Joyce: ‘Clubs can take credit for quality of schools football’

Over the past 15 years, St Gerald’s College have enjoyed their most fruitful period in the Connacht PPS senior ‘A’ football championship.

Winning three titles in the 20th century, they have added another five successes since the turn of the millennium, in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2020 and 2024, as well as an additional final appearance in 2019. Victory this Saturday would see the Castlebar school join Summerhill College of Sligo and St Mary’s College of Galway on nine titles apiece, and there is a great appreciation in St Gerald’s for all their success in recent years.

“It doesn't come around as often as you think it does so we’re very much kind of appreciative of the situation we're in now and I guess the chance that we have,” joint-manager David Joyce explained to the Western People this week. “But that comes down to a lot of hard work and a lot of good players all coming together, you know.” 

Not just good players, but good management also. Like their opponents in next Saturday’s final, St Muredach’s, Joyce is supported at St Gerald’s by a fellow teacher and current Mayo footballer Diarmuid O’Connor, and he can also call upon former Mayo forward Mickey Conroy as well as Eoin Sweeney, Tom Naughton and goalkeeping coach Chris McGlynn.

“Diarmuid’s still doing it at the highest level and Mickey even played himself at that highest level and Eoin Sweeney, who's won at club level,” said Joyce.

“Lots of experience, lots of great guidance and coaching from everybody. We're just trying to set up our boys to give them the best chance we can.” 

One of the unique opportunities of schools football is to link up with players who would otherwise be rivals at club level. St Gerald’s have eight different clubs representing them and from his own experiences, Joyce knows it is a special time in a young footballer’s life.

“That's the beauty of school sports especially. You have fellas from the Mitchels, ‘Tubber, Breaffy and Parke. When we were playing ourselves growing up, it was the case that you'd be playing against these guys every week, week in and week out and then you get a chance to get on the field with them for what is a very serious and very high level of Gaelic football.

“I think we have a whole host of Mayo minors, a couple of under-20s there and Muredach’s are the same. The standard of schools football is actually quite high, and I think it's getting even higher.” 

That is especially reflected on the Mayo side in the grade finals. The A, C and D finals are all-Mayo deciders while St Nathy’s College are also in the ‘B’ final.

“It's great to see so many Mayo schools doing well,” says Joyce. “I think coming back to the clubs, you know, there's obviously something going right with the underage systems in Mayo. We've a whole number of students that come from different clubs and they're coming in with good skill levels, good understanding of the games and we can then just try and develop that and build on that.

“There's good work done at club level and then obviously the underage systems within Mayo itself then tailor them players and get them playing the right way. Hopefully that will transpire into after-school life and the future of Mayo football again.” 

While this ‘A’ final is a brand new experience for St Muredach’s, St Gerald’s can call on captain Evan Walsh (Parke/Keelogues/Crimlin) and Joe Forry (Castlebar Mitchels), two men who played in their success in 2024.

Both men will certainly be eyeing another crack at the Hogan Cup after losing the All-Ireland semi-final two years ago, but all focus will be on the job at hand against St Muredach’s. They’ve met twice already this season, and their last meeting saw the Ballina school comfortably defeat St Gerald’s in the Flanagan ‘A’ Cup final. St Gerald’s had their injury issues but Joyce accepts Muredach’s were better on the day.

“They’ve good awareness as to where this competition gets to obviously, but you're very much aware of how hard it is to win a Connacht title and all the focus is on that.

“It's been a long time since a Connacht team has won a Hogan Cup, so hopefully in the next few years someone will be able to crack that barrier.

“The Flanagan final, no two ways about it, they were much better than us on the day. They were very well organised. I know the boys up in the Muredach’s have them very well coached and they play with a great hunger and there's a lot of quality through the team. We were definitely outmatched that day and are fully aware of what the challenge is going to be ahead of us on Saturday week.”