Managers never like admitting that there is one opposition player that they instruct their team to give special attention to, but today Ronan Finn is that dangerman to be wary of.
If not shackled early on, the Shamrock Rovers ace can wreak the kind of damage that Dundalk might not be able to recover from. So stopping him from having an influence will be high on the Lilywhites’ agenda.
Even if they do decide to double up on the Artane native or stick a man-marker on him, it won’t knock Finn off his stride. There is too much in his artillery to completely stop him from having an impact.
Whether he is linking play with his short passing, driving forward on a gut-busting run, slicing defences open with measured long balls or taking aim with one of his thunderbolt shots, he is bound to cause problems.
It is not all about the offensive side of things for the ex-UCD captain though. This season has seen Finn physically impose himself on games and make the kind of crunching tackles that team-mate Stephen Rice would be proud of.
Still only 23, there is room for improvement in his game and he is the first to acknowledge that. He may be the epitome of a modern midfielder, but he is striving to add more strings to his bow.
“I’m learning more about the game. I learned things in a certain way under Martin Russell [at UCD] and things under a certain way under Liam Buckley [at Sporting Fingal],” said Finn.
“Now, I’m learning under Michael O’Neill and Trevor Croly. I think you should always be aiming to improve yourself and I have been trying to use the knowledge that I’ve gathered.
“This season I feel physically stronger, which is down to the work I did in the gym over Christmas, and that has helped. And I feel that I can help out in defence and attack.”
Part of the reason why Finn has caught the eye this season is that he is playing in a Rovers team that know how to win games. And he is quick to echo that as he feels that he is benefitting from being in such a quality-laden squad.
Hoops boss Michael O’Neill carefully handpicked some of the best players in the Airtricity League for this campaign and Finn reckons they have struck the right balance in every position.
And their flying start to the season shows that they have already clicked as a unit, but their box-to-box midfielder thinks that the best is yet to come and that is bad news for Dundalk.
“We have started the season well, but we know that we can still improve and I think that will happen when we get everyone back from injury, which is almost there,” he explained.
“Our squad is so strong with brilliant players fighting for every position. You can see it in training with the intensity that we play with and everyone knows that you cannot rest on your laurels.
“I think we have found a good rhythm to our play now and are hitting form just in time for this final. But one of the big advantages that we have is we are able to switch from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 quite easily due to the players that we have.”
This will be Finn’s first senior final, although it is unlikely that he will be distracted by the bright lights in Tallaght Stadium or the pressure of fighting it out to become All-Ireland champions.
Having cut his teeth with UCD in both the Premier and First Division, he earned a move to Sporting Fingal, where he excelled in Liam Buckley’s side and experienced European football with two qualifiers against CS Maritimo.
So he is excited rather than anxious about this game. And he is looking forward to running out in front of a big crowd in what he believes is one of the best stadiums in the country.
‘I think Tallaght Stadium is probably the best pitch in the country right now. I’m not sure if there are many other grounds that can match it,” said Finn.
“I’m sure Dundalk will like it too as they play football on the ground. But they probably wanted to play the game up at Oriel Park, which is a big advantage to them as it is artificial surface.
“They are obviously used to that ground and it would benefit them playing on it. But Tallaght is ideal for a final as it has a great pitch and the atmosphere can be brilliant there.”
It wouldn’t matter if Finn was playing on a muddy patch in a local park or on a crisp playing surface, he will still have an influence on the game. And that is all he is hoping for today as Rovers aim to win the Setanta Sports Cup for the first time.
This article appeared in the 2011 Setanta Sports Cup Final programme