the last century, with players from all counties and clubs pulling on their adopted colors in a faraway land and giving limb and heart for the coveted county medal.

Mick O’Connell, Tommy Furlong, Pat Spillane, Bomber Liston, Padraig Joyce and Brian McGuigan are just a few of the men who have been on the stage in September and October in seasons past with titles on the line. The memories last forever, and when a player walks off that field with a winning smile on his face and a tear perhaps in his eye, it is for the players that toiled with him in the years when the team exited at an earlier stage, or perhaps didn’t win a game at all as much as for the 20 lads that surround him at that moment.

When one looks back there is an undoubted link with the teammates from the county final day. When you sit at the bar and reminisce, or on the couch, or maybe on a 747 on your last trip home, names spring to mind, and incidents such as a free that was or wasn’t given, a point that came in the middle of the first half or a wide that could have been more, and they mean something to only the chosen few. The players that battled in that season on that day and in that hour. You don’t know why they stand out but they do.

This year’s lads have perhaps been predestined to meet at this stage for seven months despite the best efforts of the other clubs in the championship. Kerry and Leitrim have been the cream of the crop all year long, and they have stood side by side at the top of the division standings throughout the summer.

Kerry took the points when they went head to head in the league, but that will count for little when the ball is thrown in on Sunday. When they played to a draw in a KO game both clubs had opportunities to win and each dominated for long periods of time.

Kerry, of course, are the defending champions, and indeed they are in quest of the three-peat following wins over Cavan in 2004 and ‘05. They are built on the rock that is defense.

Pa Murphy, Derek Riney, Niall Corbett, Anthony Glacken, Eoghan Lawler and Colm Cronin have been outstanding all season for the Kingdom. Corbett is back to his best after a slow start. Riney is Mr. Dependability, while Murphy is Captain Fantastic. They make it extremely difficult for a forward line to put scores back to back, and they can suck the life out of a forward line with their pressure defense.

Midfield might be their weakest point, but they still have men capable of winning possession with Con Breen and Alan O’Sullivan both runners who love to carry and make the defense backpedal.

Dan Doona has taken over from Bingo Driscoll as the main focal point for Kerry in attack, and his vision and ability from play and frees are second to none. Mike O’Donoghue, and Ross Donovan, who is a nephew of All-Ireland winning captain Ambrose O’Donovan, are genuine threats in their own rights and they can pop up for a goal at any point given space. Donovan brings a lot of energy to the game and he is constantly encouraging and pushing his teammates on.

Irish American underage stars Mike Bishop and Paddy Maguire join Willie O’Donnell on the bench, and they give Paddy Kearney options at all times as replacements. Kearney is an interesting study on the line. He rarely seems unnerved by the happenings on the field and he uses his instructions intelligently and calmly.

A former New York manager in the caldron of the Connacht championship, he took Kerry to the county title before and will have no fears as he strides the line on Sunday.

Leitrim were built for Sunday’s game, and it all began on transfer night back in February when Matt Mitchell, James Mitchell and Martin Slowey arrived on board for the 2006 season. Add in the returning Robbie Moran, who sat out last year, and it meant four New York players had arrived into the squad.

Noel McPartland, Sean Munnelly, Alan Foley, Gary Cornyn, John Walsh and Danny O’Sullivan came on board as drafts from junior clubs and immediately the starting 15 took shape. Of course the backbone was already there, with Aidan Power, Ken O’Connor, Paul Murray, Kieran Fitzgerald and Niall Maguire returning from former years as Leitrim players and the club had elevated itself into the top two in the Big Apple.

The team is propelled in the running format with players who like to carry the ball and then pick out a teammate with the fist pass or a low through ball. Matt Mitchell is on course to again receive votes for player of the year in New York (he currently holds the title jointly with Niall Corbett). He likes to carry the ball out of defense and find his teammates instead of aimlessly driving it long.

Paul Murray has made wing back his own, and his bone crunching tackles and use of both feet when looking to lay of the ball are instinctive. Kieran Fitzgerald is one of the best man to man markers in the county, and his possible battle with Stam, Mike O’Donoghue will be worth the price of admission.

The Michael Breathnach boys from Galway, Gearoid O’Flaherty and Padraig O’Conghaile, give us nightmares with the spell check, but they have blended in well as 60 day sanctions. Sean Munnelly has been used in a variety of positions for Leitrim — he played in the All-Ireland junior final for Leitrim at home three years ago in Thurles as wing forward and may turn up there in the final on Sunday. His understanding with Robbie Moran has flourished as the year has developed, and their linkage with the Big Mac attack, Noel McPartland, can be a game winner.

Where James Mitchell and Martin Slowey line out on Sunday is anyone’s guess, and as soon as the game is on look for both teams to use a third midfielder, with Mitchell possibly there and Slowey coming of the bench. The vocal leader for the Connaught team is Kenny O’Connor, and he is starting on the square this season. He will see some minutes at midfield, but his hands and strength at full forward have been a huge asset thus far.

In a sidebar, Pa Murphy and O’Connor hail from the same club in Kerry, Glengarry-Glencar, and it will make for an interesting conversation as they march around Gaelic Park behind the pipe band.

Thus the stage is set. Will Leitrim return to the winner’s circle for the first time since the 1990s, or will the Kingdom make it three in a row?

It will not duplicate Ireland in that both teams will show up on Sunday, with none pulling a Mayo and forgetting to play when the whistle blew. Will the result be the same?

Kerry will have advantages in their defense and sideline management but the full content of the Leitrim 15, indeed 20, have already been given a huge scare from Four Provinces and they will have benefited from it. They should be able to prevail in what may turn into a low scoring contest as the teams cancel out each other’s strengths.

But as an intense chess match or pitchers duel will tell you, that may be the most exciting of all games. Don’t miss it!