Pearses to shade it in a tight battle – O’Hara

Mohill manager Eamonn O’Hara experienced the might of the Pádraig Pearses machine that is on a roll in this year’s Connacht senior club championship. Last weekend, his team suffering a ten point loss in the provincial semi-final despite limiting Pearses to just three points in the first-half.

The Sligo football stalwart, who scored the county’s most famous goal in their 2007 Connacht Final victory over Galway, and was involved with the county’s recent success at U-20 level, is well placed in his analysis of this weekend’s senior club decider between Pearses and Coolera/Strandhill.

He felt the Sligo senior champions will play a similar style of football that Mohill implemented against Pearses, going in as underdogs ahead of the game.

“I think Coolera/Strandhill will come with a game plan similar to our own, and what they’ve been doing for the last number of years, playing a defensive role, protecting some of their older players, and using their legs to break at pace if they can,” he said.

While the defensive game plan might leave a team open to criticism for their style of play, O’Hara believed Pearses are well accustomed to playing with and against a mass defensive system.

“Pearses adopted a very similar plan against Corofin and it can be effective, but Pearses are seasoned campaigners. There’s a few of the old brigade that were there a few years ago when they were very successful.” 

“They’ve also introduced younger fellas, there’s a lovely blend of that old experience and young enthusiasm, but all of them are capable of playing football. It’s a lot to do with problem solving for Pearses, and it will be about controlling the defensive pace from Coolera/Strandhill,” he said.

The Tourlestrane native singled out the key players for the Sligo club that will be looking to topple Pearses. “For me it’s the likes of Niall Murphy, Ross Doherty, Ross O’Carroll whose transferred down from Dublin who offer a strong central spine to their team.” He also pointed to the big midfield duo as a strength for Coolera/Strandhill. “Peter Laffey and Kevin Banks at midfield are as honest as the day is long. They’re physically strong and can throw their weight around, they’re as good as what you’ll get out there.” 

O’Hara ranks Niall Murphy as one of the best forwards in the country, “putting him up there with a lot of the big names.” He said that Pearses “will have to man mark him and probably have to play a sweeper in front of him. Niall has evolved his game a lot by coming out on the loop to be more creative and beat that man sitting in front of him.” 

The experience of Coolera/Strandhill’s younger players who have been involved with the successful Sligo U-20 teams could also be an important factor for Sunday’s underdogs O’Hara feels.

“A lot of these lads, Ross Doherty in particular, haven’t been beat by a Mayo or Roscommon down through the years, so they’re not carrying any baggage or inferior complex.” When giving his prediction O’Hara acknowledged it will be hard to look past Pearses but he thinks it will be a closer game than many are expecting.

“They may look comfortable but it might be one of those ones where it’s a lot tighter on the scoreboard. It’ll be relatively tight, but I think Pearses will shade it,” he concluded.