North Mayo’s great rivals meet yet again
Feature
Mike Finnerty
IT will be just like old times next Sunday afternoon when John Hughes throws the ball in at 4 o’clock at St Joseph’s Park in Knockmore to signal the start of yet another battle between the locals and their North Mayo neighbours.
Sure, the likes of Staunton, Dempsey, Loftus and Leonard have all faded into retirement but the rules of engagement haven’t changed for the men that have replaced them. This is more than championship, more than a gateway to the quarter-finals. This is personal.
For Knockmore, a championship match against Crossmolina is something to be thankful for. It’s a chance to test yourself against one of the teams that has dominated the Mayo club football landscape for ten years now. And, from the Deel Rovers perspective, a joust with Knockmore is a chance to keep the pecking order as it is.
Declan Sweeney was 16 when he first played championship with Knockmore, an All-Ireland semi-final against Eire Óg back in 1993. He thought the good times would last forever, and by 1997 he had won three county championship medals. There have been no more since.
“I’m enjoying my football this year and everyone looks forward to a Crossmolina game,” he says. “There’ll be a great atmosphere and some big hits, I’m sure, but it’s always hard and fair. We’ve always been great rivals, right up from U-14, and next Sunday’s game is one that I’m certainly really looking forward to.
“Crossmolina are a serious team. I’d say 95% of their team that will play on Sunday have All-Ireland club medals. But we’re going to give it our best shot and may the best team win.”
That’s the thing about this particular rivalry; it may be fierce and stretching back through the decades but it is built on begrudging mutual respect and quiet admiration. These clubs are two of the most successful in the county and know what it takes to win titles. In recent years, Crossmolina have been doing most of the collecting.
“There’s a great sporting rivalry between the two clubs and a great incentive for both of us to win on Sunday,” explains Peadar Gardiner, who played in his first club championship campaign back in 1999. “The winners will more than likely go through to the quarter-finals so it’s a massive game, a one-off where form goes out the window.
“Last year against Charlestown was a big disappointment,” he adds. “They blew us out of the water in the county semi-final replay. But the league final then became a huge game for us. People, including maybe ourselves, were wondering had we the hunger to come back again. That win against Ballaghaderreen gave us great confidence coming into this year and we’re building again at the moment. We’ll see next Sunday if the hunger is still there.”
Knockmore will ask them plenty of hard questions but will be understrength with goalkeeper Niall Canavan, Brian Gibbons and James Noone all gone to the US for the summer. Throw in injuries to Trevor Howley, Stephen Sweeney and James Ruddy and you can see how Aidan McHale will be under pressure to deal with Crossmolina’s artillery.
“We will be missing a lot of guys but we’ll be up for it. A couple of young guys will probably get their chance. Our game now anyway is built around pace and moving the ball quickly. Changing our style from the very direct game to a more running game took a lot of getting used to for everyone in the club, but we have the young lads now to play that game and it suits them.”
To the winners goes the spoils, a ticket to the quarter-finals, and the bragging rights.
