The future can wait as Colaiste Choilm players buzz in anticipation of historic final date
THREE of Colaiste Choilm's star players took time out ahead of Saturday's Leinster Colleges Senior Football Championship final against Naas CBS to talk about their footballing and life ambitions. It is a historic first “A” final for the Tullamore School and team captain, STEVEN DORAN, rock solid defender PA KENNA and one of Offaly football's brightest prospects, midfielder CILLIAN BOURKE spoke with Tribune Sports Editor KEVIN CORRIGAN.
PLANS for third level colleges, thoughts of CAO forms, career paths and the normal student considerations are very much on hold for several students at Colaiste Choilm, Tullamore as they prepare for Saturday's historic Leinster Colleges Senior Football Championship final against Naas CBS – a 1.00pm throw in at a venue that was not decided at the time of going to press.
Colaiste Choilm's achievement in reaching an “A” final for the first time has brought the school to life. A significant percentage of their near 700 students will travel to this final, making a crescendo of noise, creating a terrific atmosphere as they go toe to toe with their Naas counterparts.
The atmosphere at colleges games has a magic that these players will never experience again. It is something entirely different – even a full house in Croke Park, and that is the dream for some of their players, may not be quite as daunting. Never again in their careers will the players have to deal with hundreds of students whistling as they take frees, jeering if they make a mistake, making ambulance sounds if they get injured or accusing them of being “fat” or more serious slurs.
It is entirely unique and Saturday's final will be the biggest sporting occasion of the lives of these young players. It is a huge occasion and reaching this final has given Offaly football a significant shot in the arm. For most of the decades, the former Colaiste Choilm soldiered in “B” ranks but have been competing in all “A” grades in football since winning the senior “B” title in 2020.
Beaten by Naas in the last two semi-finals, they finally got across the line when putting in a storming finish to deny St Pat's of Navan in a thrilling finish last Friday – and while they will be underdogs for this final against a Naas school that has been very dominant at this level in recent years, Colaiste Choilm's confidence is sky high and they fear no one.
Many of their players have played county minor or U-20. Niall Furlong has played in an All-Ireland minor hurling final and others will go on to enjoy long senior county careers. This game, however, will last with them for life – ten clubs are represented on the Colaiste Choilm panel and outside of the school, there will be a big crowd of Offaly GAA lovers at this decider.
CILLIAN BOURKE
It is always with a measure of reluctance that an adult asks any exciting school going prospect about pressure and weight of expectations. However, to ignore the inevitable pressure that always accompanies genuine talent is to ignore the elephant in the room and Cillian Bourke just grinned and answered affably when the question was posed.
Offaly football has been crying out for the emergence of a tall, ball winning midfielder who can play football. He is young, only in fifth year in school, but already the Tullamore club man is ticking all these boxes. There are many pitfalls ahead but playing senior inter-county football is his dream. He is more definite about his footballing ambitions than his career ones, revealing that one day he has his heart set on college, the next it is a trade and apprenticeship. “Whatever takes me on the road. I have not got a clue what I am going to do, I'll fall into something,” he smiled - his father is a Dub, Vincent Bourke, his mother Gemma Byrne hails from a well known Cloneygowan sporting family.
He has played minor hurling and football for Offaly and only gave up rugby to concentrate on gaelic games last year. He grimaced when it was suggested that the day will come fairly soon when he will have to choose between football and hurling for a top level career but he did not hesitate for long before confirming that football is his true love and where his big ambitions lie. “Football is my main goal at the moment. I do enjoy playing hurling as well but football is what I intend to pursue.”
Now in his third year on the senior football squad in the school, he described the feeling after the semi-final win over St Pat's as one he “never experienced” before. “Last year was heartbreaking (they were pipped by Naas by a point in the semi-final) and this was something special.”
Were you worried when you trailed by three points late on against St Pat's in the semi-final?
“I wouldn't say it was worry but it is in the back of your mind, that we could easily throw this away. Coming out for the second half all the pressure was on us to perform because we had the wind on our back and after putting in a solid first half. It is always there that you could lose but with the adrenaline of the situation that you don't really think about it.”
Are you aware of how big this is for the school?
“We just think of it as another game playing for the school and perform at your best. Definitely it is a big stage, we have been trying to push over the semi-final the last two years.”
How big are the demands on yourself, playing U-20 football and so much else?
“It does get hard. When I was first year minor, I was playing rugby as well and they were all colliding together so I had to drop that this year and stick with the football. If you have a good passion for it, it is just another day at the office. It is a heavy demand on the body but the county looks after us well with food and recovery.”
Do you feel pressure from people hoping you come through as a county midfielder?
“I don't take that too much into consideration, it is just day to day. It is all exciting at the moment as well. I don't know what is to come. It comes both ways, there obviously is pressure to perform and keep performing at a good level but there is the excitement of performing at a good level too. It all feeds into the one.”
What way do you cope with supporters' noise in big colleges games?
“They are special occasions. Boys mess about you better perform and are messing but are trying to get you psyched up. When you put in the work, you are able to perform. They are a fair atmosphere, one you won't experience at club or county level. Everyone is shushing to stay quiet for frees at club and county games but in schools, everyone is trying to irritate you and get you under your skin. It does come into play and some lads are affected by it. Anyone that can be easily upset, it can get to them. It is a hard atmosphere to play under but when you are going well, you can show them on the field that you can jeer me if you want but it won't affect the scoreline. It's a whole different atmosphere but I enjoy playing in it. If you can perform at your best in that atmosphere you will perform at your best any other day.”
Naas will be a huge challenge?
“Getting beaten the last two years, it is starting to become a small bit personal to be honest. It is becoming a bit of a rivalry between the two schools, and a personal one. They are a big school and a big pick but they produce the same quality of footballer as we do. We will strive on and hopefully get them. We are definitely 100% confident going into game and rightly so after beating the Maynooth combination team and Moate as well as St Pat's. It is just another step on the road.”
PA KENNA
“Pa will do” grinned Patrick Kenna when asked if he preferred to be called Pa or Patrick. In excellent form at centre half back for Colaiste Choilm this year, Kenna, like Cillian Bourke, is a fifth year student with another year to go – he hopes to study primary school teaching in Limerick. The son of a Pullough man, Frankie Kenna and a Tullamore woman Catherine Gorman, he was 11 before he took up football, fell in love with it, took to it like a duck to water and now speaks with infectious enthusiasm about the game.
A sub last year, he feels that Colaiste Choilm has a stronger panel this year, referring to the impact subs they can bring on. He has been playing centre half back almost the whole way up and feels “no pressure” in the position.
What were your thoughts with five minutes left against St Pat's?
“I had no doubt we were going to pull through. The lads on our team put in trojan work. There are lads there who are as hard as nails and never give up. If it comes down to the wire against Naas, I would be very hopeful.”
Do you enjoy the atmosphere at colleges games?
“It is a great buzz. When the crowd gets going, it pushes you on a bit more. Some times when you are playing, you silence it out yourself and just play. I enjoy it.”
It is great for the school to have a team so competitive at “A” level?
“The past three years, we have been in the semi-final. We never had a better chance to go and do it than this year. To progress to an All-Ireland semi-final would be great. It sort of lifts Offaly football and all the teams around and makes younger lads want to play a bit more as well.”
11 is later than some people take up football?
“I had no real interest and then when I started hitting puberty, I got mad into it. My dad started to push me on a bit more. 10 or 11 was grand when you really push yourself on and I have been playing football nearly every day of my life since. I love the bones of it. I love going to the pitch with the boys, especially now when you are coming to the business end.”
Will football be a lifelong pursuit for you?
“Oh I think so. I am in with the Offaly development squad all the way through and played minor last year. I have another year minor and will hopefully play U-20 next year. To play county senior is the main goal.”
Would football stop you travelling to Australia or elsewhere for a year or so?
“I wouldn't mind travelling but football might keep me at home. If you are going well and in semi-finals and finals, you are not going to leave.”
What would it mean to win?
“It means so much to everyone. It is history for the school and town. Last year we played Dublin in the quarter-final minor with Offaly and that was the biggest game of my life. I never thought we would be here this year.”
STEVEN DORAN
Surprised but absolutely thrilled to be given the captaincy of Colaiste Choilm this year, Steven Doran had his Leaving Cert mocks to distract him from football this week. The son of Hughie and Sheila Doran, he has grown up in hurling territory in Ballinamere and enjoys playing that game but football is his big sporting passion – he hopes to study quantity surveying in Galway after his Leaving Cert this year.
Leading by example and displaying a terrific work rate in all games, Doran recalled a brief conversation he had with Niall Furlong late on in the semi-final win over St Pat's. With Colaiste Choilm trailing by three points, Doran presumed, as did most people in Killucan, that they would require a goal to survive and said as much to Furlong. “I said to him, Niall we are going to need a goal to win this game and he turned to me and said Steven, just relax, not just yet. Keep the points ticking over. The next thing, bang, bang, bang. I couldn't believe it. We never let go. That is one thing I will say about this team. Every single one of us is winners and we don't want to lose.” – and somehow a relentless Colaiste Choilm pulled it out of the bag without a goal, scoring five points in a scintillating spell of relentless pressure.
Another abiding image of that game was a fired up Doran trying to galvanise the Colaiste Choilm support when he came off deep into injury time. “My adrenalin was through the roof at that stage, I would have ran through a wall,” he reflected.
What does it mean to you to be captain?
“I didn't think I would be in contention for it and there are a few big names on the team, Niall (Furlong) and Ryan (Kenny) and Cillian (Bourke) and I didn't think I would be in contention. It is nice but it is just a title. Maybe to be a leader for the boys and to sort things out when things need to be sorted but definitely not any more power. I am still a player at the end of the day.”
How big of a relief was it to win against St Pat's?
“I wasn't involved two years ago and came on last year (against Naas). That feeling, that silence in the dressing room is something I will never forget again. After two years in a row, I never wanted to feel it again. The relief and joy everyone had the last day was amazing.”
It must be magic in the school at the moment?
“It is a big thing playing at the top level. We are B in hurling, A in football and you can see the difference between the two teams. There is way more people tuning into the football because we can't play at any higher level. It was a huge step to go up to A football but we are well able for it. It was one of the best decisions the school ever made.”
Is there much of a difference between A and B colleges football?
“Oh yes, A is way more fast paced. You need to be well tuned in. You can get away with a lot in B that you won't in A. You have to be up to the pace if you want to compete.”
What way do embrace or shut out the atmosphere at games?
“It is definitely a help. We don't bring the crowds to the group games, it is only the big games. When we see the boys there and the whole crowd with flags, it kicks in and gets you going. The boys are brilliant on the sideline. “
Will football remain a big part of your life?
“Yes it is huge. I definitely won't be going away from it. I will play football for the rest of my life I'd say until I am not able.”
Will football keep you at home or would you like to travel?
“It would be hard to travel when you are playing football. It depends what level I am at in a couple of years' time. If I am still playing with Offaly, I will maybe stay around.”
What would it mean to win this?
“It would mean the world. I don't think I will ever play in a game as big for the rest of my life unless I go anywhere with Offaly. At the minute, it is definitely the biggest game I will play.”