Michael Rafferty hopeful Cooley Kickhams can spring another Leinster surprise

After such a long, prolonged period without a title, suddenly the tide seems to have changed at Cooley Kickhams. Following the heartbreak of losing their first final in many years, the Peninsula men bounced back by winning the Intermediate crown this season.

Not happy with just that title, Colm Nally’s troops have pushed on to Leinster, already coasting to a 13-point victory over Longford Champions Ballymahon, 2-13 to 0-6.

Front and centre to that victory was Michael Rafferty, who when speaking to the Democrat stressed how excited the players were at the prospect of continuing their provincial run.

“Everyone is buzzing right now” he exclaimed. “We are on real high at the minute because we think we can go a wee bit further in Leinster. There is plenty of confidence that we can keep it going over the next couple of weeks.

“A win like that doesn’t help us a whole lot though, especially when you look at who we are playing next, the standard is going to go up with every round, especially when it is the Dublin champions. It will be sky-high. Such a comfortable win in that regard was of little help, as we weren’t tested.”

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Taking on the champions from the capital will be tougher task, with Naomh Barróg, a team based in the parishes of Kilbarrock and Foxfield, making the trip to St Bridget’s Park, Dowdallshill this Saturday (Throw in 1:30PM).

The men in green and red accounted for Fingal Ravens by 2-11 to 1-7 in their county decider. They, like Cooley, had been in doldrums for some time, having last lifted the Dublin Intermediate trophy back in 1990. They had come up short in both the 2018 and 2019 deciders.

A goal just before half time created a 2-6 to 1-3 cushion and despite coughing up plenty of possession in the second half, they defended their lead resolutely, grabbing the scores when needed to stay in front and earn their championship title.

Rafferty admitted that they know only a little about their Dublin opponents, but feels that lack of preparation, on both sides, is what makes Leinster Football such an interesting competition.

“We know a bit about them, but not a whole pile. it’s the same with every round in Leinster, it was the same with Ballymahon. We have seen their county final, so we did see bits and pieces, that allows us to somewhat know what to expect.

“They are a good footballing team. They like to kick it through the hands and can kick it in long also. We don’t know how they are going to prepare for us, but that is the beauty of Leinster, both sides know very little about each other.

“They will be worrying about us, just as much as we worry about them. An open contest with these guys suits us best, but either way, even if it’s a more tactical affair, we won’t really mind that much.”

Just as first half goals got the Killbarrock men over the line in their final, early three pointers from Cooley also proved decisive as they got over the line two weeks ago in Pearse Park, Longford. A Rafferty penalty 20 minutes into the contest helped to sink any hopes of a Ballymahon comeback.

He believes that grabbing another early green flag would be a huge help on Saturday but stressed that they would be willing to abandon that goal-first mentality should that be what the game requires.

“We are always looking to grab goals. If it is on, we try to go for them, but if it is a cagey game where a point is a big score, we aren’t going to look for too much or try and force it in. As if it is a tight game, we need to keep the scoreboard ticking over. That’s especially the case if we are ahead.

“But don’t get me wrong, if there is a chance there, we will try and rattle the net as well, should those opportunities arise on Saturday.”

When you look at where the peninsula club was just a few months ago, you would have never guessed they would still be playing football deep into the winter months.

Midway through the league they were bottom of the table, resulting in the departure of their manager Gary Thornton. He was replaced by the highly experienced Colm Nally.

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Of course, they still ended up being relegated from Division 1 of the league, but crucially the Newtown Blues clubman was able to steady the ship and had his team primed and ready for the championship.

“It has been a massive change since Colm has come in” exclaimed the forward. “He came here and set his standards and in fairness to all the lads, we kind of had a right look in the mirror to see what we were going to do at that point in time.

“The great thing is a lot of boys really stepped their game up a gear, pretty much everyone in the squad of 40 did in fairness. The training matches have become savage, and he has everybody thinking they can get in the team. He has given boys chances too, lads that needed football.”

Such has been the standards set by Nally that Cooley are not going to rest on their laurels. While a return to the Senior ranks is what they wanted more than anything, he has now instilled the belief in the group that they are capable of achieving much more. Starting with their date with Naomh Barróg.

“The Championship title meant a lot to us, but in fairness Colm Nally has always had us well drilled and he got us up for this Leinster campaign. He was challenging us in the dressing right after the match in Ardee, saying ‘why can’t we go further in Leinster?’ Get a nice run going.

“That was the first thing that has been said, right after congratulating us on our success. All credit has to go to him, as he has clearly got us really motivated for this competition.

“Usually in these championships Dublin teams are the favourites, so it is going to be tough. I don’t know what they are going to bring but we will be well prepared, looking after ourselves in house. We will turn up, give it a good go on Saturday and see what happens.”