THE DANKSE Bank MacRory Cup campaign last year turned out to be disappointing enough for St Macartan’s, Monaghan.
They only made it through to the post Christmas knock-out stage by winning a play-off with St Michael’s Lurgan courtesy of a last minute penalty conversion. However, St Patrick’s Maghera brushed them aside with little bother when February came.
Yet there is a lot of hope that this year’s campaign can extend further into the spring, as one of their coaches, Garrett Coyle, explains.
“We won the Rannafast Cup last November for the first time in 37 years and that has given the school a huge boost altogether,” he said.
“We used a few of the Rannafast boys in the MacRory, but overall we had a very young MacRory team last year and we are hoping the experience that the lads got – despite the defeat – will bring them on a little more for this year.
“St Patrick’s, Cavan won the Rannafast in 2013 after a pretty barren spell and reached last year’s MacRory semi-finals. Then they won the cup in March for the first time in 43 years. It would be great to follow that template.”
However, Coyle is well aware that success at underage level does not guarantee anything at MacRory level.
He has seen decent underage teams of the past fall by the wayside, while average enough underage teams in other schools have come to the top at senior level.
“Maghera, Enniskillen and a few other schools seem to know how to handle a long campaign like the MacRory no matter how their teams have performed at younger age-groups,” he added.
Many of the rest of us struggle until we get a good group of players.”
The installation of a new Prunty pitch at the Sem is also certain to aid MacRory preparation as once the shorter evenings and bad weather kick in around early November the team depends on facilities provided by the feeder clubs for after school training.
“That places a huge commitment on the panel and also on their families and indeed their clubs,” said Coyle.
“A huge amount of preparation needs to be put into every MacRory squad just to make them competitive and it is just that bit more difficult when you have to shift around in the evenings.
“The new pitch should be ready at the end of 2016 and that will iron out a lot of difficulties we have at the moment.”
The Drogheda native took charge of the Monaghan minor team for the first time this season and he is back in 2016 for a second term, aware that involvement in the MacRory Cup gives him an insight into the talent around other counties.
“There is quite a few talented players knocking around MacRory teams this year – Conor Smith, Thomas Edward Donohue, Darragh Kennedy (all St Patrick’s Cavan), Conor Glass, Fergal Higgins (Maghera) and Cormac O’Hagan (Academy),” he adds.
In Monaghan, Donaghmoyne are favourites for their third successive minor title, but none of those boys are within the Sem’s catchment area.
“Patrician Carrickmacross would benefit most there, but in the final they are up against Truagh whose players are with us. We would also hope to develop the Monaghan Harps lads who won last season’s under 16 county title.
“Those two clubs were the backbone of our Rannafast team last November.”
St Macartan’s reached two MacRory deciders in the recent past. In 2004 they lost 0-8 to 0-6 to St Patrick’s Dungannon and three years later fell by 0-10 to 1-6 to the other Tyrone school, Omagh CBS.
“In 2007, we were two points up going into injury-time only for Omagh to hit three late points, including a wonder strike and win it.”
While that may have ended in heartbreak for the Sem, there are better memories around the 2013 quarter-final against Dungannon.
“We were two points down heading into injury time and were awarded a penalty which Fergal McMahon stuck into the bottom corner to seal the victory,” said Coyle.
“I suppose those two memories epitomise what the MacRory Cup is all about – getting over the line in really tight games.
“But the player commitment required is huge. At this level, gaelic football is not a hobby. It is a lifestyle choice. The rest of your life has to revolve around the MacRory team for the next five or six months.”
Facts and figures
Titles: 1925 (shared with St Malachy’s Belfast and St. Patrick’s Armagh), 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1940, 1942, 1952, 1956
Last season: lost in quarter-final play-off 2-13 to 1-5 to St Patrick’s Maghera.
Management team: David McCaigue, Garrett Coyle, Mark McCormick
Key players: Francis Hughes, Cian Hand, Conor Lynch, Conor Leonard, Padraig Finnan
Opening game: v St Patrick’s Academy, Dungannon
