Mick praises honesty of effort
HONESTY of effort was what St Nicholas mentor Mick Murtagh referenced after the final whistle in the MFC ‘A’ football final. The former Dunlavin and Wicklow star said that his young players have had plenty on their plate in recent months but their honesty and the help of their parents saw them through it.
‘Blessington had a foot on us in size. If you go through this team, they’re so honest. We had a big problem during the year, a lot of these lads are working. There are five or six of that panel who have started already to line up jobs for themselves. They were gone at six in the morning and they weren’t finished until late at night. It definitely affected us in the earlier rounds but thanks to the parents we had to reel it in. They’re just so good and so honest.
‘Their heads were down today; I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because we beat Blessington in the first round but the couple of substitutes, in particular Ronan Kelly, he’ll have a brother playing against Donard-The Glen tomorrow (Sunday) and I hope to God they do it, a son of Jerome. Very disappointed to lose out, picked up an injury against Greystones, but, by God, the difference. He rose the whole team when he came on for the last 10 minutes. He was the difference I thought. He brought the energy back to the team.
‘This team have won a lot. We missed a penalty at the dying death there, a great save but you shouldn’t miss penalties, and I’ll be telling Joey that. A couple of little switches changed things for us,’ he added.
Losing your goalkeeper just on the halftime whistle when you’ve conceded a goal is not ideal for any team but in James Walshe, Mick Murtagh feels they had the perfect man for the job, a man who, only a few weeks ago,
was considering packing it in.
‘Meitheal in the kickaround dived for the ball and he felt his shoulder pop out so we were watching him all the way and I think that’s what got him. He’s in a sling there now at the moment. It’s been very hard on James Walshe (substitute goalkeeper). Three weeks ago, James Walshe was ready to walk away. We sat down with him and we convinced him to come back and I’m delighted for him. He played very well and he’s a really nice lad, and a Minor again next year,’ said Mick.
And it’s not just James Walshe who is a Minor again for 2021.
‘We’ve seven Minors next year on the line and there at least seven or eight on the field. To take care of those players we entered the
Kildare League under-16 because you have to keep them going. It’s the bigger picture. And if you look at the bigger picture – Dunlavin won the Intermediate last year littered with St Nicholas players, Donard-The Glen are in the final tomorrow (Sunday) littered with St Nicholas players and that has to be kept going,’ he said.
It was a huge weekend for the West Wicklow area. At that stage Mick Murtagh didn’t know just how magical it would turn out to be.
‘It’s the first game of the weekend really, and this could be an unbelievable day for me because my nephew and godson is training Valleymount, and I wish Jason the best of luck. That’s next and then Donard-The Glen in the IFC and camogie and then our under-14 girls won this morning in Rathnew,’ he said.