THOUGHTS were racing. The sound of celebrating opponents drowned out by a cascade of feelings. As Paul Hickey sat down on the pitch, his mind was wandering off: 'Will I be back next year?'

It was ultimate heartbreak. Eastern Gaels had just crashed out of the 2024 junior championship. They went into the semi-final against Bonniconlon as favourites, and had them on the ropes, but they eventually collapsed and were kicked out. 

Team manager Hickey was contemplating the future: “It was a hard, hard hit. And we had a lot of soul-searching at the end of the year, myself and my management team, whether we stick around another year, whether we go another year.” he admits to The Mayo News.

Hickey and the backroom team eventually decided, to give it another go. And they will be delighted and feel vindicated they did. 

CHANGE

SOMETHING had to change though, if Eastern Gaels wanted to get to their first championship final ever in the club's existence.

They ended up adding John Donnellan as coach to the backroom team. The Dunmore native won an All-Ireland title with Galway in 2001 and previously managed Kilmaine and the Galway minors among others.

“He's brought that will to win,” explains Hickey: “John is hugely structured in what he does. He is a bit like myself, a time freak. He is always at our training about an hour, or an hour and a half before every session. You should see the way that he sets up the pitch. He's brought that bit more structure to us.”

And that just might have been what the young Eastern Gaels team needed. They met Bonniconlon in the semi-final again a few weeks ago, and this year they got revenge. 

Whereas in previous years Paul Hickey's boys didn't always get the rub of the green when it mattered most, they can't complain after Bonniconlon frees hit the post on two occasions in the semi-final two weekends ago.

Eastern Gaels have been steadily building and progressing year on year. Last season they won their first county silverware, the Division 3 title. A huge step. They had gone the whole league campaign undefeated. The writing was on the wall. 

The league win put Eastern Gaels up in a higher division which meant they were playing senior teams in this year's campaign. It has certainly battle hardened them.

It seems, the guiding hand of Donnellan may have been a missing piece. However, apart from all that, the Gaels are blessed with a fantastic team spirit.

The team captain Evan Godfrey identifies another reason for their progression to the final. “We put a massive emphasis on strength and conditioning at the beginning of this year.

We started in early November and all the players really bought into it. You can see massive changes - some players got a lot stronger, fitter, faster.” 

MAKING HISTORY

GODFREY is in a lucky position - playing with many of the same guys, he started out kicking football with. This band of brothers already made history the other day, when they dumped heavy favourites Bonniconlon out of the junior championship, tipped by many to win it this year.

“If we won the championship, it would mean the world for us,” says Godfrey excitedly.“

“We've been on the road now for a while, getting close. The the club isn't old, only 41 years, there's a lot of men that were on that first team that started, still with us. And many of them were in tears the last day after the semi-final win. We realise how much it means to the parish.”

The team got a timely reminder in the group stage, that they cannot slacken the reins if they want to even remotely set their eyes on the Pete McDonnell Cup.

“We got beat  by Shrule Glencorrib, we didn't perform at all,” admits Godfrey. “And we said to ourselves after that, if we're going to go out, we have to go out fighting.

That wasn't us that day - and we owe it to ourselves, the management and the whole parish not to go out without a fight anyway.”

KEYS TO GLORY

THE Gaels are up against a formidable foe. Kiltimagh are a team, that wasn't ever ranked as a junior side. Their relegation last year seemed like an accident. Only in 2020, Kiltimagh were in the intermediate final. 

“We're underdogs, deservedly underdogs, to be honest,” says team manager Hickey: “We don't have any experience of finals, Kiltimagh do. They've All-Ireland finals, Connacht finals, county finals. So, we know we're going to have our work cut out.”

Hickey acknowledges, in the new age of Gaelic football, it's all about winning the midfield battle.
“It's all about breaks.

If you can try and break even around midfield, we're always there, or thereabouts, no matter what team we've played. We've played Aghamore, who are a senior team, Ballyhaunis are a senior team, and we were always in the game until we just got taken over around the midfield battle. If we can get our fair share of breaks, that's where it's going to be key.”

And God help any side that gives the Eastern Gaels forwards space to roam freely. Senan Guilfoyle and Jack Madden are deadly operators. They get strong support from marauding wing-back Charlie Johnstone, who is able to score when the team needs it most.  

It only slowly sunk in for Eastern Gaels, that they have their date with destiny now. 

When the men from Brickens put on the royal and yellow jersey, they should cherish the moment.

None of the players know, when the opportunity might come back, as Hickey testifies: “We hadn't been in a county semi-final in 18 years before we reached the one last year. And I actually played in that one.”

And now they have pushed the door to a maiden county title wide open. All they have to do, is step through.

NEXT: 'This win was special' - admit Kilmeena captains after intermediate glory