Preview: Kiltimagh go into final as Mayo's last hope to win a provincial football title
By Aiden Henry
KILTIMAGH captured the Mayo Junior Football Championship title just over a month ago and now venture into provincial waters in a bid to win the Connacht crown as well.
They travel to Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon, to take on Leitrim champions Aghavas in the decider today (Saturday, November 29), with the game to throw-in at 1.30 p.m.
With Mayo clubs bowing out of the Connacht senior and intermediate club championships in recent weeks, Kiltimagh now remain as the county's last hope to win a provincial Gaelic football title this year. But when you need a club to keep the Mayo flag flying, there are not many better than Kiltimagh.
They have shown often in the past that when the chips are down, their renowned battling qualities come to the fore – especially in club championship games.
We can be sure they will travel to the Leitrim venue with a certain degree of confidence while at the same time giving utmost respect to their opponents, Aghavas.
If you said during the middle of the Mayo junior championship that Kiltimagh would be contesting the Connacht championship final this year, few would have believed you. They were struggling at that time and weren’t classed as anywhere near favourites to lift the Mayo crown. Yet they regrouped – and in some style too.
Once it got to the knockout stages of the championship, they began to improve with each game before fully deserving to come out on top in the final against Eastern Gaels.
Once they had the Mayo crown safely back in Kiltimagh, they set their sights on winning the Connacht title as well. Their semi-final game was against the Roscommon champions, St. Croan’s. Like next Saturday, they had to travel to their opponents' home ground for this clash, and that was expected never going to be easy.
That was how it turned out to be. Indeed, as already mentioned, the battling qualities of Kiltimagh came into play in this encounter. After a Titanic battle, the two sides couldn’t be separated at full-time and after extra time. As a result, the game was decided by a penalty shootout, where Kiltimagh showed nerves of steel before edging it 3-2.
The semi-final victory is sure to have brought Kiltimagh on further. They were asked serious questions at different times and came good in the end. Most importantly, they will have learned that no matter what lead you have, the game is never over until the final whistle.
Kiltimagh appeared to have this game sown up with 11 minutes remaining as they led by six points. But the home side never gave up and forced extra time. However, all that should stand to the east Mayo side next Saturday when they come up against a Leitrim side that is regarded as one of the best to come out of the county in several years.
BATTLE
Regarding Aghavas, no one needs to look beyond their Connacht semi-final victory. Up against the Galway champions, Cárna-Caiseal, it was a ding-dong battle throughout, but when the game was there to be won or lost by both sides going down the stretch, the Leitrim men – who never trailed in the game – produced the goods.
Anytime you beat a Galway side in the club championship you have to be pretty good. I am sure Aghavas, who will be playing in their home county ground, will be very confident of winning this final. Their full-forward line of Joey McBrien, David Charles and Darren Shortt will have to be particularly watched as they accounted for 1-9 of their side's 1-10 against Cárna-Caiseal.
This has all the makings of a rip-roaring decider. One thing we can be sure of is that it will be very close and will mostly likely go right down to the wire again.
However, there are few teams better than Kiltimagh for a battle. They will never give up and, as we saw in the latter stages of the Mayo championship, once they get a taste for silverware, they are a different team.
While Kiltimagh will have to be very weary of Aghavas, I feel their great battling qualities will come to the fore and get them over the line.