Cathal McKaigue of St Patrick's Maghera, Derry, ahead of his side's Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools A Football Final against St Colman's College Claremorris, Mayo, during the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Finals Captains Call at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
Tradition is a word that’s evoked a lot in Gaelic games.
When it comes to Post Primary Schools Football, St. Patrick’s College, Maghera, are one of those teams with it.
They’ve played in 11 Hogan Cup Finals, winning five of them. Only St. Jarlath’s College, Tuam, have played in more.
On St. Parick’s Day the Derry school will play in their 12th final against St. Colman’s, Claremorris, and they go into the game as warm favourites, partly because they have such a tradition of success in the competition.
Past victories count for little in a competition where each school has a virtually new cast of players every year, though.
The real currency of tradition is a combination of ambition and good habits. The reason St. Patrick’s, Maghera are such a force is because they have a culture of both, which means their tradition of success is an ongoing process rather than a historic relic.
“When wee boys come in the door of the school this is what they aspire to do,” explains St. Patrick’s, Maghera manager, William McAteer.
“From their competitions through second year, third year, fourth year, they want to play MacRory Cup and, if all goes well, eventually Hogan Cup.
“The school has a huge tradition and that's down to the work that goes on behind the scenes and throughout all the age-groups in the school.
“You have so many staff there that are putting a huge shift in, so many of them putting their shoulder to the wheel.
“Even this year we've a management team that includes Sean Marty Lockhart and Chrissy McCaigue in it and we've Ollie Cummings in doing bits and Tiernan McHugh. So it's a huge effort even on the upper side of it, but all through the school then you have other fellas who every year take teams without fail and put a huge effort in.
“You're breeding success and you're instilling a Maghera way in to the students as soon as they come in.”
Until they won the MacRory Cup, this group of St. Patrick’s, Maghera players had collected little silverware in their time in the school.
St. Patrick's, Maghera celebrate after winning the MacRory Cup.
But they always stuck with the process and believed good things would come, because that’s just the St. Patrick’s, Maghera way. They've been rewarded for that perseverance.
“Reaching this All-Ireland Final is down to the work-ethic and the character of the group more so than anything,” says McAteer. “They're a group that's very humble and modest and very, very hard-working.
“Whatever we've asked of them this year they've done it. There are just good fellas in the group with a huge work-ethic who are willing to be coached and who are willing to listen.
“We've come through three or four games where we've only won by a point or two which shows that character. They were just dog-fights and when you come through a game like that it instils a sense of belief that you have what it takes to win those sorts of games.”
There’s every chance Monday’s All-Ireland Final will be another dogfight.
St. Colman’s have proven themselves to have plenty of character themselves, and plenty of footballing ability to go with it.
“We've seen a wee bit of them,” says McAteer. “They're there on merit. They look like they're very strong, especially their defence. Five of their back six have represented the Mayo minors in the past couple of years.
“They've had tough battles along the way too and they've come through them. They look like a very well-drilled side and we'll have a huge challenge ahead of us on St. Patrick's Day to get our sixth Hogan.”
The big variable in every Hogan Cup Final is how well either team will cope with both the occasion and the stage it plays out on.
Croke Park is a very different pitch and stadium than any other in the country, and for young players it can be a daunting experience.
It’s no surprise to hear that the St. Patrick’s Maghera way is to encourage their players to embrace the challenge rather than be overwhelmed by it.
“It's a massive opportunity for those lads to play in Croke Park,” says McAteer. “We've lads there who have won two All-Ireland minor titles with Derry and yet they've never actually played in Croke Park.
“We talk about every boy's dream is to play Hogan Cup football, and it's a dream to to play in Croke Park.
“The message we'll be giving them will be fairly simple. It's still just another game in terms of they have to go out, they have to work, they have to perform. There's no point coming all the way to Croke Park and getting beat. When you come to Croke Park you want to go home with the trophy.
“The focus will be very much on the game and not the occasion.”
Monday, March 17
Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Hogan Cup (Senior A Football)
St. Colman’s, Claremorris v St. Patrick’s, Maghera, Croke Park, 1pm. (Live on TG4)
