Football

Patrician will be determined to defeat St Mary's, Edenderry

Masita All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools’ Paul McGirr Cup final: 


Patrician High, Carrickmacross v St Mary’s, Edenderry


(Saturday, Pearse Park, Longford 2pm)

On Wednesday evening, Sean Burns, Kieran Slavin, Liam óg Murray and Andrew Woods sank to the ground in Carrick-on-Shannon as the final whistle blew on their hopes of adding the Drummond Cup to the MacLarnon Cup they had helped Patrician High Carrickmacross collect just six days earlier.

That single point defeat to Mountbellew came at the end of a hectic six days that had seen them play three big championship games. However, the run does not end there for the four MacLarnon players as earlier in March they had helped their own age-group, Rannafast Cup winners back in November for just the second time in the school’s history, through to their own All-Ireland final (Paul McGirr Cup).

That takes place on Saturday in Pearse Park Longford and joint manager Eamon Dunne is hoping that the boys are rejuvenated for it: “The seniors felt that they were a bit flat on Wednesday after games in quick succession, but this younger age-group have been champing at the bit since they qualified for the final three weeks ago.

“Of course there will still be a lot asked off the four boys who have been turning out for the seniors, but if the others can lift them, we feel that we are in with a great chance.”

Two of those four - Sean Burns and Andrew Woods - supplied goals in the 3-7 to 1-10 win over St Jarlath’s Tuam in the semi-final. The third goal came from a speculative punt from around 40 metres from goalie Thomas Marron that deceived the Tuam goalie and dipped under his bar. Marron was one of two changes to the side that had a great run through to lift the Danske Bank Rannafast title in November after a comfortable win the all-Monaghan final with holders St Macartan’s.

Patrician’s big game came in the semi-final when they edged out St Patrick’s Maghera in terrific match that kept everyone on the edge of their seat. The other change sees Edward Walsh, who missed a lot of the Ulster title run through injury, restored to the forward line and he made a telling contribution against Tuam.

Opponents St Mary’s Edenderry are also appearing in the Paul McGirr final for the first time, but they do have a grand tradition in Colleges’ football and won the Hogan Cup four seasons ago with a 1-16 to 0-6 win over St Michael’s Enniskillen in Croke Park.

Early in the Leinster competition this team was being compared to the Hogan champions – “the best team since to wear the school colours” – and they certainly seem to have delivered on that promise. The 2-8 to 0-8 win over Coláiste Chríost Rí from Cork in the semi-final was a little more comfortable than the six points’ winning margin.

Drawing on players on four different county squads – Offaly, Kildare, Meath and Laois - they look to be very strong indeed. Patrician have had a great run in two competitions this spring. One is now gone. That perhaps will make them all the more determined to hold on to the one that is left.

TEAM NEWS


Patrician: T Marron, T McCourt, S Kindlon, C McKeown capt., C McNulty, K Slavin, O Martin, N Marron, L óg Murray, E Walsh, A Woods, O Wilcox, S Burns, J Gillick, J McMahon; Subs: D Curtis, R McCloskey, B Kieran, P Russell, C Hannratty, D Ward, D Swinburne, K Curtis, C Shekleton, J McCullagh, D McCahey, T Kirk-Callaghan