Moycullen men on guard for journey into the unknown

STEPHEN GLENNON

COUNTY and Connacht champions Moycullen boast a clean bill of health ahead of their arduous trip to London for a difficult All-Ireland intermediate hurling quarter-final against Robert Emmetts in Ruislip on Sunday (1pm).

Having successfully negotiated one potential banana skin in Roscommon senior title holders Four Roads in the provincial decider, Moycullen now face another tricky assignment when they face 2007 All-Ireland intermediate champions, Robert Emmetts.

Although Moycullen boss Fergal Clancy notes that these are “exciting times” for hurling in the Gaeltacht village, he stresses that his side will not be underestimating Sunday’s opponents – indeed, he goes as far as to declare that the London champions must start as favourites.

“Most of their players have either played minor, U-21, intermediate or senior with their county,” notes Clancy, “while their inside three also look to be lightning fast. So, we have to be on our toes. In fact, given the players they have, it is almost a national team in a sense and with former county players in their ranks, they have to be favourites. That said, we are going over there to win.”

Clancy acknowledges it will not be an easy task. Aside from the whole distraction of making the trip across the Irish Sea, he knows that Robert Emmetts is a club of history – dating back to the very foundation of the London GAA County Board in 1886.

Emmetts were one of the original founder member clubs of the Board and in the early days of GAA in the English capital, they claimed six senior hurling and one senior football title in the first two decades. While fortunes dipped over the ensuing years, they finally found their way back into county senior finals in the 1990s and early 2000s, before collecting a long overdue seventh county title in 2004.

They subsequently claimed the three-in-a-row with county final wins in 2006, ’07 and ’08 – in addition to claiming that All-Ireland club title in March, 2007, following victory over this year’s county finalists Killimordaly – and won their 11th county title with a 2-14 to 1-11 victory over St. Gabriel’s in this year’s decider.

To the fore for Emmetts were Galway duo Niall Healy (Cappataggle) and Maurice Callinan (Ardrahan), with the latter tallying four points – three from placed balls – in the six-point victory. Midfielder Kevin Bolger was also instrumental in the win, while Aidan Fitzgerald and Peter Atkinson, who was sent off in that contest, accounted for the Emmetts goals.

While wing-forward Paul Kennedy has since emigrated to Australia, Emmetts manager Mick O’Dea will be delighted to have Cork native Michael Walsh back at his disposal again. The 25-year-old, who lined out for the Leesiders in the NHL earlier this year, had sustained a shoulder injury which forced his withdrawal in the county final.

In any event, Moycullen will need to be at their best against an Emmett’s outfit that, amazingly, has not one surviving starting member from the team that won the 2007 All-Ireland club title. “We will not be underestimating them though,” stresses Clancy, who says his outfit learned a great deal from their Connacht final win over Four Roads. 

“The favourites tag put pressure on us going into the Four Roads game, because we were expected to beat them. The funny thing was, though, they [Four Roads] nearly did a Moycullen on us. They shot out of the blocks in the second half and they went two points up.

“However, I was delighted with the character our lads showed after going two points down, at a time when the game could have gone away from us. But we dug in deep and I think we got our just rewards in the end. The [second] goal was a bit fortuitous but, that said, we have been making our own luck all year.”

Robert Emmetts, most likely, will provide another step up in class again and, running the rule of thumb over the Emmetts starting line-out, Clancy reiterates there is plenty of quality throughout their squad.  

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.