Hopper, A Bug's Life TODAY he's captain on merit.

He'll introduce his players on the red carpet, he'll walk his side through the parade, he'll lead his team by example on the pitch. This time there are no whispers of favours, nobody displaced to make way for him, no watching his back. In fact, one more big performance and Declan O'Sullivan could be Player of the Year just 14 months on from his own fans cheering his substitution in the Munster final. At the Kerry press night last week he turned down most interviews and when he did open his mouth, he said little. Enough hard knocks over the years for him to realise leadership is not what you say, it's what you do.

A quick rummage through the vaults and you remember just how much he has done, even at 23. In late 2002 his name may not have been there but there is a more glowing reference, inked on yellowing paper. It came from the gospel according to Paidi and read simply as, "We have the piece of gold Kerry has been waiting to come into this team". O'Sullivan didn't disappoint. In 1997, Kerry were threadbare in the forwards in comparison to later years yet Paidi refused to start another piece of gold at the time, Mike Frank Russell. O'Sullivan spent no such time in the lobby and straight from Munster College titles in 2001 and 2002, he was whisked past reception. And the compliments just kept on coming. Later that summer Ger Power described his coolness in front of goal as being reminiscent of Mikey Sheehy, his poise similar to Maurice Fitzgerald, his ability to beat the tackle somewhere between John Egan and a raging bull.

Against Roscommon in that year's quarter-final he gave a display the statistics described as the performance of the year.

He touched the ball 23 times, was involved in 14 of Kerry's 22 scores, only failed to find the target or a teammate once and ended up taking All Star hopeful David Casey for 1-1. It was a performance that reverberated around the country, one that left Cormac McAnallen sleepless ahead of the semifinal and even forced him to call his fiancee Ashlene in the middle of the night with fears about marking him. O'Sullivan was subdued in that semi-final, but it was more to do with Tyrone's blanket defence than any fault on his part. It went on. In the 2004 All Ireland final people talk of the Gooch's performance. But Kerry had seven on the board by the time of his first strike and O'Sullivan had already destroyed James Nallen to such an extent the Mayo defence crumbled around him.

A lot of Kerry people claim to have photographic memories when it comes to football, last season showed they must have been out of focus.

"What happened in last year's Munster final replay was really unfortunate, " admits Dara O Cinneide. "Right back to when he was doing well in school with Colaiste na Sceilge he was under Jack O'Connor and he'd have a good relationship with Jack and they would have great respect for one another. People thought it was favouritism though which is not true at all. Paidi saw his talent and potential as Kerry manager and always referred to him as one of the great goal finishers in that he always put the ball to ground and shot cool and low.

But while he was dangerous inside, he was lethal outside like with Nallen in '04 he got that first ball, ran over him and got the free. Even on the club scene, he's been dominating matches by himself for years but all of that quickly went out of window.

Jack made three substitutions with 20 minutes to go in that replay and one of the guys to come of was Declan. He was booed off and when he finally got to the line there was a cheer. He wasn't having his best season, but that was not right because there is nobody more dedicated to Kerry football."

At the end of last year he admitted it took him time to get over that. "I wasn't playing well and I deserved to be taken off but a couple of days later it really hit me and I thought, 'Jesus, did that really happen to me?'" He was right, he wasn't playing well. He was trying to carry the ball like a Brosnan rather than pass it like a Declan O'Sullivan and in that game he only hit Gooch with two passes. The reaction still wasn't justified and O'Connor knew it.

After the game the panel retreated to the Hayfield Manor Hotel in Cork for a crisis meeting. O'Connor pulled his captain outside and during their hour-long chat the bus disappeared and the two were forced to get a taxi to meet the rest in Killarney.

Some of the players didn't want to but O'Connor insisted they go out drinking together there and then. But the rumours had already started.

"Like people say there is nothing else in Kerry but football, " continues O Cinneide.

"That's not really true, like there is tourism and lots of other things, but in south Kerry there is only football and it must have been such a tough time for Declan. Everything he did was analysed and overanalysed. They missed the bus by accident but the stuff being said was unreal. It was supposedly fact that the O Ses had all stormed out of the dressing room and now this. It would have been meltdown had any of it been true. But what happened subsequently proved just how strong mentally Declan O'Sullivan is. It got nasty when Jack dropped Eoin [Brosnan] for the final and the conspiracy theories were out again that he was being too loyal to his clubman.

It can't have been easy to go out and captain your side after that but he did it and won and himself and Gooch lifted to trophy together."

If last season's triumph was reward for what he had to endure, this season will be reward for what he has made others endure. Against Cork in this year's provincial shoot-out he kicked 0-3, more points than anyone else from play and only Cooper with 1-2 hit a higher total away from placed balls. A goal against Monaghan left him tied with Cooper's 0-3 as Kerry leader from open play. Then there was Dublin. His 1-3 was more than anyone else managed, he made Bryan Cullen look more ordinary than he ever has since he moved to centre half-back and got everyone thinking of Paidi's comments five years ago. But there's more. In ice hockey, top scorers are based on a points system, its total coming from both goals and assists. O'Sullivan would walk such a system, his ability to play that bouncing ball in front of Cooper being Kerry's deadliest weapon.

"We are again seeing what we all knew O'Sullivan was capable of, " says O Cinneide. "The main reason for that? I really think it's because Jack O'Connor is gone.

Not that Jack did anything wrong and we all know how well they get on, it's just that having him around was a disadvantage. It took away hugely from Declan's game because of what people were saying. He had to be so strong mentally last year that he could do little else. He's used that experience and combined it with his talent though. I was sitting right across from him against Monaghan and the abuse and hits he was taking was phenomenal but he kept the head down. It's that attitude and ability that will have Cork worried today.

I'm sure Ger Spillane will try and run and run and make Declan run too, but at some stage Ger is going to have to defend and he's a hard man to defend against because he has so many positive traits. Declan's never beaten and will always pop up in a game."

If he pops up as expected, he should be there lifting the trophy alone later today.

No doubt he'll remember the first rule of leadership right about then. Everything is your fault.