TYRONE football is on red-alert with the spectacular re-emergence of one of the county’s most famous clubs.
Once a dominant force, winning three SFC titles in the 1980s, Trillick have been operating outside the top tier in recent times. But following their promotion at the end of last season, they have made a stunning impact on their return to senior football, reaching this year’s championship final with a resounding win over Coalisland at the weekend.
Sons former Trillick greats are driving the latest resurgence and a young, talented side will represent the club in its first appearance in the showpiece decider in 28 years purely on merit when they take on Killylogher on Sunday week.
They may go in with a deficit in terms of experience against a seasoned Killyclogher side, but St Macartan’s manager Nigel Seaney has no reservations over the ability of his players. Trillick showed no fear of a highly-rated Coalisland side as they swept to a 0-13 to 0-5 win at Pomeroy last Sunday and, according to Seaney, they had no reason to be afraid.
“I don’t see why there should be fear. Good players have belief in themselves and express themselves and work together,” he said.
But he accepts any judgements on the true worth of his team should be made only after they compete in the Donnelly Vauxhall SFC final on October 11.
“That was a semi-final, at the end of the day you’ll be judged on how you do at the end of the tournament,” he added.
Trillick played with a verve, dash and drive that left Na Fianna grasping at thin air in desperate attempts to make tackles, but there’s more to the Reds than red-hot pace.
“They’re good footballers. You can have all the energy you like, but you have to play football too. There’s some very good footballers out there and I think that’s reflected in that performance,” he said.
Centre-back Rory Brennan was the outstanding player on the field, organising his defence and putting Na Fianna under pressure with a string of surging runs through the middle.
“He’s a class act, and he’s only going to grow as a player. He’s only now starting to mature into an adult and showing what he can do. He is going to get a fair bit better, I believe,” said Seaney.
And goalkeeper Joe Maguire rose to the challenge in the closing stages. Having had little to do for the best part of an hour, he pulled off four stunning saves as Coalisland pressed forward in desperate search of a goal.
“Joe has been growing all year as a player," said his manager.
"He has worked very diligently on his game and, when he has been asked to improve aspects of his game, he has gone and done it on his own and come back into the group. Him and Stevie O’Donnell, two of the younger players, are really growing this year.
“You see Ruairí Kelly and Rory Brennan, who are the obvious stand-out backs who are going well, but Gary McKenna has put in a good shift for us all year, Seán Kelly at wing half-forward has put in huge shifts and Proinsias O’Kane has put in huge shifts.
“And those boys do a lot more of dirty work than the quicker players and the boys that get on the ball a lot more and are seen a lot more than those fellows. Those fellows contribute a lot more to the fabric of it themselves.”
