Mullinavat avail of Aidan’s expertise

ONE OF the most notable victories on the AIB club scene over the weekend occurred in Thomastown on Saturday when Mullinavat, the Kilkenny Senior football champions, defeated Ballyboughal from Dublin by 3-11 to 2-11 in the Leinster Intermediate quarter-final.

While it sounded like a big surprise at the time, it all started to make sense when we were made aware of the strong Wexford link to the victory.

Well-known football trainer Aidan O’Brien was roped in to help with the training of the Mullinavat crew, and he was familiar with a number of their players already as they went to school in Good Counsel (New Ross).

Not alone that, but O’Brien had been in the opposite camp last year when the Horeswood side he was looking after at the time defeated the Kilkenny champs by 3-14 to 1-5 in the first round.

Mullinavat required two games to complete the county three-ina-row at the expense of traditional stronghold Railyard, and hurling commitments then took over before they exited from the Senior race in a quarter-final replay against O’Loughlin Gaels.

The side they defeated on Saturday, north county Dublin outfit Ballyboughal, had a fair pedigree too, as they had contested the provincial Intermediate final of 2017 when Kilanerin defeated them in Innovate Wexford Park by 0-13 to 0-11.

Of course, Mullinavat were given a first round walkover because our own Intermediate championship wasn’t completed in time.

That particular deadline was missed by one week, meaning that HWH-Bunclody will get no chance to test their mettle outside Wexford.

We were the only county forced into giving a walkover in any of the Leinster grades as a result of a late finish, and – regardless of any excuses proferred – it’s simply not good enough.