Third championship for Naomh Brid? or Mount Leinster Rangers?
Mount Leinster Rangers are appearing in their sixth Talbot Hotel senior hurling championship final this decade, after they defeated Naomh Eoin by a single point in a hard fought semi-final on Sunday last. Naomh Brid will provide the opposition, after accounting for St Mullins by three points, in the other semi-final. It’s the first time for the sides to meet in a senior final. Mount Leinster Rangers first and foremost will be all out to win the championship; the fact that it would be three in a row is secondary until they win. The Maroon clad Naomh Brid men who last won in 2004, will also be looking for their third championship; they won their first in 1996 and were also in the '94 final.
What way will it go, both teams want the O’Connor Cup extremely badly, Mount Leinster Rangers have been the holders for the past two years and they adored it so much that they brought it to the dressing room last Sunday in Dr Cullen Park and paid homage and vowed that it would return home south. One hour separates them from that at the moment. Will Naomh Brid manager Eoin Garvey and his selectors be like Napoleon, who declared “I came, I saw, I conquered.” After looking at the two semi-finals on Sunday last, one thing is certain, it will be a lively and evenly contested final, and there are no favourites.
It’s all down to the players on the field and their game plan is what matters when the sliothar is thrown in at 3.30pm on Sunday. Both teams have two excellent full backs Gary Doyle at number 3 for the reigning champions, and county full back Des Shaw for Naomh Brid. The Brennan brothers Alan, Colin and Mark along with Sean Watchorn, the long serving Johnny Nevin, Aidan Nolan, Johnny Kavanagh and leading scorer Brendan Lawler and the younger brigade of James Kehoe, the Kane brothers Eddie and James, Declan Kelly and company will be all out to conquer and deny Mount Leinster Rangers their holy grail.
Any team who is going for a three-in-a-row will not be rattled easily, Mount Leinster Rangers have been around the hurdy gurdys and know what it takes to win. In last year’s final they showed great resilience when they held off St Mullins to win their second final. The experienced Frank Foley in goal as mentioned earlier Gary Doyle, Brian Nolan, brother Padraig, Hugh Paddy O’Byrne, Tomas Murphy and the injured Richard Coady along with brothers Edward and John, James and Willie Hickey will add power and punch to the side. Accurate free taker Michael Ralph, Dennis Murphy, Derek Byrne are capable of lighting up the parish on Sunday evening, or will the Naomh Brid men stop at the seats of the ancient kings and queens of Leinster and say “we have conquered.”
