Aoife Herbert
COUNTY finals are special, whatever the grade, whatever the county, and next Sunday two battle-ready North Mayo clubs will go head to head in the Junior contest at MacHale Park, Castlebar.
Killala and Ardnaree have journeyed through the championship on two vastly different voyages. The men in the royal blue edged past Kilfian by a point in the group stages, Crossmolina B by a point in the quarter-final, and beat Achill by the same margin after a replay in the semi-final. Ardnaree, on the other hand, have completely and explosively obliterated challenges from Laherdane, Charleston B, Ballina B and Ardagh on their way to their fifth Junior final in seven years. It makes for an exciting build-up, huge prospects, and the potential that this county final, whatever the outcome, will last long in the memory.
Killala are a confident team when they play in MacHale Park. Having tactically and physically negotiated themselves through the semi-final replay against Achill, they will certainly feel that victory is well within their grasp. Ardaree have lost four finals there in the last six years, and have certainly been banging on the door in their quest to make it to intermediate level in Mayo. Come Sunday they will want to burst through that threshold, and with exciting forwards such as Eoin McCormack, Chris Walsh and Ronan Doherty, it will take another mammoth Killala display to stop them.
It’s hard to believe that its been nearly ten years since these two teams came face to face in the latter stages of county championship. Current Ardnaree manager Declan O’Dea spent seven fruitful years in Killala. During his tenure he delivered a county junior title, a Connacht club title, a county league title and numerous North Mayo successes, and so close are his ties to the parish still that his son Cian wears the blue and white of Killala and will be a part of the panel at the weekend.
You can feel the sense of anticipation and excitement building in the area. Undoubtedly, there’s a type of energy, giddiness and nervousness that only a county final can bring. It rustles up all that we love about the game, a certain type of crazy and all that might have been momentarily lost in another heartbreaking season following Mayo to Croke Park. Ultimately, everybody knows that the club is different. The toughest. The club comes first. It’s about family, community, sticking together, and sometimes it’s the adrenalin-filled rush of big games and the teams success that can spiritually glue a place together.
County final appearances are no accident, though, and what’s often unregognisable is the massive belief and effort it takes behind the scenes, running the club.
In Killala, organisation and passion are never in short supply, and under the stewardship of chairman Kevin Maheady and the management team of Martin Farrell, Micheál Golden, Niall McAndrew and Michael Gill, the club are looking to move forward once again. Indeed, the players and all involved in Sunday’s momentous occasion will be thinking of Ronan Clarke and Seán Hannick, two stellar clubmen who sadly passed away in the last year and half.
The ‘Ree’ are a fast team with big men in the middle and a strong running game from defence, but Killala are tactically aware and gutsy, and if they can stay in the game, I have no doubt that they can pull this one off. We won’t have Declan O’Dea singing ‘Blue is the colour’ if we win, but it will be a pretty sweet one nonetheless.
Aoife Herbert is a native of Killala
