Inside Track with John McIntyre

A measure of the task facing Maigh Cuilinn footballers at Dr Hyde Park on Sunday can be gauged from the bookmaker odds on the Connacht Club senior decider. For the Galway champions are priced at 6/4 outsiders to overcome their Roscommon counterparts St Brigid’s.

Initially surprised that Cathal Clancy’s charges were such generous odds to claim a second provincial title, on closer examination it’s clear Maigh Cuilinn will need a lot of things to go right if they are to take down a vastly experienced opposition very familiar with Hyde Park.

In claiming a 19th county crown with a hard-earned 1-16 to 1-12 victory over Pearses, St Brigid’s lived on the edge at times, relying on a couple of terrific saves from goalkeeper Conor Carroll to help get them over the line on a day county player Ben O’Carroll and Bobby Nugent accounted for 10 points between them.

But St Brigid’s stepped up significantly on that form with an impressive 1-19 to 3-8 Connacht semi-final victory over Ballina Stephanites. Despite amassing 10 wides and their net being burgled three times, the Roscommon title-holders were always in control, with Ruaidhrí Fallon catching the eye up front and former Irish U-18 out-half Charlie O’Caroll knocking over a brace of points after his introduction.

With battle-hardened performers such as Brian Stack and Senan Kilbride also in their ranks, St Brigid’s will take stopping in their quest for a sixth Connacht title, but Maigh Cuilinn are undoubtedly a step above either Pearses or Mayo’s best and will relish the challenge ahead of them.

After surviving a titanic battle against Salthill-Knocknacarra in the Galway final, Maigh Cuilinn have sauntered into the provincial decider after clear-cut victories over Shamrock Gaels of Sligo and Leitrim Gaels. Frankly, they were only doing what we expected them to do, but David Wynne and company still cut a dash in those fixtures.

Fionn McDonagh, in particular, has been thriving on the provincial stage. He landed four points against Shamrock Gaels and backed up that display with a haul of 2-3 against the Leitrim champions. He has taken some of the scoring load off Dessie Conneely, and that is no bad thing.

With Seán Kelly, Wynne, and Seán O’Connor repeatedly bombing forward and Niall Walsh an industrious presence on the forty, Maigh Cuilinn possess a well-balanced outfit which is not short of big-day experience either. Yet, the availability of county player Peter Cooke for the clash with St Brigid’s remains critical.

He was introduced in the county final against Salthill and came up with a couple of thumping scores, but due to work commitments abroad, Cooke hasn’t been involved in Maigh Cuilinn’s Connacht campaign so far. It’s hardly ideal he isn’t around for training to hone his sharpness, but the club will surely move mountains to have Cooke in Hyde Park on Sunday. Either way, a cracking showdown is in prospect.

Pictured: Ballinasloe’s Aodan Connaughton trying to break free from Eskey’s Shane Molloy during Saturday’s Connacht Junior Hurling Final in Bekan. Photo: David Cunniffe.