McHale hails maturity of Muredach’s team

For this group of St Muredach’s College students, many of their parents would likely have not been born the last time the school reached a Connacht PPS senior ‘A’ final. But rather than the weight of history weighing them down, the players are taking it in their stride.

“I think that's the way to go about it and that's the message we're trying to give,” teacher and joint-manager David McHale told the Western People this week. “It is a generation since we contested the final. We’re not trying to put too much emphasis on the final, we'll just prepare as best we can. We'll get our matchups right for St Gerald’s, who are a very good side, and we'll try and focus on our own game.

“They're a very mature group for a bunch of 17, 18-year-olds. A lot of them are mature men. I know it's very cliche, but we are just taking it one game at a time and see where we are at end of the season.” 

St Muredach’s ability to deal with adversity, on and off the pitch, was demonstrated in their Connacht semi-final win over Coláiste Baile Chlair last month. On the week of the game, Conor Jordan’s grandfather, Benny, passed away and he was buried on the morning of the scheduled encounter. With the game pushed back 24 hours, St Muredach’s found a way to come through a tight semi-final against their Galway opponents and how fitting it was that Conor Jordan came up with the insurance score to send St Muredach’s into the final.

“The lads dealt with it very well in fairness and Conor is a very mature man, very, very steady fella,” said David McHale.

“We prepared well for it. That was a game that was up and down and very close overall. I think we were a point down at half-time, then a point up. It was level going into injury time and we just got two scores just to get us over the line.” 

Wins over St Jarlath’s College, Tuam, and Ballinrobe Community School had booked St Muredach’s their place in the semi-final, even with defeat to Summerhill College in the final group game. As well as a solid defence, the firepower up front in the likes of Corey Lavery McCay, Nathan Roddy, Paddy Carr is evident.

With strong backup off the bench also, McHale feels this is a group capable of dealing with a variety of opponents and styles.

“The great thing about the forwards we're dealing with now, it's not even the lads that start, we've lads to come into it but they're all different profiles of player, which is great for us.

“It means we don't have to play any particular style, and we don't have to set up in any particular way because as well as them being different types of players, they're all very intelligent lads. It's very easy coach lads, to take what they're saying on board and just let them express themselves on the pitch.” 

It is not just on the Gaelic football pitches that several of these players thrive. Nathan Roddy and Patrick Carr were part of the school basketball team that won All-Ireland league and cup titles last year. Eoin Jordan and Alexander Smyth are involved with the rugby team while Lavery McCay and Cathair Tighe were part of St Muredach’s run to the Connacht under-19 soccer final two years ago, which ironically saw them beaten by St Gerald’s.

St Muredach’s are also very familiar with their Castlebar opponents this season. This will be their third meeting, and the sides are tied at one apiece. Gerald’s beat them in the first round of the Flanagan ‘A’ Cup, but Muredach’s would get the better of them in the final in convincing fashion. Although St Gerald’s were missing several regulars due to injury on the day, the belief that St Muredach’s got from that victory cannot be overstated.

“I know that wasn’t championship but it did give us a bit of a shot in the arm, that we're well able to compete at this level. We had been playing ‘B’ football for the last couple of years and then to be able to go up and compete with the Gerald’s and the Summerhills and the Jarlath’s and the Ballinrobes of this world, I suppose that probably did give the lads a bit of confidence going into championship,” said McHale.

The Knockmore footballer has fellow teacher and Mayo senior footballer James Carr as joint manager, and two top-notch coaches in PJ Sweeney and John Brogan. For McHale, bringing the three in was a no-brainer.

“PJ would have coached of those Ardnaree lads, there's a fair Ardnaree nucleus to this team. PJ would have known them very well, so I was keen to get him on board.

“I've played with John and under John for most of my career. John's an excellent coach, he's really experienced. They were the two men that we approached at the start of year to really get on board with us.

“Myself and James, we’re teaching in the school. We all know what James has done in his career and his ability. We’re just trying to translate that onto the coaching field and give the boys the best chance we can.” 

That they have done and now there is one more hurdle to climb. St Muredach’s will be looking no further than this weekend but should they emerge victorious, could the floodgates open?

“It definitely could, yeah. There's no getting away from it. To win an Aonghus Murphy Cup, especially for the first time, is no mean feat. If we did get over the line it would be great for the school, it’d be great for the community, it’d be great for the lads.”