Three to be the magic number for the Rangers

In a county of Carlow’s size with its small number of hurling clubs, it’s not often that a unique pairing arises when it comes to county final time. However next Sunday, we have just such an occurrence with the final county pairing of champions Mount Leinster Rangers and Naomh Brid. Both these teams came through their respective semi-finals last weekend winning games that a lot of observers thought they might lose. Obviously from a personal St Mullins perspective. the Naomh Brid result was a hard one to take. We knew coming into the game that Eoin Garvey’s side possessed a lot of talent but were also confident that we had the players to cope and allow us to reach our third final in a row. However, we did not perform anywhere near to our potential and were beaten by a far superior Naomh Brid outfit on the day. Indeed, we were flattered by the three point difference that separated the teams at the end of the sixty minutes. Sometimes a team can still have a chance right to the end despite being comprehensively outplayed during the game, just look at the Kilkenny minors in this year’s All Ireland. But justice was done, and the maroon clad side will take their well-earned place in the showpiece event next Sunday. There they will meet kingpins, Mount Leinster Rangers. who turned a nine point defeat against Naomh Eoin the previous week into a single point victory in a very tense second semi-final. Do we take their efforts the previous week with a pinch of salt? I don’t know! Naomh Eoin were fancied by many to go all the way this year. They had upped their effort noticeably this year under the guidance of manager Stephen Murphy and trainer Michael Dempsey. However this Rangers team are proving year after year following their breakthrough in 2006 that they are an exceptional outfit. They have come through the campaign up to this point without playing as well as they have done in the last couple of years but here they are in the final again. What is even more commendable is that they have also reached the last four in the senior football championship and thus are still in with a chance of becoming only the second club in Carlow GAA history to achieve the hurling football double. Thoughts that their efforts in the football championship would derail their hurling ambitions just didn’t pan out. In fact, I feel that their run in the football may have proved an ideal distraction to the players. They’ve hardly had time to think over the past few weeks with their hectic schedule. Now they find themselves right where they want to be with the magical three-in-a-row only an hour away. They are a squad that has grown used to winning and the football success thus far can only but add to their confidence going into Sunday’s final. It is an ironic contrast then that the lack of success of the football clubs that Naomh Brid draws its players from can be seen as a contributing factor to their run to the final. Speaking to Johnny Nevin during the week he noted that for the first time in a number of years the Naomh Brid squad gave their full commitment to hurling to the detriment of their football ambitions. This in such a club where players have divided loyalties is vital. For the Rangers the training is always collective be it for hurling or football but for the Naomh Brid players, football training means they are split from their hurling teammates as they go to their respective clubs and this is very disruptive to any plans a manager might have. Once Eoin Garvey was appointed however this was never going to be an issue for Naomh Brid. He would only play players who gave their full allegiance to the hurling side of things and the club is now reaping the benefits. It could clearly be seen last Sunday. Their teamwork and support play was much improved on recent years as was their stick work. This could only have come about through a concerted effort on the training field. So Carlow's two youngest hurling clubs meet for the first time in the final. The emergence of these two teams over the past decade or so has been very positive for the game in the county. This has been reflected by the gradual improvement in results at inter-county level in all grades over the same period. The traditional dominance of the championship by Naomh Eoin and St Mullins seems to be well and truly broken. So who do I think will win? Who am I going to put the hex on! Well sorry to all the people of Borris, Ballymurphy and Rathanna but I think Mount Leinster Rangers will be celebrating the three-in-a-row on Sunday evening. They will enter the game with extreme confidence. They have yet to fire on all cylinders and with players of the calibre of the three Coady brothers, the Hickey's, Dennis Murphy and Michael Ralph, they look very strong. Naomh Brid will be aware of the threat posed by the Rangers. Eoin Garvey knows the opposition very well and will have his game plan worked out to nullify the champion’s powerful, all-action game. They are themselves very strong up the middle with Dessie Shaw on the edge of the square, and the ageless one himself, Johnny Nevin, in his best position at centre back. If Alan Brennan starts at full forward where he has done so much damage in the last two rounds, we could well have one of the defining clashes of the game. How Rangers full back Gary Doyle copes with Brennan will be very interesting as Brennan was the one player in the semi-final who St Mullins couldn't manage. Brendan Lawler will punish any looseness in the champions’ play both from frees and from play and he is in his best form of the past few years. All things considered though, I still think the three-in-a-row will be won. Many of the Naomh Brid players will be making their first final appearance on Sunday and as the Rangers themselves will testify, you often have to lose one to win one! So a hesitant vote for the champions but here's hoping for another final to remember.