Joe McCabe and his assistant Eamon Murre, have painstakingly nurtured the side along and deserve due credit for bringing them to the final. But finals have brought heartbreak for many Mayo teams. Knockmore were the last to suffer in the intimidating and challenging arena that Croke Park can be on an All Ireland final day.

If the St Gerald's lads can get the early feel of the pitch, soak in the early atmosphere and settle in, they must stand a great chance of landing the elusive prize.

Their strengths are many. Certainly their defence has been nothing short of inspiring. Their opponents scored five goals against Christ Rís of Cork in their semi-final. I cannot see the St Gerald's defence seep to the same extent.

In fact, it was disciplined and heroic defending by the full back line in particular which denied St Pat's of Navan the goal that might well have stolen it for them in the semi-final.

A big onus rests on the shoulders of full back Adrian Marley who will be up against semi-final hat-trick hero Richard Thornton. The lahardane lad has already proven his ability to match-up with the best, a feat he accomplished not only in the Connacht final but also the All Ireland semi-final. He is fortunate to be flanked by two very solid corner backs in Kevin Scahill and David Hayes.

Hayes, who has been troubled by injury, has battled hard to maintain his form and produced some very good games in Connacht which he capped with a brilliant display in Longford.

Kevin Scahill was not far behind him in the 'man of the match' nominations and complete a particularly solid full back line.

The half back line, it has to be said, made a few mistakes, notably in giving away possession but they are anchored by a very strong and very astute team captain in John Feeney while John Fahey and Anthony Dunne are committed players who will battle to the very end and they are fortunate to have an excellent custodian in Colin Ward.

Midfield, the engine room of any good team, is very well served by the Thomas Earley and Jamie Fitzmaurice. Fitzmaurice's importance was underlined when St Pat's came back into the game after he picked up a shoulder injury which eventually forced him out of the game. Thomas Earley is a very strong and mobile player who is poised to have a huge influence on the game.

Fears that St Gerald's might not have the quality forwards to trouble strong opposition was certainly dismissed in longford where they accumulated 1-13, a number of those points superbly taken from an assortment of angles from thirty and forty yards, while some excellent frees were taken from the floor and from the hands.

In Fintan McHale they are fortunate to have a strong anchorman at full forward. He not only has the capacity to take scores but he is an excellent team player with pace and vision.

He has avery good player to his right in Colm Staunton, again a scoring forward who is very much aware of what is happening around him, as exemplified by the goal he set up and which was so well taken by McHale in Longford.

The ploy of using Neill Dunne, posted at number 15, but given a wandering commission, has served the Saints' well. Dunne, who now plays under the banner of Parke/Keelogues/Crimlin along with his older brother Anthony, is a worker on the ball and has the vision to exploit defensive weaknesses. How Dungannon cope with him could be critical ot the result.

On the half forward line Colm Lyons is a key figure. A consistent freetaker he can deliver the pressure scores. Michael Hoban produced his best performance in the Connacht final. An injury curtailed his influence in the All Ireland semi-final, but the Ballintubber lad is a key figure in that attack along with Kenneth Hyland who is capable of landing the big scores.

Unlike last year, when St Gerald's were heavily beaten by Kilorglin in the semi-final, I would venture to suggest this is a team that is imbued with a lot more confidence and belief in their own ability.

That came cross very clear in the semi-final when their character was fully tested and they passed with honours in the end. They can expect a similar test from the Ulster champions who came through very tough campaign before crushing Crist Rís of Cork in the semi-final by 5-10 to 0-10.

Cork rarley put out a poor side in any level, or in any sport, and such a resounding victory says much about the strength of this Dungannon team. The full forward line creamed off 4-9 of that score. But I just can't see them get anything close to that from the St Gerald's full back line.

I'd be more concered about how well St Geralds will do in the attack against a very strong Dungnanon defence, who conceeded just 0-4 in the second half of their semi-final.

It has the makings of an intriguing game, and I have no doubt that it is a contest that will go right to the wire. When it went that far in both the Connacht Final and All Ireland semi-final, St Gerald's showed they had the character, the mettle and the nerve to pass the test.

I think the side, which lost last year in the semi-final, has matured beyond belief, is now ready to take it's place in college's history and inscribe the name of St Gerald's, for the first time, on the Hogan Cup.