McDonagh has slight fancy for Strokestown

Twenty-five years on from winning an intermediate title as a player with Kilglass Gaels, current Kilmore manager Trevor McDonagh and his players faced both of Sunday’s main protagonists earlier in the championship.

In his first championship in charge of Kilmore, McDonagh suffered a seven-point defeat at the hands of Strokestown following a late rally. They subsequently received a tough draw for the quarter-final where the lost to Elphin by 16 points.

But McDonagh is looking forward with great intrigue to Sunday’s game, referring to the local aspect of a county final between two teams that will feel they should be plying their trade at a higher level.

“I’ve heard on more than one occasion throughout the year with Strokestown and Elphin, that they are senior teams playing intermediate,” he told the Roscommon Herald.

McDonagh has taken stock of both teams’ contrasting gameplans, noting “Elphin set up more naturally defensive. That’s their style of play where Strokestown go for the game quicker. So it’ll be an interesting game, there will be nothing between them and it’s set up to be a very good final.”

The 1999 intermediate final winner singled out the players he felt were most important for Strokestown prior to their contest in the group stages.

“When you’re thinking about going into the challenge of trying to beat them, you’re thinking of their danger players — Diarmuid McGann and Shane McGinley. Colin Compton is pulling all the strings, he’s the brains behind the operation, he’s a quality playmaker,” highlighted McDonagh.

“You’re trying to set up a defensive shape to keep them out, but on the day of a championship game once they go ahead by a few points and you have to start to come out and meet these players one-on-one, the class of those certain players, they’ll punish you every time,” he said.

McDonagh felt more confident before their quarter-final against Elphin, saying, “We wouldn’t have feared them as much as Strokestown to be honest because at the start of the year they had their own issues.”

However, he gave huge credit to their manager Nigel Dineen and his experience to have Elphin near the summit of championship success on Sunday.

“They’ve got themselves physically strong. I think they’ve been doing four sessions a week since Nigel came in, and you could just see it on the pitch.”

He went on to point out the chemistry between the Cregg brothers that has been tearing up defences throughout the championship.

“Obviously, the Creggs have a great connection between them — the quality on the ball they’re putting in was top notch. Frankie doesn’t have to go searching for the ball, it is into his chest, and a player of his experience knows what to do with it straightaway.”

McDonagh also referred to the added pressure on Strokestown this weekend, a burden they’ve carried throughout the championship.

“It hasn’t been easy for Strokestown. They came down from senior. People still see them as a senior team. But you have to get to a final and win these games. That’s what will be expected of them,” he remarked.

The Kilmore boss looked forward to the potential match-up between Niall Higgins and Diarmuid McGann, acknowledging the “headaches” Higgins caused his team with his piercing runs from half-back. However, he felt that if Elphin push him further back the field, it might take away from their attacking intent.

A win on Sunday for Strokestown, McDonagh felt, could spur the Back and Amber to greater heights.

“I think if Strokestown go on and win, it they might get a couple of players back that played on that senior team and I think they’ll look to push altogether to win a senior title again.” But this final also holds importance for Elphin’s long-term plans of keeping players already there involved.

“Elphin are probably more of an aging team. I think if they win, they might get another couple of years out of certain players. If they don’t, who knows what way that will go.”

Thinking back to his own county final success against St. Michael’s 25 years ago, McDonagh recalled Jim Tighe’s famous late burst of 2-2 to win that game, and he felt a similar performance will be required from a player to tilt the balance in their side’s favour.

“I think the young lads, Evan Gunn and Shane McGinley, will have a big say in the game. I think when it comes down to it, I think Diarmuid McGann or Frankie Cregg will do something.

“I think it’ll be tight all the way, but if I had to give someone the nod, I would say Strokestown. They’ve won a senior title not that long ago and I think it will be enough to get them over the line,” he concluded.