The Davitt College management team of Andrea Silke-O'Connor, Michael Gallagher and Sinead Flynn.

History beckons for davitt college

Six finals. Six defeats, including two replays. The hex of Mayo in All-Ireland finals would appear to extend to schools as well as the county senior football team, for that has been the lot of the footballers of Davitt College over the past 20 years.

They were the boys. Now the girls from the Castlebar school are determined to go that step further than the boys when they take on Kildare school Cross and Passion in the Post-Primary All-Ireland senior C final on Saturday next (1 p.m. at Pearse Park, Longford).

The journey for this particular team, which draws players from Castlebar, Breaffy, Islandeady, Burrishoole, Carnacon and as far away as Louisburgh, has been a long one, as team manager Michael Gallagher points out.

“Castlebar Mitchels would have the biggest representation on the panel as they have 16 players and I know most of them from as far back as when they were eight years of age as I was involved with Mitchels for all those years when we won a county minor title,” he said.

Sports journalist with the Western People, Michael came into Davitt College at the request of sports administrator Sinead Flynn six years ago and with the help of Sinead and Andrea Silke-O’Connor, they have stuck with this team in particular in what has really been a labour of love, Michael’s passion for Gaelic football in particular well known throughout the land.

There is a hint of nostalgia about this final as it will really be the parting of the way between this team and Michael. “It is the last time for me and them as a team and management as most of them will be moving on to third level having done the Leaving Certificate this year but I can tell you this team has proven that you can combine studies and sport successfully. One benefits the other in my view.”

He believes they are an exceptional bunch of players who married study with training and benefited from both. “It was difficult for all involved but they decided to give it their best shot having lost the last five Connaught titles and this year they came determined to rid the school of the tag of losing so many finals.”

So determined, in fact, they were up for training at 7 a.m. before heading to school and leaving breakfast until they arrived. “We trained during the winter mornings with the lights of my car and Sinead’s car shining on the school pitch, while we also used the Aldi car park in the morning on a regular basis.”

But training wasn’t enough. Gallagher wondered why they had failed to win a Connaught title before now and he looked for expert advice. “Donal Vaughan came in and had a look at some of the videos of the finals and also our methods of training and he pointed out that the team were responsible for losing some of them but the management, and that includes myself, were also at fault for losing at least two. So we changed tack and on Donal’s advice, along with help from strength and conditioning experts Martin McNamara and Brendan Fitzpatrick, we took the team to a different level both mentally and physically.”

It wasn’t all plain sailing as they lost one of their round robin games in the Connaught championship but they bounced back to atone for that defeat and went on to win the Connaught title by beating Ballinamore, and, of course, in the All-Ireland semi-final they brushed aside their Monaghan opponents.

“Winning the Connaught title seemed to ease the pressure on the girls and they really cut loose and expressed themselves in the semi-final. This team from Kildare in the final will be a stern test but we have our homework done and are well prepared for a big battle as we are a scoring team and I can see at least 12 of our players getting on the scoresheet.

'This team is now at the end of the school cycle and hopefully they will go on and play football in later life. It would be nice for them to finish their school year on a winning note but they are all winners, regardless of what happens, given the commitment and sacrifices they have made to reach this final and it won’t be for something they have not done, or work or effort they have not put in, should they fail to win. This is a team with great belief in their own ability.

“The school has never won an All-Ireland football title. They have won a basketball All-Ireland and there is a connection with that winning team and this team as Stephanie Flannery (Daly) played in the basketball final and her daughter, Erina, will be captain on Saturday. I think that is a great omen.”

I have a feeling he could be right and I also have a feeling Joe Daly will be a very proud man should he, as I expect he will, get to see his granddaughter lift that cup.