Coláiste Choilm bid to make history as Banagher College savour dramatic win
By Kevin Egan
Offaly’s senior footballers and hurlers were both in action in the National League last weekend, but given results gone by and fixtures that are looming large on the horizon, it would be remiss to lead out with anything other then schools football and hurling. After all, one Offaly school enjoyed a tremendous Leinster final win at the start of the week, and another is hoping to do the same in Ashbourne tomorrow (Saturday, 1pm).
If Banagher College wanted to give every parent and supporter in Rosenallis palpitations and heart failures, they could scarcely have played out their Leinster Senior 'B' hurling final against Heywood CS any differently.
There was Heywood’s early lead, albeit wind-assisted, there was a nip and tuck second half where it was impossible to separate the sides, then there was the excruciating drama of Heywood’s late free to win the game that crashed off the upright, all before the Banagher students finally cut loose in extra-time to win by a deceptively large six-point margin (2-27 to 4-15).
However now that the dust has settled and the silverware has been secured, it was a great way to win, and will bring this group on even further. This was considered to be a wide open Leinster championship this year, with St Brendan’s of Birr also very much in the mix before Banagher beat them met in their Leinster semi-final, yet over the course of this campaign a number of leaders have stepped up and brought their game to a whole new level.
While players like Ruairí Kelly and Shane Rigney were well-known on the back of their achievements with the Offaly minors and U-20s in the past couple of seasons, others such as Aaron Molloy, Ricky Fitzsimons, Luke Bowe and Darragh Scully have all elevated their game over the course of this campaign. Add in a little bit of support from across the border in Lorrha, Kiltormer and Eyrecourt, and this is a mature, strong and talented group that will look forward to testing themselves against Blackwater Community School of Waterford in the upcoming All-Ireland semi-final.
Three times previously, Offaly schools have won the Leinster Post-Primary Schools 'A' championship. St Mary’s Edenderry won it in 2009 and 2012, going on to win the All-Ireland after the second of those two successes. One hundred years ago, Cistercian College of Roscrea (the school is located just inside Offaly, close to the border with Tipperary) won their one and only title, in just the fifth year of the competition’s existence.
However for geographical reasons, and due to Cistercian College operating as a boarding school, Offaly players were in the minority to varying degrees in all those teams. Offaly players have picked up Leinster medals down the years playing for other boarding schools such as St Mel’s, Longford and Patrician Ballyfin, while there was significant representation from this county on the successful Carmelite College sides from Moate in the late '70s and early '80s.
However for a school that draws exclusively from this county to win the prestigious Brother Bosco Cup would be breaking new ground, and it’s a testament to a Coláiste Choilm side that was relatively unheralded at the start of the year, that they stand just one hour away from that achievement.
On the face of it, the scale of the challenge, up against Naas CBS, is daunting. After 95 years without a Kildare school winning a Leinster A football title, Naas have competed in each of the last five Leinster deciders, winning four of them – including last year’s 0-11 to 0-9 win over a Moate Community School side that had significant involvement from the Tubber club.
Naas CBS is a massive school, one of the largest single-gender schools in the country, and their focus is very strongly on Gaelic football, which is showing through. The town of Naas has had an incredible population explosion in the last 15 years, and while there can be an odd player from Sallins or Raheens, the sheer number of players from the Naas club that come through the door means that they have huge natural advantages.
Yet this is a Tullamore group that has got better and better as the competition has gone on, despite not catching the eye to any great degree in the group stages. There will be an element of having to play the occasion as well, something that shouldn’t be anything like as much of a problem for a very experienced Naas group, but players like Patrick Kenna, Niall Furlong, Cillian Bourke and team captain Stephen Doran are capable of lighting up any occasion.
For a report on Coláiste Choilm's Leinster semi-final win over St Pat's, Navan, click here
Still on schools matters, on Wednesday in Nowlan Park, the Corn Uí Dhúill final between St Kieran’s and Kilkenny CBS turned out to be a one-sided affair, with the famous black and white jerseys winning a 57th title by 2-21 to 0-5. Brian Dowling’s players will now be the overwhelming favourites to go on and retain the Croke Cup, and it also paints the performance by the combined Offaly Schools team in the Leinster semi-final in a very favourable light.
The question of whether amalgamated teams should exist at all in schools Gaelic games is a controversial one and one where there are very mixed views across Leinster, but Offaly has embraced it, and recent Leinster wins at lower grades for a host of schools in recent years, including Coláiste Naomh Cormac, St Brendan’s, Ard Scoil Chiaráin and Gallen CS, would suggest that the better players committing to combined teams is not impacting on the performances of the individual schools too much. For as long as it is allowed, it seems to make sense to try and exploit it.