County final day is extra special
UP FOR THE MATCH: Tulsk Lord Edwards supporter, Ryan Gibbons, looking forward to Sunday's intermediate football championship final against Éire Óg. Picture: Gerard O'Loughlin
There is no doubt county final day is a unique GAA sporting occasion due to the colour, buzz, anticipation, excitement, expectations, post-mortems and the Monday morning club gatherings, adding to the tension before and after the event.
The day brings everyone together, including communities, towns, parishes, players, supporters, stewards, volunteers, media, catering personnel, local shops and filling stations, all part of what happens from early morning until dusk.
Already in Roscommon, the LGFA finals, SHC final, JFC and SFC finals have taken place, with the IFC decider on Sunday. Luckily, all the games have been played in pleasant and favourable weather conditions.
In the hurling showdown, young St. Dominic's supporters arrived on the Club Rossie bus with smiling faces as if it were Christmas Eve.
My first SFC final commentary for Shannonside FM was in 1997 when St Brigid's ended a 28-year famine by beating arch-rivals Clann na nGael, 1-8 to 1-7, with the late John O'Mahony as manager of the Green and Red.
Since then, I have witnessed wonderful finals, disappointing finals, poor crowds, wet days and windy days, but each one was special in its own right.
Kilbride won the Millennium final, Strokestown were top of the pops in 2002 and again 20 years later, while the Castlerea St. Kevin's double in 2008 and 2009 was built on resilience and durability.
St. Brigid's famous five-in-a-row came from 2010 to 2014, while kingpins Clann na nGael won in 2015 after an 18-year absence.
Pádraig Pearses' fairytale in 2019, after eight previous losses in finals, was Roy of the Rovers stuff.
St. Faithleach's GAA Club in Ballyleague has become home to the LGFA finals and is such a wonderful venue for their showpiece occasions.
You have to admire Four Roads, who never tire of winning SHC titles, with 14 in the last 19 years.
Down south, Ballygunner have won 13 on the spin in Waterford, while the outstanding ladies from Kilkerrin-Clonberne have just completed a 14-in-a-row of senior LGFA titles in Galway.
Last weekend, the winter was shortened in St. Aidan's and St. Brigid's as they claimed county football titles.
The journey to county final day is also a wonderful voyage, as one gets to visit so many beautiful club grounds. For some teams, the race for next year has already got underway with the appointment of new managers.
One thing is certain — the hope of reaching a county GAA final will always remain a staple diet for the right reasons and, over the decades, has kept players from emigrating.
It has helped players secure jobs that boost the local economy, kept more on the straight and narrow, and filled supporters' hearts with pride in where they come from.
These days, we are privileged to have the St. Brigid's and Pádraig Pearses rivalry that has brought the quality in Roscommon’s top-tier club championship to a new level.
On the same weekend as the clocks go back, the intermediate footballers of Éire Óg will be hoping to take a step into the future by clinching the Jamesie Murray Cup for the first time since 1993.
In recent seasons, the Loughglynn men have suffered more pain than the Government's initial limp attempt to solve the public service strike action.
The West Roscommon club finds itself in the same predicament that Oran once did, having lost three finals in four years before the mid-Roscommon side landed the holy grail at the fourth attempt in 2020.
Eire Óg have seen their hopes dashed by St. Dominic's, Castlerea St Kevin's and Strokestown, with a combined deficit of just 0-2 across the three finals.
Apart from a well-drilled Tulsk side, their greatest enemy on Sunday could be themselves and the fear of losing if the game is tight coming down the stretch. Of their three final defeats, the middle one against Castlerea St Kevin's was hardest to stomach as they had control of the game, only to toss it away.
Usually, a team only gets a few opportunities to break the glass ceiling and Éire Óg could be running out of road if another loss materialises on Sunday.
In reality, the Roscommon Intermediate Football Championship is, at best, a three or four-team race and, from the start, it would have been a huge shock if two from Tulsk, Éire Óg and St Dominic's didn't make the final.
Fuerty, who beat Éire Óg in the group game, were the only wild card and went very close to taking out the Dom's in the quarter-final.
In the knockout stages, Tulsk won the big game by beating St Dominic's, which left Liam McNeill's men with their tails up heading to King and Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park on Sunday.
The maroon and white were excellent against Creggs in the quarter-final and, while they almost blew a big lead in their semi-final battle against St. Dominic's, they survived, which is a great way to enter the showdown.
With St. Faithleach's relegated and, if the Murtagh brothers stay on board the Ballyleague ship for another year, the victor on Sunday might find it easier to remain in the senior football championship than commence the climb from the bottom of the intermediate championship mountain.
After losing to Fuerty in the opening round, Éire Óg manager Brendan Greene made a bold move by bringing in John Rogers and Niall Daly to his backroom team. It has proved a masterstroke, as both are born winners.
Niall Daly could be the vital cog, as he can share how Pádraig Pearses were just like Éire Óg until they finally ended the famine in 2019 after so much heartache.
Tulsk are relishing the build-up as all the spotlight is on Éire Óg and can plan the ambush behind the scenes. They appear to have hit the groove at the right time and are primed to deliver a huge performance.
In Liam McNeill, they have one of the most experienced club managers in the county — a man who brings calmness and assurance.
One suspects Conor Cox will hit double figures, which is some starting point for Éire Óg, and how Tulsk try to counteract this could define how this decider plays out.
Last year, Eire Óg dominated midfield but Strokestown won the final. Tulsk have the best half-back line in the championship, with Evan Flynn, Pádraig Scott and Dylan Gaughan harder to bypass than the current roadworks around Roscommon Town.
The midfield battle between Tulsk's Ryan Larkin and Tadhg O'Rourke and the Eire Óg duo of Jamie Greene and Enda Crawley will be pivotal.
Another key weapon for the Loughglynn, Lisacul and Gorthaganny men is that they have physical strength all over the field.
As a proud Tulsk man, it is tough to go against your own tribe but, as I always do, with sentiment left aside, I predict who I think will win.
The heart says Tulsk, the head says Éire Óg.
Tuesday Teaser
Thankfully, my Teaser readers weren't on strike last week.
Can you name the last player to join the illustrious list of dual All-Ireland senior club football and hurling winners?
It was Con O'Callaghan, with Cuala claiming club hurling titles in 2017 and 2018 and a football title in 2024.
QPR, Frenchpark, was first to clock in for duty. Liam Dooley, Ballyhaunis; John Croghan, Bundoran; Murt Hunt, Ballyhaunis; Fr John McManus, PP Castlerea; Mary Gilfillan, Kilmore; Michael Scally, Ballaghaderreen; Bernard Duffy, Longford/Loughglynn; Pat, Sligo; Joseph O'Donoghue, Tulsk; John Wynne, Kilteevan; Mick Fetherston, Dublin; Tony Reilly, Castlerea; Luigi, Ballyhaunis; Paddy Boland, Youghal; Kevin Flanagan, Dartford, and Michael Kearns, Clapham, also turned up for work.
This week's Teaser: Can you name the player who became the fastest in Premier League history to score 100 non-penalty goals?
Answers by email to willieefc@gmail.com or by text to 086 8356227. This week's teaser came from London.
Well done to Roscommon GAA PRO, Fidelma Lennon, on her first Roscommon county finals programme last weekend, following in the great tradition of previous county PROs.
Roscommon has emerged as a county that produces outstanding county final programmes with so much content, detail, interviews and information.
Keeping the great run going, Fidelma delivered big time with a first edition to be proud of.
Star pupil: Conor Hand scored 1-5 and had his fingerprints on lots of St. Brigid's scores.
Crucial win for: St. Aidan's, as they won the Roscommon JFC with a controlled victory over Ballinameen.
Must do better: Ballinameen paid the price for a first-half no-show against St. Aidan's in the Roscommon JFC final.
Spot of bother: A third successive extra-time game in championship football eventually took its toll on a brave Pádraig Pearses side, who ran out of juice on Sunday last.
Weekend highlight: St. Brigid's and Pádraig Pearses took us to a place called football heaven as the two heavyweights of Roscommon club football produced another blockbuster.
What a cracker: Over the past decade, intermediate football championship finals have been exciting, entertaining and dramatic.
Over to you, Tulsk and Éire Óg.
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."
Éire Óg GAA Club was founded in the same year that Tulsk Lord Edwards won its second IFC title in 1984. On Sunday, the two teams meet in the intermediate decider.
The very best of luck to all runners from Roscommon taking part in the Dublin City Marathon on Sunday, with special mentions for Patsy Casey (Oran) and my neighbour Cara Wynne from Kilteevan and her boyfriend, Michael Fallon (Knockcroghery), who are competing in their first marathon.
