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WHENTyrone McKillen leads the St Michael's College team onto the pitch in Friday's Leinster Senior School's Cup final against Blackrock College, the hopes of many will be riding on his not insubstantial shoulders. Elected by a vote of his peers to his position as captain of this year's team, Tyrone claims to be feeling no pressure. "Michael's has no silverware at all, " he says. "It's a massive achievement just to get to the final."
It is true that they are the underdogs, having only reached the final on two previous occasions, in 1988 and 1991, when they were beaten by Clongowes Wood College.
Along with their fellow students, leading the cheers for the Dublin school side will be the mammies, including Tyrone's own mother, Maura.
Maura shouts so loud that Tyrone claims you can hear her on TV when Setanta Sports shows the St Michael's matches. She's hoarse for days after a match. And if anyone knows the rugby-mother drill then it's Maura, having already seen Tyrone's two older brothers Dean and Patrick, through the Senior Cup process, with Patrick also captaining the St Michael's team.
"The closeness and camaraderie that the team have amongst themselves extends to the mothers, " she says.
"It's a very special time. The mothers are the cornerstone, the lynchpin of the support.
Sometimes the boys' fathers will be away on business and might not make it to all the matches. But the mothers are always there."
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YOU ARE HERE: 19 March 2007 / tribune.ie / 2006 / 03 / 12
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