Brigid's need the perfect performance
EYEING UP A SCALP: Conor Hand and his St. Brigid's team-mates will be hoping to cause an upset against Corofin on Sunday next. Picture: Gerard O'Loughlin
After the Connacht club senior football championship draw came out of the oven and was placed on the table to cool down, waiting for the respective county champions to take their seats, one thing became very clear.
Once St. Brigid’s solved the Roscommon equation and Corofin re-claimed their land in Galway after a four-year sabbatical, both clubs were on a collision course to meet in the provincial final.
Since 2010, of the 12 Connacht titles on offer, these two heavyweights have won eight of them, with Corofin climbing the winners’ rostrum on five occasions, including a four-in-a row between 2016 and 2019. St. Brigid’s managed three-in-a row between 2010 and 2012 but they have been out of the provincial loop since. On Sunday, needless to say, they will be anxious to reclaim the Shane McGettigan Cup.
Both clubs have seen Moycullen and Pádraig Pearses steal their thunder domestically and at provincial level in recent seasons. St. Brigid’s won the Covid championship in County Roscommon in 2020, but there was no Connacht campaign.
Both clubs have bounced back this season, and so Dr. Hyde Park will host a decider that first came to promise 17 years ago when a Karol Mannion thunderbolt, with the last kick of the game, sensationally snatched the Kiltoom club’s first-ever provincial crown from under the Galway side’s noses. That St. Brigid’s triumph ignited a rivalry that has grown into a healthy but, at times, tetchy relationship.
Their last meeting was in the 2017 Connacht club semi-final, which Corofin won after extra-time. Corofin’s last two wins over Moycullen and Ballina have them entering the final as favourites. St. Brigid’s were average in defeating a poor Coolera-Strandhill side before struggling to put a stubborn Mohill challenge to bed.
Over the past decade, just the name of Corofin has put fear into opponents, but St. Brigid’s have never shied away from the Galway champions and will relish coming in as underdogs.
At 39 years of age, Gary Sice — one of the best club footballers in the country — is still pulling the strings. If a fully-fit Brian Stack is on board, he is likely to be given the job of keeping Sice quiet. Since was Man of the Match in the Galway SFC final, scoring 0-5, and he repeated the trick against Ballina.
While St. Brigid’s attack has been struggling for scores in their last three games, their defence has been excellent. Another tight security job on Corofin’s attack on Sunday will leave Jerome Stack’s side in with a real chance. Corofin are road tested. They have a lovely blend of youth and experience with quality in every line of the field. They need no lessons in the art of defending in numbers and breaking at pace. The Silkes, Dylan McHugh and Kieran Molloy have done it all at the highest level.
If St. Brigid’s are to win their first Connacht title since 2012, they will require the perfect performance. They will need Brian Stack at 100 per cent, and their talented and pacy half-back line to dominate the area that Corofin like to rule. Midfielders Shane Cunnane and Eddie Nolan have to claim the territorial advantage in the skies. On the ground and up front, they are going to, at least, have to reach the magic 15 points plus tally to win. It’s asking a lot for St Brigid’s to get all this right, but they are capable of doing it.
The smart money says Corofin, but they have been away from the head table over the past four years and do not carry the same threat as they once did. In Dr. Hyde Park and the Roscommon champions biting at the bit, my few bob are on St. Brigid’s to cause an upset and land a knockout blow on their great rivals.
It’s unfortunate that former All-Ireland-winning Donegal footballer, Mark McHugh, has left the Roscommon senior football management team.
McHugh was obviously popular within the set-up. He had been attending club games up until recently and it was expected he would be on board for the second season under Davy Burke. Both men had worked closely together since the Kildare man took over Roscommon 13 months ago. It’s clear that substantial progress was made.
At any time, Mark McHugh could throw his All-Ireland medal on the dressing room table, reminding the Roscommon footballers what it takes to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a Celtic Cross. He knew what it took to play at the highest level and he remained at the top over a prolonged period of time.
That kind of experience is hard to obtain for a group of Roscommon footballers trying to bring that consistency to their game by breaking the glass ceiling of winning an All-Ireland SFC quarter-final.
Being a player or being part of a management team requires a huge commitment. The commute from Donegal is sure to have taken its toll on McHugh.
Davy Burke is a shrewd operator, however. With his connections and Roscommon being a Division One team, he will find a suitable replacement. But the manager also knows that the right person must fit into the jigsaw puzzle, bringing the feel-good factor from year one into year two.
Mark McHugh brought lots to the table and will be missed, as will Gerry McGowan who departed after the defeat to Cork earlier in the summer.
What will RTÉ analysts Didi Hamann and Richie Sadlier, along with Virgin Media duo Damien Delaney and Brian Kerr, do now seeing that Stephen Kenny is no longer the Republic of Ireland soccer manager?
Soccer management is a ruthless, results-based business. Every man that sits in the manager’s chair knows that the day will arrive when he will be sacked or his contract won’t be renewed if results are going a certain way.
From day one, Stephen Kenny was leaking water due to his lack of international managerial experience, having never held a coaching job in England. He tried to change the way Ireland played and was vilified for it.
The wise men in the pundits' chair were the choir boys who put the knife into Stephen Kenny’s back from the word go and never took it out until last week. Kenny had to go but the former Dundalk manager remained honourable to the bitter end.
After the full-time whistle against New Zealand, it was sad to see the manager walking around a half-empty Aviva Stadium. He was applauding the Irish supporters in the knowledge that it was his last waltz — a genuine man on his own, hurting on the inside, with the pain of disappointment etched all over his face.
Stephen Kenny’s lack of experience and his unwillingness to change the gameplan during games left him isolated. He brought in some good young players but he was the manager of a very ordinary team who lacked quality in key areas.
Despite the dreadful results, it’s a testament to Kenny that the players and supporters never turned on him. It’s now over to the new man, who will prove that either Stephen Kenny was out of his depth or that Ireland simply don’t have the players.
No doubt the expertise of Didi, Richie, Damien and Brian will inform us all in terms of where might all go wrong.
The answers were coming as quick as Black Friday bargains last week.
Can you name the captain of the first team to win a 70-minute Connacht SFC final? It was Barnes Murphy of Sligo as the Yeats County beat Mayo after a replay in MacHale Park to win the 1975 Connacht SFC final.
Liam Dooley, Ballyhaunis, was at the head of the queue. Michael Scally, Ballaghaderreen; QPR, Frenchpark; Murt Hunt, Ballyhaunis; Eamon Campion, Castlerea; John Croghan, Bundoran; Bernard Shannon, Boyle; Paddy Conlon, Taughmaconnell; Mary Gilfillan, Kilmore; James Carney, Curraghboy; Pat Deane, Williamstown; Mick Fertherston, Dublin; Bernard Duffy, Longford/Loughglynn; Luigi, Ballyhaunis; Pat, Sligo; Paddy Boland, Youghal; Mary McCarthy, Holloway; Kevin Flanagan, Dartford; Seán Toolan, Heston, and Michael Kearns, Clapham, also filled their baskets with goodies.
Answers by email willieefc@gmail.com or by text to 086 8356227. This week’s teaser comes from Sligo.
Star pupil: Castlerea St. Kevin’s goalkeeper, David Farrell, has only conceded one goal during their incredible eight-game saga, claiming county and Connacht IFC titles in the process.
Crucial win for: Na Fianna as the Dublin club booked its their first-ever Leinster SHC final appearance after beating Naas in the semi-final last Saturday.
Much do better: Naomh Conaill letting the opportunity slip of taking Glen to extra time in the Ulster club SFC semi-final.
Spot of bother: Chelsea’s second-half collapse saw them lose 4-1 away to Newcastle. They currently sit ten points outside the top four.
Weekend highlight: It has turned out to be one of the most unexpected journeys of the GAA championship season as Castlerea St. Kevin’s claimed the Connacht IFC title last Saturday.
What a cracker: The Leinster club SHC and SFC finals should provide value for money in Croke Park next Saturday evening.
“A door is much smaller compared to the house, a lock is much smaller compared to the door and a key is the smallest of all, but a key can open the entire house. Thus, a small and thoughtful solution can solve major problems.”
St. Brigid’s and Corofin have met four times in the Connacht club senior football championship. It’s two wins apiece with the fifth and deciding frame on Sunday.
The very best of luck to the Athleague senior camogie team in the All-Ireland junior club semi-final against Munster champions, St. Joseph’s Doora-Barefield from Clare, next weekend.
