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would win easily enough on the basis that Louth football couldn’t possibly be on the same level as Kerry football. Dundalk put them right on that one quickly enough.
There’s no guarantees here. Not even for a team as vital, exciting and vigorous as Beaufort. The single greatest asset that Beaufort have, we would humbly suggest, is not their skill or their youthful exuberance, it’s their ability to dig deep.
They needed it in the county final against Na Gaeil – a game that really could have gone either way, a game that neither team deserved to lose – they needed it in the Munster final against Dromtariffe, they needed it against Dundalk in the All Ireland semi-final.
Beaufort have shown an uncanny ability to come out on the right side of tight games. They’ve shown an uncanny ability to ride with the punches and stay standing – coming from behind in all three of those games.
For that reason alone we’d have confidence that they should be able to handle whatever awaits them in Croke Park this weekend. It’s not luck that’s helped them to three tight wins – two in extra-time – in three crucially important fixtures. Luck might get you over the line once, but three times? No it doesn’t work like that.
Easkey are similar enough in a lot of ways to Beaufort – small place, small club, proud as punch. They also have a young squad of players at their disposal with the Sligo Champion reporting that “the average age of the team is 22 or 23, but they are bolstered by much experience too, with captain Eugene Mullen, Connacht winning captain Noel McGuire and Brendan McGrath amongst their more seasoned leaders ont he pitch.”
Ryan McKenna is their star man and top scorer – he was their hero in the Connacht final and delivered 0-4 (0-2 from play) in the All Ireland semi-final victory over the Dongeal champions.
Easkey have got more than enough quality to put Beaufort on the back foot, but all that said we do feel Beaufort hold the edge on quality. Beaufort’s potential midfield of Ronan Murphy and Nathan Breen is formidable.
At the back guys like Jonathan Kissane and Ger Hartnett will take breaking down, while one of their Kerry underage stars Mike Breen can play either on the half-back line or at midfield or even, as happened on occasion against Dundalk, a little further forward.
Up front Fergal Hallissey, Ciarán Kennedy and Ronan Ferris are amongst their most important players, but to make it all tick they do need Liam Carey on the pitch. The difference in how Beaufort performed against Dundalk before and after he came on the pitch was striking.
The All Ireland minor medal winner has got pace and guile, the ability to drop the shoulder and ghost past his man, the ability to tie one or two or more defenders up in knots, giving the other forwards in the Beaufort front six the space and time to thrive. If Carey starts – and with another three weeks of rehab and having played for forty minutes against Dundalk he should – then even with all the provisos we’ve provided it’s hard to look past the Mid Kerry side for this All Ireland crown.
Beaufort have the quality, the stomach for battle and the calmness under pressure to withstand whatever Easkey throw at them on Saturday afternoon.
Beaufort
Beaufort have the quality, the stomach for battle and the calmness under pressure to win on Saturday
Verdict: