Seasiders have firepower to topple Brigids

Dara Bradley

Seven years almost to the day this Sunday, Salthill/Knocknacarra seized the club’s second ever Connacht senior club championship title, cruising to an unexpected eight point win over St Brigid’s in the provincial final at Pearse Stadium.

It’s fair to say, things won’t be such a breeze this weekend as the Galway champions lock horns with the Roscommon kingpins at the same city venue (throw-in, 2.30pm) in the semi-final of the Connacht series.

The team sheets may have a familiar enough look to them – Salthill’s full-back line of Cian Begley, Finian Hanley and Ruadhri McTiernan is the same as in 2005; Alan Kerins, Seán Armstrong and Seamie Crowe all played starring roles; while Tom Burke came on as a sub.

St Brigid’s had four starters that day – ‘keeper Shane Curran, Ian Kilbride, Karol Mannion and Frankie Dolan and one substitute who made a scoring impact from the bench, Senan Kilbride – who are expected to line-out this weekend.

But this St Brigid’s outfit is a different beast to that which had effectively accepted their plight as irredeemable and gave up with 20 minutes to go in their first ever Connacht final appearance when they trailed 1-8 to 0-3 points – they limped to a humbling 1-10 to 0-5 defeat in the end.

Nobody would have predicted that day that it would take Salthill so many seasons to emerge top dogs in Galway again; and few could have foreseen that St Brigid’s would materialise into one of the most consistent performing senior club teams in Connacht, claiming three provincial titles in the past six years including the last two.

This year, they come to Galway brimful of experience gleaned from several Connacht campaigns and are slight favourites (8/11) with local bookmaker John Mulholland’s to reach their third final in a row at the expense of Salthill (11/8).

The Kiltoom outfit’s facile win over Leitrim’s Melvin Gaels in the first round a fortnight ago also proves that they do still possess a very real scoring threat and spread – seven of the starting side and three subs got their names on the score sheet in that 2-19 to 0-10 win at home.There are injury concerns in the Brigid’s camp over Frankie Dolan, their talisman, although the vibes coming from Roscommon is that the former county star will start regardless and play through the pain barrier.

His memories of facing Salthill won’t be too fond – Dolan was fairly anonymous in the two-man inside forward line in the 2005 Connacht final, as their tactic of bunching centre-field with a third midfielder, something Salthill will more than likely do this weekend, backfired on the visitors.

Deadly from placed balls – he scored five frees and a ‘45 against Melvin Gaels – Dolan is just too important a figure not to risk playing, and he’s likely to have a major bearing on proceedings.

His brothers Garvin and Darren Dolan are said to be nursing injuries although they too are expected to feature at some stage.

The high profile and high calibre backroom team of manager Kevin McStay, RTÉ Gaelic Football pundit and analyst, and selector Liam McHale, his former Mayo team-mate, may be in their first season with Brigid’s but the pressure is on.

The Kiltoom and Roscommon GAA public not only want Brigid’s to win a third Connacht title on the trot, but also expect them to be challenging for honours in the All-Ireland final next St Patrick’s Day and the appointment of McStay and McHale is an indication of the club’s ambitions.

McStay could not be reached when contacted by Tribune Sport but he told the Roscommon Herald this week that the Salthill match was a “season defining” one for his squad.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.