Still exciting times on the Quay despite Leinster exit
SEAN O’Mahony’s fairytale season came to an end at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday with a fourpoint defeat to Rhode of Offaly in the Leinster Club Championship semi-final.
Although they will be disappointed they didn’t make the provincial decider, the men from the Quay can be immensely proud of their achievements in 2016. A first senior title, two great victories in Leinster and a gritty semi-final display against seasoned club championship campaigners.
A little over two years ago when O’Mahony’s were merely one of five or six teams with ambitions of landing the Louth Intermediate title, few within the club could have envisaged this level of success within such a short period of time. The Point Road club now stand tall at the summit of Louth club football and have high expectations for the 2017 season ahead.
There was no disgrace in losing to this Rhode side. They’re a battle-hardened outfit and have all the hallmarks of a team who’ve won eight of the last 12 county titles. In weather conditions which I thought would favour them, O’Mahony’s lacked potency in attack and were badly exposed by the strength and tight marking of a well-drilled Rhode rearguard.
They were well prepared for the aerial threat of Conor Crawley and forced the likes of Stephen Kilcoyne, Stephen Fisher and Ben McLaughlin to drop back deep into the middle third to gain possession.
To O Mahony’s credit they never threw in the towel, battling to the very end, and if David Dowling’s late effort had gone in, it would have narrowed the gap to just a single point.
However, Rhode looked like winners from a long way out and in Niall McNamee they’ve one of the best attackers in the country at the moment. His influence on Sunday’s proceedings was immense, with his haul of eight points from both frees and open play as good as I’ve witnessed in winter football.
Although McNamee pulled all the strings, Rhode had other top €10 ew on the Last Samurai at 10/1 in Saturday’s Beecher Chase performers in the Darby brothers in defence and McPadden at corner forward.
Four provincial final defeats in the last 10 years, all to Dublin opposition, means they wont want for hunger or desire in the final, but their lack of mobility around the middle of the field, which Conor Martin and Shane Brennan capitalised on, could cost them dearly on Sunday week against St Vincent’s.
Louth and Meath’s recent dominance of the Leinster Intermediate grade continued last Saturday when St Colmcille’s, managed by Com Nally, overcame Rosemount in the provincial decider in Navan. A late free from captain Ben Brennan was enough to see the east Meath outfit over the line and set up a January All-Ireland semi-final with Pomeroy of Tyrone.
Special mention must go also to Slaughneil from Derry who beat Kilcoo in the Ulster Club Football Final, thus completing an unprecedented provincial treble.
The Robert Emmets club have now completed a clean sweep of Ulster club titles in senior football, senior hurling and camogie.
Situated in the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains in south Derry, Slaughneil is a small rural community of just 300 or so families, yet they have defied the GAA numbers game and are a shining example of what is possible when an entire community comes together.
In a week when the long-running saga of the ownership of Oriel Park’s lease was finally sorted, Dundalk went down 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar in Tallaght in their penulti- mate Europa League group game.
Although Dundalk’s destiny is now out of their own hands, there are still several permutations that would see Stephen Kenny’s men progress through to the knockout stages.
In order for Dundalk to progress, Zenit must get a win or draw on their trip to Holland. If Zenit win then a score draw in Tel Aviv would send Stephen Kenny’s men through.
Should Zenit only draw with AZ, then Dundalk would need a win to go through.
Much will depend on the strength of the team Zenit field in Alkmaar. My worry is that the Russians are already qualified as group winners and will be already on their winter break by the time they travel to Alkmaar on December 8th.