As part of his St Patrick's Day celebrations, Seanie Burns normally sits down to watch the All-Ireland club football final. If there's an Ulster team involved, he cheers them on vociferously. He'll have to forego the ritual this year, however, as the St Gall's sharpshooter will realise a lifelong ambition by lining out at Croke Park for the club showpiece on March 17. In his mind, Seanie Burns has always associated the St Patrick's Day national holiday with the All-Ireland club finals. A fanatical follower of the competition, the Antrim man dreamed that one day he might be involved on the biggest stage available to a mere club player. It was a fantastic dream, though, no more, and he tried not to dwell on it too much. Why drive yourself astray with wild ambition and thoughts of might? But, wait… Incredibly, in the twilight of his St Gall's playing career, Seanie is on the verge of living the dream. For, on St Patrick's Day 2006, the champions of Antrim and Ulster - St Gall's - will face Salthill-Knocknacarra in the All-Ireland senior club football championship final. Unbelievable, but true. In the run-up to the biggest game of his life, the reliable St Gall's score-getter is understandably practical, determined to maximise the chances of glory by keeping his feet planted on Mother Earth: "It's going to be a brilliant day for the club and for the whole of west Belfast and for Antrim," he says. How will the players approach the game? Okay, they've done superbly to get this far and their campaign has been meritorious regardless of the result in Croker on Friday 17. But, on the other hand, is there any point playing in a final if you don't win it? What's the St Gall's mindset? "We just have to treat it as another game. We can't be thinking it's an All-Ireland final. We'll go in as underdogs and we know it's going to be a very difficult challenge, so we have to approach it the same way we've approached every other game so far." If either Carrickmore, Bellaghy or Nemo Rangers were involved in the decider, they would probably be rated as favourites, yet the St Gall's underdogs have accounted for the best that Tyrone, Derry and Cork could throw at them. Mayobridge of Down were no mean side, either. Maybe the men from Belfast should be favourites? "To be honest, it's out of our hands whether we're favourites or not. All we can do is go out and play to the best of our ability. But Salthill are an excellent side with super footballers and you couldn't argue with anyone tipping them. We've had a few breaks along the way and if we're going to beat Salthill, a team with quality footballers and All Stars in their ranks, then it's going to take a huge performance and maybe a bit of luck." As someone who always took a particular interest in watching the drama unfold at headquarters on club final day, is Seanie surprised that St Gall's are about to play on that stage? "Truthfully, yes, I am. I didn't think St Gall's would ever get to an All-Ireland club final, but here we are and hopefully we won't make a show of ourselves!" It's not all part of a cunning masterplan concocted by manager John Rafferty then? National domination via Antrim for the fifth time on the trot and then Ulster? "Definitely not. We never looked that far ahead. We just tried to win our county first; then the aim was to try and win Ulster. Then, we looked at the semi-final against Nemo, and now we're hoping to go a step further. "After winning Ulster, our attitude was that anything else after that would be a bonus. Honestly, what odds would you have got at the start of the season on St Gall's getting to an All-Ireland club final?" It's an interesting point, but don't for one minute be fooled into thinking that the Belfast side have got here by chance. A glance at the calibre of opposition they've dumped along the way proves that St Gall's are very much the real deal, regardless of what one chooses to believe or accept. Perennial favourites in Antrim, St Gall's last foray into the All-Ireland series ended in a heartbreaking 3-6 to 2-8 semi-final defeat to Clan na nGael from Roscommon in 1983. Twenty-three years later, they set the record straight with a stunning 0-10 to 1-6 victory over Nemo Rangers - the most successful team in the history of the club competition - at Portlaoise on Sunday February 19. Late last year, by beating Bellaghy in the Ulster final, St Gall's dream believers laid another ghost to rest - they had lost to The Loup by two points in the provincial decider two years previously. Seanie admits that the whole adventure does seem almost surreal at times: "I watch the final every year and have always dreamed of playing in it. I never believed we'd actually make it and it's hard to believe that people will be watching us on St Patrick's Day. "We have had great support from all over Antrim and our own supporters have been fantastic. In Portlaoise for the semi-final, they were like an extra man. When things were going against us, they became more vocal and that lifted the team another gear and helped us over the winning line. When you have such enthusiastic support, you really don't want to let them down," says the seven-point semi-final hero. A member of the St Gall's first team for 16 years, Seanie has collected seven county SFC medals in that time and had a stint with the Antrim seniors "many moons ago, when the studs were wooden and the balls leather". He believes John Rafferty has been a vital catalyst in making things happen for the Antrim champions: "John brought the Armagh mentality with him to St Gall's. Never give up, keep going until the final whistle. That's what he has instilled in this team. He gives 100% to every training session and the players are expected to do exactly the same. If you don't put the work in, he won't pick you, no matter who you are." Alas, for the first time in a long time, Seanie Burns won't be planning his St Patrick's Day around sitting down to take in the drama of the All-Ireland club final. Instead, the St Gall's No.11 will have a worm's eye view of the action. Looking forward to the game itself, the Belfast man says there has been a lot of goodwill towards the club since they embarked on their incredible run: "Everybody I've talked to is wishing us well and supporting us, which is nice. I have always cheered on every Ulster team that's played in Croke Park and it's a nice feeling to suddenly have the support of the Armaghs, the Tyrones, the Derrys, the Downs and the Fermanaghs. Hopefully we won't let them down." As for missing out on the opportunity of watching the big game from a bar stool or the comfort of the living room sofa: "I don't mind missing the odd one! I can always watch it on video afterwards…" Tweet

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