St Finbarr’s footballer John Kerins pictured ahead of one of #TheToughest showdowns of the year, which will see St. Finbarr’s face off against Kilcoo of Down in the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship semi-final this Saturday, January 29th at 3pm, at MW O’Moore Park, Portlaoise.
By John Harrington
The last time St. Finbarr’s contested an All-Ireland Club Football semi-final, the legendary Cork goalkeeper, John Kerins, was the man between the sticks when they defeated Ulster champions Castleblayney Faughs.
35 years later, The ‘Barrs are back in an All-Ireland semi-final for the first time since, and it feels fitting that this time around Kerins’ son, also John, will wear the number one jersey.
Like he does every time he pulls on the jersey, Kerins will think of his late father who passed away all too prematurely in 2001 at the age of 39, three months after being diagnosed with cancer.
Kerins was only nine when his father passed away, and it was a conscious decision to follow in his father’s footsteps by dedicating himself to mastering the art of goalkeeping.
At times the mantle he took on weighed heavily, but what his father achieved for club and county has always been a source of inspiration.
“Yeah, it is inspiring,” says Kerins. “Probably in earlier years it was more of a pressure thing with me that I was putting more pressure on myself to try to emulate him as much as I could. I probably didn't perform as a result of that.
“But, look, in later years I probably coped a lot better with him not being there. I can just play my own game now as best I can.”
The late John Kerins in action for Cork against Meath in the 1990 All-Ireland SFC Final.
Kerins had to show a lot of patience in order to follow in his father’s foot-steps by becoming first choice goalkeeper for the ‘Barrs.
As recently as 2018 he was still third choice in the pecking order, but then he unexpectedly got his chance to shine when he made his championship debut as a substitute at the age of 26 in the County SFC Quarter-Final against Douglas.
“It was just a matter of circumstance I was even number 16 that day,” recalls Kerins. “Our sub-keeper James McDonnell stepped away that summer with work and family and stuff.
“And Deccie (Murphy) unfortunately got injured which led to a crazy situation in the quarter-final when you're coming on in the heat of battle down to 14 men in the last 10 minutes and you're wondering are you going to get over the line.
“And people are probably looking at you thinking that if things go belly-up here who's going to be the scape-goat? I was looking at myself as the one who came on and would be kicking out the ball to the lads, is it going to fall back on me?
“Thankfully we got through that game and the semi-final and final were a dream after that. Got out of jail that day in the quarter-final.”
Kerins kept a clean-sheet in the subsequent county semi-final win over Carbey and then played his part too in the county final victory over Duhallow that clinched the club’s first county title since 1985.
St Finbarr's goalkeeper John Kerins during the AIB Munster GAA Football Senior Club Championship Final match between Austin Stacks and St Finbarr's at Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary.
Kerins’ father was the goalkeeper that day 33 years previously, and when his family rushed to embrace him on the pitch after the match there were happy tears all around.
“Yeah, it was massively emotional,” says Kerins. “Come 60 minutes on that clock I was in the Blackrock end goal looking up to the heavens saying, "Get us through it". It was a serious release of emotion after the game.
“The hangover obviously showed against Crokes two or three weeks later. But, yeah, it was massive to get over that line.”
If he was an unlikely hero back in 2018, Kerins is now very much someone this St. Finbarr’s team relies on.
He was the main man when they beat Castlehaven in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in this year’s Cork SFC semi-final, saving one and scoring one himself, and then made two crucial saves in their one-point county final victory over Clonakilty.
Playing such an influential role during their run to Saturday’s AIB All-Ireland Club SFC semi-final against Kilcoo has made this season his most satisfying yet.
“2018 meant a lot in terms of it being the first one, but having a complete season under my belt this year and an influence on games, obviously playing a massive role, I suppose it was probably that bit sweeter,” he says.
Back in 2018, St. Finbarr’s were hammered in Munster by Dr. Crokes. This year’s provincial success suggests they’ve developed a lot as a team since then.
“Yeah, I think so,” says Kerins. “I think a lot of fellas have matured since 2018. I think when we played Eire Óg in the Munster semi-final, Ian Maguire went off the pitch for 10 minutes after getting a black card and that's probably where our maturity shone most.
“I think we got 1-2 or 1-3 to a point in that 10 minute period and it set the stall out then for the rest of that game. The maturity is there, the experience is there, and we have massive character and are looking to show that on Saturday.”
