Longford SFC Final: Mullinalaghta may just have the edge over Colmcille

The next door neighbours will also battle it out in this year’s Leader Cup title decider and have already clashed in the Division 1 league final with Colmcille collecting the Johnny Skelly Cup which proved to be a significant confidence boost.

Just a solitary point separated the sides until a Cathal McCabe goal in stoppage time clinched the win (2-11 to 1-10) and another close encounter is likely to materialise in the battle for the major honour.

So for the first time since 1952 when Colmcille claimed the county crown after a replay,  the clubs will be meeting in the senior football championship decider and the excitement is now at fever pitch in the buzzing north Longford area situated on the Cavan border.

Mullinalaghta have been the dominant force in the recent past and are seeking to capture the coveted Connolly Cup (first presented in 1960) for the fifth time in the space of seven years, not forgetting their magnificent Leinster Club triumph in 2018 when GAA history was made. 

That is a magnificent record, to say the least, but Colmcille will show no fear in their fierce desire to win the county title for the first since 2008 when they last reached the final.

14 years is a long wait to grace the big stage and while the clearly talented Colmcille squad  have been knocking at the door in the recent past, the breakthrough failed to happen.

New manager Mickey Harkin has revitalised the players this season in a fresh approach, even though they were fortunate to survive after conceding three goals in the first half of the quarter-final against Mostrim.

Having said that, Colmcille showed a lot of spirit and character to eventually come out on top by a single point in the finish and they carried that belief into the next round. 

It was a completely different story against Longford Slashers in the semi-final as Colmcille scored a most emphatic victory by the wide margin of 11 points and a repeat of that performance will be required if they are to knock Mullinalaghta off their perch.

St Columba’s were hard pressed to get the better of Abbeylara in the quarter-final by the minimum of margins (0-15 to 2-8) when they had to call on all their vast experience to cross that difficult hurdle and some doubts were raised about the latest charge for championship glory. 

Quite a few shrewd observers were of the opinion that Dromard had a big chance of taking Mullinalaghta down in the semi-final and that looked a possibility when Sean Hagan’s side stormed into a four point lead in the early stages of the game. 

But St Columba’s manager Ciaran Fox had his players prepared in a composed frame of mind for such a situation and there was no panic as the men in maroon dominated the remainder of the first half to lead by 0-10 to 1-4 at the break.

That same three point margin separated the sides in the end as Mullinalaghta consolidated their tight grip on the game to reach the county final for the sixth time since they first emerged as a force to be reckoned with back in 2014 despite the disappointment of losing to Killoe in the decider.

St Columba’s went on to complete a magnificent Connolly Cup three-in-a-row in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and were crowned the county champions yet again last year. 

Powered by the McGivney brothers David and James along with other well established players in Patrick Fox, Simon Cadam, Donal McElligott, Shane Mulligan, Gary Rogers, John Keegan, Aidan McElligott, Jayson Matthews, Cian Mackey and Rian Brady, the battle hardened Mullinalaghta team are a tough nut to crack and will not hear of defeat.

Colmcille are only too well aware about the size of the tough task they are facing on Sunday and while the long serving Declan Reilly is still very much a key figure in his most effective role as the playmaker in the half-back-line, they are generally a young team with plenty of pace.

Enda Macken and Ruairi Harkin (son of the manager) will command the central positions in the defence and can make their presence felt in the bid to contain the threat of the strong Mullinalaghta attack.  

If the towering Fergal Sheridan and their 20-year-old captain Jack Macken can gain the upper hand at midfield with the physical strength of Vinny Hourican adding vital support in this crucial sector, the sharp Colmcille attack are capable of causing problems for the St Columba’s defence.  

Cathal McCabe will be attempting to make his usual penetrating runs and will be hard stopped if he receives a decent supply of the ball while Rory Hawkins and Cathal Reilly will also be hoping to make a big impact up front. 

And what about Barry McKeon? A hamstring injury ruled the vastly experienced forward out of the semi-final against Slashers and it remains to be seen whether he will feature in the final. Barry’s brother Paul is a long term casualty and will play no part on the big occasion. 

The cream has certainly come to the top with the both unbeaten group stage table toppers getting through to the county final.

The recent rivalry between the clubs is extremely keen with Colmcille scoring a shock success (1-14 to 1-13) over Mullinalaghta in the 2019 quarter-final, thanks to a late, late goal from a penalty converted by Barry McKeon in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

It was even more dramatic when the neighbours clashed in the 2020 quarter-final as St Columba’s gained revenge (1-15 to 2-10) following a last gasp goal from James McGivney in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

Those results suggest that there is little between the teams and what odds a draw in the highly anticipated 2022 county final that is expected to attract the biggest attendance for quite some time.

Both Colmcille and St Columba’s are bidding to win the senior football championship title for the seventh time in their proud history and Mullinalaghta may just have the edge!

Prediction: Mullinalaghta St Columba’s