Rice College soccer team ready for final fling

THEY can still recall the morning they headed off to play in the Futsal All-Irelands in Waterford. The bus pulled out of Rice College while the town of Westport was silent and the mythical eagles on Croagh Patrick were still under the duvet. That group of excited First Years were on their way to Waterford to contest their first national competition without prior knowledge of the adventures awaiting them.

That group of boys born in 2006 were destined to win the national Futsal crown that afternoon and begin an adventure which has talent them all the way to the edge of glory on their last day in the Rice College jersey.

On Thursday last, The Mayo News visited the school overlooking the town of Westport to soak up some of the atmosphere as tomorrow’s National Senior Cup Final against Blackrock College in Athlone at 1pm came over the horizon.

BLUE BRIGADE

As always the Rice College staff room was warm and welcoming. News had reached the teachers that Peter McNally, the student leading The Blue Brigade (The Rice College Ultras), had bought an armful of sheets in Tesco and was headed for the art room to create another master-piece for the battalions of Clew Bay supporters that will pack into the Athlone Town Stadium tomorrow.

McNally and his band of merry men had created a wonderful atmosphere at the semi-final in Ennis and plans were in place for an even merrier exhibition in the final.

“They’re great. We could hear them all through the semi-final when we needed a goal. They never stopped and we didn’t either,” Cillian McGing tells The Mayo News when a group of footballers sit and talk in one of the classrooms.

The Rice boys were 1-0 down in the semi-final until a goal in the 97^th minute got them back into it, before they took over and dominated extra-time, winning it comfortably in the end.

But – let’s get back to that group of First Years, who set off on a stunning journey when capturing the Futsal title. They remained unbeaten and were going well when Covid came calling. School shut down and soccer was on the back burner.

“The 2006 group have never lost a game for Rice College,” team captain Alex Halpin tells The Mayo News. “We were going well when the pandemic stopped everything but when we came back we were all U-17s and we won the All-Ireland. Now we’re all U-19 and we're in the final again. This is the last game we’ll play together for Rice College, so we want to go out on a high.”

THE SEASON

How did the Rice boys get to tomorrow’s decider? “We had two group games Knocknacarra and Boyle and won those 2-0 and 7-0 I think,” Halpin explains. “Then, we had Summerhill in United Park. They were a good side, but we were just a better footballing team and won 3-0.”

Merlin College from Galway were next away. They were handy too but we came out on top 7-2, which we didn’t expect at all. The semi-final was against Claregalway away and we expected a really tough game. It was 1-0 at half-time and there was nothing in it really, but we kept pushing and pushing and they got tired. We ended up winning 7-0, I think. Then, the Connacht final against The Bish in Headord was tense and tough for a long time. They’re a good sporting school and we knew they’d fancy their chances.

“They were handy and worried us a bit because we hadn’t come up against a team like that for a while. We got two goals and pulled through in the end. Michael McDonnell made a great save near the end. He was a bit of a life saver for us at that stage,” Halpin explains with a smile.

On Wednesday, he will have the last word before the team goes out in search of glory. What will he say? “There will be no big speech. I’ll just remind us all to work hard, be calm and go and win the game. This is our last one together for the school, so we’re going to give it everything.”

Soon, the teachers involved join the chat. Brian Flannery and Darragh Connolly enjoy their time with the senior squad.

“This is an amazing bunch. They’re exceptionally talented, but they also work very hard and that’s why they get success. We’re facilitating them, and they just go and play and express themselves. They’re very talented but are smart enough to know that will only get you so far. They train during mid-term and any chance they get. This means a lot to the school, to all of us and most importantly to the lads themselves,” Flannery states as his colleague takes the floor.

RESILIENT

“They’ve grown up together here in the school and in Westport United too, where most of them play together. It’s a whole community effort and that’s evident from the support we get from the families and everyone across the entire area. There are always supporters at games and it means so much to everyone,” Darragh Connolly adds.

“They’re very resilient. They don’t panic and that showed in the semi-final when they were behind in injury-time but they just kept doing their thing,” he continues.

What will it mean if the great adventure ends in glory on Wednesday afternoon?

“Sport is huge here in Rice College and it’s a massively important part of school life. Of course, taking part is the most important thing, but on days like this we’d love to see the lads winning because they have worked so hard for so long for this. They’re more than capable of winning it; they’re more than capable of playing to their potential and I’m very confident they’ll show everyone how good they are.”

The match kicks off at 1pm and the Blue Brigade have promised a colourful atmosphere.