Louisbrugh have got heart

Focus on Louisburgh

CONNACHT Junior champions Louisburgh won their first Mayo championship title since 2003 last October after a dramatic one-point victory over Balla in the County Final.

It took a last second ‘Hail Mary’ point from their captain and talisman, Kevin Gibbons, to seal the deal for the Clew Bay lads with a low scoring affair ending 0-10 to 0-9. During those barren years, the West Mayo club went through some peaks and troughs.

After beating the mighty Ballintubber in that Intermediate final thirteen years ago, Louisburgh subsequently got relegated from Senior back down to Junior after three successive demotions. They had spent five seasons trying to escape Junior level in Mayo, but until this year failed to get over the line, falling just short in the latter stages of the competition every time. Louisburgh’s Connacht Junior final victory over Roscommon champions Creggs was the club’s first ever provincial title success in their history.

So an All-Ireland semi-final is unfamiliar territory for John Kelly’s young turks. Having said that, Louisburgh won’t be short on confidence; although they need to address their habit of starting games at a blistering pace and then letting their opponents back into contention. Both Galway’s Oranmore-Maree and Creggs were playing catch-up early on against Louisburgh after the West Mayo lads hit the ground running, but both games developed into nail-biting affairs. The Mayo champions were eight points up and cruising against Oranmore-Maree, but ended up needing a last-minute free to snatch the win. In the Connacht final against Creggs, it ended up being another close shave for Louisburgh.

An early goal from Michael ‘Flatley’ Gibbons helped them race into a 1-3 to no score lead inside the opening 15 minutes and it looked all too comfortable, but after losing their target man, former Mayo senior forward, Austin O’Malley, to a black card soon after, Louisburgh allowed Creggs to come back into contention.

In fact, it took a few long-range frees from towering midfielder Padraic Prendergast in the closing stages to finally open up some daylight and leave four points in it at the finish.

This Louisburgh outfit is particularly young, and Kevin Gibbons (left), who has played against Kerry in a number of recent All-Ireland Junior football finals for Mayo, is their playmaker.

Gibbons’ pace and accuracy makes him extremely difficult to tie down. Louisburgh also have a double All-Ireland winner in Padraic Prendergast at midfield (minor in 2013 and under 21 in 2016). His prowess in the air and his presence is a huge part of Louisburgh’s game-plan, and he has a left foot to match.

Veteran Mayo forward Austin O’Malley is still a key man up front, and puts all that experience and craft to good use. Louisburgh will go into next Sunday knowing that they have an almighty challenge on their hands, but they won’t be found wanting for heart, soul and spirit. – Mike Finnerty is the sports editor of the Mayo News