St Malachy’s will provide serious test of Tarbert Comp in All-Ireland final
ALL IRELAND COLLEGES SENIOR ‘C’ FC FINAL
Tarbert Comprehensive v St Malachy’s Castlewellan
SATURDAY’S All-Ireland Colleges senior ‘C’ football final between Tarbert Comprehensive and St Malachy’s Castlewellan at Dr Cullen Park in Carlow is, most definitely, a meeting of two hugely battle-hardened outfits after treacherous passages to this decider.
While the North Kerry school were put to the pin of their collar to get their hands on the provincial title – pipping St Joseph’s Spanish Point in the semi-final, 2-16 to 2-15, and Colaiste Pobail Bantry in the final, 2-11 to 1-13 – it has been a similar story for the Down representatives.
Both their last eight, and last four, encounters in the Ulster championship went to extra-time – they beat St Columb’s Derry, 7-12 to 2-21, before accounting for St Patrick’s Keady, 2-15 to 1-16 – before they won another thriller, against Holy Cross Strabane, in the provincial final, 2-12 to 1-13.
Remarkably, both of this weekend’s finalists also required an additional 20 minutes of football to navigate their most recent assignments in the All-Ireland semi-finals. Tarbert edged out Mercy Ballymahon, 2-18 to 2-15, while St Malachy’s overcame Ballyhaunis CS, 1-14 to 1-12.
That Ulster title was the seventh time that the Castlewellan school had lifted the Markey Cup, the first since 2010, with the previous crowns being collected under the old vocational schools system. They have also enjoyed recent spells in the higher-tier MacRory and MacLarnon cups.
With a management team of Peter Hynes, Kieran Maguire and Kevin Anderson, they are a formidable outfit, especially around the middle of the park where last year’s Down minor Taidgh O’Hanlon is probably their most important individual. He has been inspirational up to this juncture.
Strong at the heart of the defence where Ross Green and Corey Trainor anchor the pivotal full-back and centre-back roles, forwards Odhran McCann, Ruairi Madine, James Savage and, especially, top scorer, Eoghan Travers, are very influential operators in their overall game-plan.
Tarbert Comprehensive haven’t been found wanting, on the pitch, or on the sideline either, with Martin Stack, Cormac Leane, Kieran Culhane and Martin Trench leaving no stone unturned all season. The winning of the Moynihan Cup and Munster colleges titles are handsome evidence of that.
A first Kerry cup since 2006, a first provincial triumph since 1998 (Paddy Moriarty was captain then, his son Caolam is a key forward now), this has been a real breakthrough campaign for the North Kerry school. Now, can they finish the journey with the biggest prize of all, the Dr Eamon O’Sullivan Cup?
From goalkeeper Stephen Kearney through to corner-forward
Jamie Moloney, this has been a real team, indeed squad, collective that has propelled Tarbert to Saturday’s decider. Different defenders, midfielders and attackers have come to the fore on different afternoons.
Combative and tough-tackling at the back, physically imposing around the middle third through a combination of height, power and mobility, and well able to tot up big scores in the forward unit, with key man John Coolahan in superb form, the North Kerry school tick a lot of boxes.
Heading into Saturday, the pedigree and resilience of both sides has already been emphatically proven. The outcome could come down to the tiniest of tiny margins, with more extra-time certainly not being ruled out.
Maybe St Malachys’ greater experience might be, ultimately, decisive.
Verdict: St Malachys.