Gaeltacht battle to go to the wire
Cill Chomáin clubman and Mayo GAA PRO John Walker, left, accepts with the Best Digital Impact Award on behalf of Mayo GAA from Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Jarlath Burns during the 2023 GAA MacNamee Awards at Croke Park in Dublin. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
A titanic Gaeltacht battle is on the cards in Tuam Stadium this Saturday afternoon when Mayo junior champions Cill Chomáin make the long trip south to take on Galway junior winners An Cheathrú Rua.
The similarities don’t just end with both as proud Gaeltacht clubs. Both teams have won the prestigious Comortás Peile na Gaeltachta, Cill Chomáin winning the junior title last year while An Cheathrú Rua won the senior title back in 1997 where they had Sean Óg de Paor and Sean Ó Domhnaill, two men who would go on to win two All-Ireland titles with the Galway footballers in 1998 and 2001. Both men were also part of the club’s greatest triumph, winning the Galway senior football title in 1996.
Those glory days we by and large a thing of the past but the latest generation of footballers from Connemara etched their names into local folklore after beating Killererin after extra-time. Their captain Stephen O’Brien kicked the equaliser six minutes into injury-time and that leveller gave them the added kick to power on in the additional period to win the Galway primary junior football title.
Outside of their skipper Dara Ó Sé, Matthew O’Donnell, Ethan de Paor, Éanna McCormack, Feral O’Sé (who scored 1-2 in the final) and Michael O’Brien were all big game performers on the day and Cill Chomáin will need to be on top of their game to stop the West Galway men from leaving Tuam Stadium with a place in the final.
Much will rest of the performance of Stephen O’Brien’s opposing skipper Justin Healy. Cill Chomáin joint-manager Nigel Reape made his feeling abundantly clear when speaking to the shortly after their extra-time replay win over Bonniconlon that the forward should be part of Kevin McStay’s plans for Mayo in 2025. He scored two goals in the drawn game and the replay, and another showing like that will do his chances no harm.
However, those two titanic battle with Bonni’ may have come at a price. Reape said a number of players were playing through the pain barrier and are a serious doubt ahead of Saturday’s provincial semi-final but said it would be a ‘free shot’ for Cill Chomáin.
As well as Healy, Kian Gallagher has impressed in goal and his booming kickouts are a serious weapon. Mayo U20 star Liam Maloney has had an outstanding championship while David Walker will be an added boost after he came off the bench in the reply after getting injured, ironically, against Bonni’ in the group stages.
This is very tight game to call, and it would be no surprise if both sides have to go to the well once again.
