Masita All-Ireland Paul McGirr Cup football final: Saturday 25th, 2pm in Hawkfield Centre, Newbridge
St Patrick’s, Maghera v Pobalscoil Chorca, Dhuibhne
There was understandably a little less fluidity in the St Patrick’s, Maghera side that struggled to a 4-10 to 3-11 extra-time win over St Mary’s, Edenderry in Newry in the Masita All-Ireland Paul McGirr Cup football semi-final a couple of weeks ago.
Throughout the field there were handling errors, misplaced kick and fist passes, and attempts at scores from difficult angles on a blustery spring day.
It was well short of the standard they set through the Danske Bank Rannafast Cup competition back in November, but there was the 15-week gap since that final in the Athletic Grounds and they had to cope with a well-drilled Edenderry defensive formation that could also break with pace.
Maghera for spells looked the more accomplished team, but were badly caught out for a few scores, particularly the two goals in the early minutes of extra-time.
To their credit they knuckled down to the task and fought their way back into contention and once they got in front with Sean Kearney’s first point, they looked in control.
However the more than 80 minutes of championship football will have benefitted them greatly, sharpened them up for a tilt at Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne, a school that denied them a Hogan title in Croke Park three years ago.
Pobalscoil, under current Kerry senior boss Eamon Fitzmaurice, had to overcome two other Kerry schools, Tralee CBS and St Brendan’s Killarney to collect the Munster Council’s Frewen Cup and they then saw off St Attracta’s, the Connacht champions, by 1-16 to 1-12 the day before Maghera’s semi-final.
Reports on Pobalscoil’s progress suggest a very “fluent footballing side”.
Annascaul clubmates Colm Ó Muircheartaigh and Gearóid Lyne are going well at half-back and Killian Ó Failbhe is causing the same kind of problems Darren O’Sullivan has done for years with his pace at half-forward.
Up front brothers Cathal and Ruairi Ó Beaglaíoch are very dangerous in the full-forward line.
But Maghera have a lot of talent in this side and, with a hard game behind them, they will enter the final with a lot more confidence.
Shea Murray, Cathair Glass, Eunan Mulholland and Sean Turner were in good shape at the back, while, after a slow start, Conleth McShane improved significantly at midfield.
He lost his partner, Pat Shivers, to a black card at the end of the first quarter and that possibly contributed to a few gaps that appeared during the game.
Many thought that Alex Doherty was below par at full-forward against Edenderry, yet he plundered 3-3.
The rest of the forwards do a serious amount of unselfish work throughout the pitch, but the likes of Enda Downey and Conleth McGuckin are also very sharp in front of goals.
After watching the Rannafast final at the end of November, I felt it would take a very good team to deny them an All-Ireland.
I still hold that opinion despite the fact that Edenderry almost worked the oracle in Newry.
