Mayo junior football titles up for grabs in Castlebar

Four clubs are making the journey to Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar in the hope of picking up some coveted silverware, writes Patrick Hennelly.

Eastern Gaels and Kiltimagh meet in what should be an intriguing Treanlaur Catering Junior A Football Championshp final at 3 p.m. today (Sunday).

Before that, at 1 p.m., Kilmovee Shamrocks and Killala will be vying for the Treanlaur Catering Junior B Football Championship title at Mayo GAA headquarters.

It will be a memorable day for Eastern Gaels, who are appearing in a first county final in their 41-year history, building on the experience of last year’s Mayo Senior Football League Division Three title success.

A rejuvenated Kiltimagh, meanwhile, they will hope to claim silverware that would be the ideal house-warming present for their newly redeveloped Gilmartin Park.

Eastern Gaels recorded a marvellous victory over Bonniconlon in the semi-final, and manager Paul Hickey said the mood in the camp is positive.

“There is a great buzz and atmosphere in the area," he said. "The reality is setting in after the final whistle went in our semi-final in Parke. To finally get over the semi-final hurdle and reach a final is a huge step. We played in fits and starts the last day against Bonniconlon, and we just about got over the line in the end.”

The new GAA football rules introduced at the start of the year has seen greater scoring returns by teams, and Hickey said that his team are still getting adapted to the new rules.

“There was a lot to learn at the start of the year, and we are still learning. Our scoring game wasn’t too high in the semi-final. We scored 1-11 against Bonniconlon, and that was probably one of the lowest scoring games throughout the semi-finals (in all grades). We were involved in a tight game against Bonniconlon and luckily we managed to get some vital scores to advance.”

Hickey believes that their opening match of the campaign against Achill was crucial in Eastern Gaels’ march towards a county final.

“At the start of the championship we managed to get a draw away to Achill, and we were lucky to earn that point. Achill were the better team on the day and if they had won, then they could well have advanced to a county final.

“After that game we had a bit of momentum, and it helped us get a home draw in the quarterfinals, which was a big help.”

The Gaels have a youthful look to their side and Hickey said that great work is being done at underage level.

“We have an average age of 22 across our team and we have a very young panel of players. It is built on past success and the amalgamation between Ballyhaunis and Eastern Gaels at underage level into the St. Jarlath’s club, and there is a lot of good work being done there at underage level. That great work at underage level is now coming to fruition for us at adult level in the club.”

The Eastern Gaels manager expects a big battle in the final.

“It is going to be a tough game against Kiltimagh. I know Kiltimagh were disappointed to get relegated last year, and we have faced them over the last couple of years. It is an east Mayo derby and both clubs are looking forward to the final.

"Our players have been looking forward to this day for a long time, and they now get the chance to play a county final at MacHale Park. A lot of our club members over the years weren’t that lucky, and our current crop of players have the honour of being the first team in our club’s history to do that.”

Kiltimagh will be hoping to make an instant return to intermediate level with a victory today. Their manager, Mick Regan, has a nice blend of youth and experience within his squad.

“We also have some key vital experience on the bench,” he noted. “We have 30 players at training each night and there is great commitment from the panel.”

There is a real feel-good factor around Kiltimagh GAA Club lately, especially with opening of the redeveloped Gilmartin Park, and Regan said that a county title would be the icing on the cake. However, Kiltimagh have some injuries to contend with ahead of the game.

“Four of our panel are missing through injury. Three of our backline who started against Shrule/Glencorrib in the quarterfinal didn’t start against Ardagh in the semi-final, and we had to reorganise our defence for that game.

“You will always have injuries throughout any championship campaign and that is what a big squad of players is for. There is always someone trying to get into the starting 15 and that is a good sign of our strength in depth.”

ATONE

Kilmovee will be eager to atone for last year’s defeat in the Junior B final, when they lost an Achill team that completed the three-in-a-row.

For Killala, meanwhile, there could be double celebrations today. Their 2000 Mayo junior football championship-winning team will be honoured at MacHale Park as the jubilee team, and the loyal supporters will be hoping that capturing this year's junior B title could be the start of another odyssey for the club.

Kilmovee Shamrocks manager Ciaran Flatley said his players are looking forward to the final.

“The lads are really looking forward to the occasion and there has been a lot of work put in over the course of the year. We had a tough game against Swinford in the semi-final, and hopefully that game will stand to us. We were put under a lot of pressure in that game, and it was nice to get the win and advance to next Sunday’s final.

“We have a very young team and there are a lot of minor players who have progressed on to our junior team this year. We also have some experienced players, but the majority of the panel is young. Hopefully there is a bright future ahead for these players.”

Flatley said that goal-scoring opportunities will be created in the final.

“MacHale Park is a big pitch and there will be loads of space and also goal-scoring opportunities. We were in the junior B final last year at MacHale Park and unfortunately lost to Achill. Achill were going for three junior B titles in a row last year, so they had that extra bit of experience on the day.”

Flatley continued: “I was involved in a junior B final with Kilmovee eight years ago, which we won, and I want this current crop of players to have that winning feeling at MacHale Park.

“We will do our very best to win the title and to hopefully use it as a stepping stone for next year.

“The players will be looking to give our supporters something to shout about. Our supporters go to games no matter what the weather is like, and days like these mean a lot to our supporters as well.”

Killala’s Liam Maughan lined out at full-back in his side's victory over Achill in the semi-final, and he said that the championship was the main focus at the start of the year.

“It has been a long year and from the get-go our focus was on the championship. The junior A campaign didn’t go our way. We suffered narrow defeats in some tight games.

"We are trying to hone our skills, and fitness levels are the same, so it is just trying to get together and play as a team at this point of the season.

“Our last game against Achill (semi-final) was a turning point for us and hopefully we can keep that momentum going into the final.”