KIERAN McGOURTY won a record sixth All-Ireland Sevens title last weekend, when St Gall’s saw off tournament hosts Kilmacud Croke’s in a dramatic final.
Fittingly, the former Antrim star netted the winner in a penalty shootout after Kevin Niblock’s 1-8 had enabled the Belfast outfit to battle back from 3-6 to 0-10 behind to force a draw. The Dubliners were hoping to equal the St Gall’s record of six titles, but McGourty’s penalty dashed their hopes in the spot-kick drama and sealed a seventh title for the club and a sixth for McGourty.
“That’s six for me and they reckon that’s a record,” said McGourty, who also won an All-Ireland Senior Football Club title with the Milltown club.
His first sevens All-Ireland came when St Gall’s beat Monaghan’s Castleblayney Faughs in 2005 and there were subsequent victories in 2008 (Glenullin), 2010 (Bellaghy), 2012 (Corofin) and 2014 (Bryansford): “Bryansford won five over a 13-year period and Terry O’Neill and Aodhán Gallagher have five in our club and I was able to get six on Saturday,” he said.
“Terry is injured and Aodhán is in Cardiff teaching at the minute, so they weren’t there on Saturday."
McGourty (35) was a play-making half-forward during his Antrim days, but his ability to read the game allied to a wide range of passing allows him to play a ‘fly-goalkeeper’ role in sevens football: “Goals, probably, is the only position I could play,” he said.
“I have to give credit to the rest of the players because they are probably a bit fitter and sharper - they get the harder tasks out marking players and making long, hard runs, so I’ve just fell lucky, I suppose.”
St Gall’s collected their first title back in 1985, when Kieran’s father Sean McGourty played a starring role. So too did Mickey Gribben, whose son Aidan lined out last Saturday as St Gall’s beat Ballyholland (Down), Greencastle (Tyrone) and Clonakilty (Cork) in the group stages and then Leixlip (Kildare) and Carbury (also Kildare) in the knock-out rounds.
“It’s about possession, just working the score,” McGourty added.
“It used to be very high-scoring, but it’s got a bit more defensive-minded now. We would play everyone up the pitch and keep the nets free on the basis of keeping the ball, whereas the likes of Castlewellan always have a ’keeper in and play six up and they have been successful.
“It just the way we’ve gone - if we have the ball, they can’t score and the nets should be alright then. But there’s always that danger - I’ve been chipped a few times and gave the ball away for a few blunders, but that’s all part of it. You need a bit of luck to win things too.”
Thirty-two teams contested the sevens tournament, which has become a mainstay of the GAA calendar since it found a home at Kilmacud in south Dublin back in 1973: “All the matches we played on Saturday were tough and you need a bit of luck to win things too,” McGourty said.
“Most clubs in Ireland are capable of producing a good sevens team. We played Moy a few years ago and they had Sean and Colm Cavanagh, Philly Jordan and Ryan Mellon - that’s a good example of how clubs can be competitive in sevens.”
The win was a timely boost for St Gall’s as they look ahead to their Antrim Senior Football Championship clash with O’Donovan Rossa or Lámh Dhearg: “It’s good preparation for the championship,” said McGourty.
“But I don’t think it’ll have any significance, it’s just nice to get back there and win a medal.”
