Kilmeena keep on enjoying the good times 

Paul Groden has seen enough of the bad days to never take days like Sunday for granted. Kilmeena’s second intermediate title ever, in a three-year period, is a far cry from the first-half of his club career.

The Kilmeena goalkeeper came into the squad when they were struggling to stay intermediate as so many of their brightest and best were forced abroad after the Celtic Tiger crash.

Kilmeena fell through the trap door in 2011 and were not even first cousins of junior contenders. They were fully expecting to lose a relegation final to Knockmore ‘B’ in 2014 and be sent to junior ‘B’, only for Knockmore to concede on the morning of the game.

So a Mayo junior title followed by Connacht and All-Ireland glory in 2021/22 must have felt like a pipe dream then. Not to mention two intermediate titles and playing at the lofty heights of senior football.

Groden, closer to 40 than 30 at this stage, converted from an outfield player to a goalie in 2021 and is very appreciative of the transformation in his club.

“It’s great, it’s my third county medal,” Groden told the Western People. “I remember the first four or five years I played, I was in an intermediate relegation final every year and I nearly got relegated to junior ‘B’ so I am around a long time and I never thought these days would come. It’s absolutely amazing and we’re really looking forward to proving ourselves back at senior again next year and making up for last year.” 

Making amends for last year at senior – when they were relegated in their first year ever at the grade – was a constant theme among Kilmeena players interviewed on Sunday.

“Today is different (than the 2023 intermediate win),” said Groden. “The relief is immense today. We’ve unfinished business up there at senior level.” 

He had the last touch of the ball in the game as Anthony Jordan’s gallant two-point effort, which would have won it for Moy Davitts, dropped just short. The final whistle sounded after Groden palmed the ball down and collected it.

“It took a while to come down but I suppose I knew a second or two before that it was going to drop (short) and I knew there was no one in front of me so I wasn’t going to chance catching it so I just palmed it down. I don’t know where the ball is gone, I think I drove it up into the stand!”

Veteran forward Darragh Keaveney kicked three points from play and was another relieved man that Kilmeena had bounced right back to senior.

“Our morale was on the floor last year after getting relegated. It was down to fine margins we lost. This year, we met as a group three weeks after we got relegated and we said we were going to get back here and we did that and we knew we were going to face a Moy Davitts team that were going to push us all the way. It is so sweet,” he told the Western People.

Joint-captain Jack Mulchrone has been one of their star players all year. The apprentice carpenter/roofer was tagged by Padraig Ruane on Sunday in an enduring battle. Mulchrone did not exert the same influence but still came up with the turnover on a Moy Davitts kick-out and subsequent assist for the winning score from Caolach Halligan.

“I looked at the clock, I knew it was injury time and I knew I had to get there. I didn’t really get there but luckily he didn’t get a clean catch on it, I got a hand in and it bounced up to me, the legs were about to go but I got it to Caolach and Caolach put it over. So sweet.

“To lift the cup, it’s what dreams are made of. When I was young, it is what I dreamed of and it is just great to put it into action. So sweet. We’re not done yet, onto Connacht in three weeks’ time and focus on that,” he said.

For Moy Davitts, there was the anguish of county final defeat two years running.

“They’re gutted in there and I’m gutted myself,” admitted their manager Paul McGarry. “All you can do is ask everyone to do their best and give it their all and by God they gave it their all. We kicked two or three into the goalies hands in the second-half, maybe we should have worked it a bit closer.” 

Full-back Tadhg Ruane struck an optimistic note for the future.

“There’s one hell of a team here, this is the best team I’ve ever been part of, the depth, the young lads and then mixed with the experience of the older lads, so we’ll definitely be back next year,” he said.