Anchor Tours SFC Final Preview
Naomh Mairtin v Newtown Blues, Louth SFC Final preview
by Colm Corrigan, LMFM Radio Head of Sport
In a throwback to the consecutive finals that helped forge a new rivalry towards the end of the last decade, Louth County Final Day has for the third time ever, produced a matchup between Naomh Mairtin and Newtown Blues, a pairing that has whetted the appetite at the culmination of a hugely entertaining campaign that has delivered in spades.
It’s a head to head worthy of the occasion as both teams have shown themselves deserving finalists, negotiating some challenging hurdles to move to within one victory of securing Joe Ward.
While all the talk at the outset was about defending champions Ardee St Marys and whether the four in a row was within touching distance, two of the other main title protagonists were going about their own business, plotting a route of their own in the hope of ending the Ardee men’s stranglehold.
Undoubtedly, the three in a row champions were deserving of their favourites tag, but nothing was ever a given, and as the campaign unfolded, it was clear others were in the picture.
O’Donnell Cup finalists St Mochtas and the Joes departed the race prematurely, and in the Joes case, their exit came at the hands of the sides who’ve ended up as the last two teams standing..
The Darver/Dromiskin men gave the Jocks a good run for their money on the opening weekend in Stabannon, but has so often been the case in previous campaigns, the Mairtins found a way to grind out the victory in the closing stages when they needed to produce the goods.
Cue the second round, and the clash in Drogheda which featured the seasonal bow of 23 times champions the Blues – a high octane clash full of energy, intensity and scores aplenty from two attack minded teams. There was so much to like about it as a spectacle, and it had the fitting climax too – a thrilling comeback from the Mairtins which yielded the win and top spot in the section.
Left reeling by that late collapse, the Blues were forced to regroup quickly for their win or bust clash with the Joes – and they weren’t found wanting, brushing aside their opponents with ease, with the added bonus of being able to get valuable game time into their fringe players with victory safely in the bag.
A second place finish meant John Kermode’s side ran the risk of drawing the defending champions, and it was almost inevitable that the scenario came to pass.
The Mairtins on the other hand, were handed sticky opposition in the form of St Pats – never an easy prospect in the knockout stages.
The Blues inflicted the rarest of Championship defeats on the Marys during the 2024 Group campaign, but were unable to repeat such heroics when it got to the semi-final stage. This time around in the knockouts though, it was very different.
An underlying feeling existed around Integral GAA Park that Sunday, that this might well be the Blues’ moment to re-emerge from the shadows – after all, the Marys were down a few key players, while their own lads were starting to fire on all cylinders – and with a burning desire to show what they could produce on any given day, they duly delivered a performance of huge substance and significance, landing the killer blows in the closing stages to run out six point winners, thereby bringing the Marys’ recent Championship dominance to an end.
Later in the day, it was the turn of the Jocks and the Pats to cross swords in Darver – Not for the first time under the modern rules, one team looked to have done enough. But the late intervention of Pats duo Marty McEneaney and Danny O’Connor with back to back two pointers, meant a second night out under the floodlights.
As it transpired, the Mairtins were the ones who learned more lessons from the drawn game, advancing to a last four clash with Dundalk Gaels thanks to a four point victory
With the label of new Championship favourites on their back, the Blues knew they needed to back up their quarter final win over the outgoing champions, with a meeting against a seasoned Dreadnots team who helped end the hopes of the Mochtas – it was never going to be a straightforward affair. The Clogherhead men were always going to pose a new set of questions – Blues went about their task diligently, without ever opening up a sizable lead to get cosy.
Collectively though, it was a satisfactory shift, with Emmet Carolan, Conor Brannigan, Andy McDonnell and Fergal Donoghue deserving of particular mention. It might have got too close for comfort in the closing stages, but ultimately, semi-finals are all about winning and getting the job done regardless of the manner.
While that game in Darver was by and large in the melting pot until the very end, the Mairtins/Gaels clash little over 24 hours later was certainly not.
Buoyed by their extra time replay win over the Fechins, hopes were high that the Dundalk men would at least contribute to a competitive tie – but the writing was on the wall literally five minutes in, and the match quickly petered out as a spectacle. The Mairtins will have learnt very little from the game, bar the fact that their scoring return wasn’t what it should have been from the number of chances created. But at least it showed the scope for improvement heading into today’s contest.
Jocks manager Mattie Rice (a former Championship winning manager with the St Fechins hurlers), has helped galvanise and instil huge self-belief in his set of players since coming in at the helm, and having lost several regulars since the end of last season, credit is due for getting the club back to yet another final – their seventh in eight seasons.
Eoghan Callaghan’s return to fitness and to his current rate of performance has been timely – the current team captain remains the lynchpin in the side, and his reading of the game is second to none. So much of the Mairtin’s play revolves around him, and if he can exert similar influence on Sunday, and get it to rub off on the others around him, then the two times champions will be confident of producing the big performance required.
As per usual, Sam Mulroy’s contribution cannot be overstated, while Adam Booth and emerging County star Dara McDonnell will need to win their fair share of breaks around the middle third in order to provide an important platform. Evan Whelan caught the eye in their semi-final win, and he too can showpiece what he’s capable of.
In charge of his native club this season, Blues boss John Kermode has moulded a team brim-full of exciting talent, featuring a mix of experience and youth. The Newfoundwell club have a long-standing knack of being able to rebuild in order to produce Championship winning teams. They’ve done it time and again, and on the face of it, the current crop have the capabilities of delivering title Number 24.
It would have been easy to get carried away with the eye catching win over the Marys – but they showed a maturity against the Dreadnots, without ever setting the world alight.
It’s been small steps for Kermode’s team – now could be the time for the giant one.
The hurt of the past couple of final defeats will not be lost on the Mairtins – history is not on their side either from 2018 and 2019 – but they can use all that as motivational ammunition, and what’s sure is that they’ll be in no mood to settle for second best for the third year running.
The new rules adds further intrigue to the occasion – could a two pointer be a match saver, or perhaps a winning score? There appears every chance.
The County awaits. Let battle commence.
