Redemption the main driving force for Carthy
Roscommon CBS captain, Eoghan Carthy, receives the Ritchie Bell Cup from James Martin, Connacht Post Primary Schools' Committee, following Saturday's provincial final against Scoil Mhuire at Enfield. Picture: Gerard O'Loughlin
Eoghan Carthy knew what was coming, but he felt confident that his Roscommon CBS team-mates would bat away any potential threats from Scoil Mhuire in Enfield last weekend.
In essence, this team were on a mission — to make up for lost time after what happened in last year’s provincial semi-final when CBS threw away a substantial lead.
“We knew what Scoil Mhuire would bring. They have that never-say-die attitude and it came out there again at the very end. Thankfully, we just got over the line.
“We’ve been training together since September and October. We’d like to think that we have a good balance. You see the young lads — the likes of Colm Fitzgerald and Sam Hannon, who will be here for the next two years, coming to the fore. It’s huge and we’re very thankful that these lads will be with CBS going forward.
“We knew that we couldn’t take anything for granted. Obviously, we were up by nine points in the semi-final last year, and we were devastated to let that lead slip. To come back today and rectify that is huge,” he felt following his side's 0-13 to 1-6 victory.
Being part of a Roscommon U-20 team that swept all before them in Connacht last year was special, but the resonance embedded within this triumph wasn’t lost on the Roscommon CBS captain.
"Hopefully, there are better things to come. We’ll get over the weekend, rest up, and be ready for the semi-final,” he vowed.
Joint-manager Noel Moran also referenced last year’s Connacht semi-final, feeling that the pain, and education, from that stinging reversal had stood to Roscommon CBS.
“We were cruising. We made a few uncharacteristic errors and the next thing, it started to unravel. Lads probably should have come through that Dunmore game, but they’ve learned a lot.
“When their backs were against the wall in the first half today — when essentially they were being outworked — they rolled up their sleeves.
“We had a good chat at half time. We started working harder again. Two big things I would say to the lads would be to outwork and outscore the opposition, and that came to fruition in the second half,” he explained.
To have two Roscommon schools in the final was also an excellent advertisement for underage football in the county, according to Moran.
“It was a great showcase for Roscommon schools’ football. St. Croan’s put on a great show — perfect pitch, superb access to facilities. Scoil Mhuire had a lot of impressive results coming through their side of the draw. Our semi-final against Calasanctius was huge against a tightly-knit group from the one club. You couldn’t have enough of these games.
“I remember, as a student, going to matches when CBS were playing St. Jarlath’s (Tuam) in the Hyde. There was a great crowd, great interest. So for the younger students in the school, it’s great to see an occasion like this.
“We’ve great work done this year, Seamus Heneghan, Paul Sweeney has done serious work with the juniors. They came short in the Junior A final by a point, very unlucky on the day. Some of those lads gave us great options. You have Brian Tully and Seamus Kelly working very hard in the school. Seán Adamson, our coach, was missing today — he does a lot of work in the school. Gerry Lohan, a fresh voice, has come on board, which gives the whole thing another lift.
“But we still have a lot of work to do. Maybe, there were nerves in the opening half, but I feel that there’s more in this team. We have an All-Ireland semi-final against the Leinster champions (St. Peter's, Dunboyne) and we need to be ready for that,” he concluded.
