Cody's key man in Kilkenny plots Portlaoise defeat in Laois Senior Football Final

St Joseph’s manager Mick Dempsey, who was part of Brian Cody’s Kilkenny set up for many years, takes his side into Sunday’s county final against Portlaoise hoping to lift their first Jack Delaney Cup since 2000, where they defeated the same opposition.

The former Laois footballer believes that maybe it was just unlucky that St Joseph’s haven’t won a title in 23 years but also that the club have kept going in order to get them where they are today.

“I don’t know whether it's underachievement or not, success tends to go in cycles. Obviously we would have won a lot years ago, and it being 23 years since is a long time that leads to frustration. Maybe we weren’t good enough, maybe we were unlucky but thankfully to the players and underage coaches here and managers of the senior team they kept the flame burning and that’s why we find ourselves here today because all of those people who have been working in the club at officer level, managerial level, at youth level, volunteerism have kept out culture and tradition going.”

“The great work that has gone on underage has definitely been a boost to use but a lot of the players that are playing next Sunday wouldn’t have come through that underage success. I would have to commend those players for their perseverance over the years when things weren’t going well. Coming back, working really hard, being committed and for taking ownership of their own performance during the year. “

O’Dempsey’s somehow managed to get the better of St Joseph’s in last year’s quarter-final but Dempsey believes that you just have to take it game by game.

“Any day you lose is a setback.  We had a great chance of winning the match and maybe there was some learning there for us as well. When games are tight coming down the home stretch it’s often just small margins and sometimes you come out on the right side, sometimes you don’t.”

“Our approach to the year was to take one match at a time. Obviously Portlaoise have had a number on us so to get over them was good, but it was more just winning the match and getting into the next round. There’s obviously that rivalry there with Portlaoise, but for us it was just a stepping stone into the next round.”

“Again it was just an obstacle in getting to the final Portarlington have been great champions. We probably weren’t given much of a chance in the game so it was a great challenge for us. Port had beaten Courtwood comprehensively in the quarter final, maybe that played to our advantage a little bit. Port could have had scores early on, but again it comes down to small margins. Port have represented Laois really well and have been great champions. Again, for us it was just getting over the game and getting ourselves into a position where we could contest the senior football final.”

His St Joseph’s side have already beaten Portlaoise in this year’s championship and he knows that for them to do it twice will be an even bigger task.

"Yeah it probably is. Portlaoise are Portlaoise, they’re very good. They have county final experience, they have county player’s tradition, culture, and a good management team so it is a big ask. Essentially it’s about ourselves on the day, it’s not really Portlaoise – well it is Portlaoise, they’re our opposition and we know they’re really good but it’s about how we turn up on the day ourselves."

Dempsey has been involved with GAA his whole life and he knows how much work goes on behind the scenes. He believes that without all those people in the background, none of what’s happened in the past or what happens in the future would be possible.

“I’m a little but removed from it living in Kilkenny so I’m sure there is. That’s for supporters, I’m sure it creates a bit of excitement in their life. It’s something to talk about and something to look forward to. It’s like any county final, I’m sure the same is happening in Portlaoise as well, it’s great for supporters to be able to look forward to those finals. Particularly to see our minors and ladies in a final as well it just shows how vibrant the energy is in the club at the moment.”

“I would like to make the point that so many people have kept the club going down the years, some who are no longer with us and we’re very lucky to have a really good club executive down the years. Particularly at the moment under the chairmanship of Brendan Dunne they’re developing two pieces of land here. Anything we want, they’re absolutely incredible so the amount of volunteerism goes unnoticed and people think about the county final on Sunday and the players, but none of this would happen only for all the coaches and volunteers.”

St Joseph's and Portlaoise throws-in at 3.30pm on Sunday, October 15.