Search Results for 'Caolan Mooney'

There are very few football and hurling fans who do not agree that colleges sport is one of the purest forms of both codes. That conviction was reinforced on Saturday afternoon in Croke Park when St Jarlath’s College fell narrowly short in their attempt to win what would have been the college’s 13th Hogan Cup title.

Thirteen years after St Gerald’s College, Castlebar, made their only appearance in a Hogan Cup final, this weekend the Castlebar school go in search their second appearance in the showpiece occasion of colleges’ football. Joe McCabe’s side easily saw off the challenge of Sligo’s Summerhill in the Connacht final where they had the game wrapped up by half time and survived the mistake of entering a sixth sub into the fray with time almost up to book this weekend’s clash. Standing in their way is the formidable challenge of St Colman’s, Newry, who beat Omagh CBS in the MacRory Cup final this year by 1-14 to 1-8 bridging a 12 year gap between their last Ulster titles.

Twelve months on and Ray Dempsey and his management team and only a handful of their side from last year are back in an All Ireland final and are once again going in as underdogs against the Ulster champions. But that tag won’t faze either the management team or the players who are sent out onto the field in an attempt to claim the ultimate prize in this grade. Over the season the Mayo minors have adapted to many challenges through the Connacht championship and the All Ireland series and any time a question has been asked of them they have found the answer. Starting off against Galway in Sligo as underdogs, Mayo gave a tour de force in the second half blowing Galway off the pitch and sending them into the Connacht final as favourites. A tag that did not rest well on them, and they struggled against a very physical Roscommon side and were lucky to get a second bite at the cherry, but they learned their lesson from that game in Salthill and despite having to go to Hyde Park for the replay, they were able to up their game and change it around enough to see off Roscommon with ease in the end.