Cappataggle's flair can prove decisive in intermediate final
UNBEATEN in league and championship in 2013, the two form teams of Galway intermediate hurling, Cappataggle and Kilnadeema/Leitrim, will go head to head in what has the prospect to be a lively county decider at Kenny Park, Athenry on Sunday (2pm).
In many respects, both teams will feel they underperformed in their respective semi-finals but, in saying that, the two clubs’ credentials over the current campaign remain unblemished while both teams can also boast of players who have senior experience and, in a couple of instances, have lined out at the highest level with Galway.
Cappataggle enter this fixture as the bookmakers’ favourites and, on paper, the thriving underage structure they put in place some years ago may just be a fraction ahead of where Kilnadeema/Leitrim’s is currently at. Indeed, Cappataggle manager Gerry Healy attributed the work being done at underage as an underlining reason for their appearance in this Saturday’s showdown.
“We have a fair bit of work done with our underage and there has been a lot of focus on that in the last number of years,” acknowledges Healy, who was also over the team when the club won their last intermediate title in 2008. “That is helping us out no end at adult level because, now, there are young fellows becoming available to the team every year.
“So, that is definitely helping us out. I suppose, another thing, which mightn’t have happened in other clubs, we have been lucky enough with emigration and work and that. We have been able to hold onto most of our players – we have lost one or two – but we have been able to hold onto a lot of them.”
What should also stand to Cappataggle is that they have the most recent experience of playing in the senior grade. Among those who won county medals in 2008 – defeating Killimordaly in the final – are goalkeeper James Skehill, defenders Michael Broderick, Thomas Broderick and Stephen Creaven, the versatile Damien Joyce and forwards Daniel Loughnane and Alan Dolan.
Of course, they subsequently contested an All-Ireland intermediate final against Blarney of Cork in the Spring of 2009 before lining out at senior later in the year. Unfortunately, they could only take one point from their four group games in that campaign and later ended up losing by 0-22 to 1-10 to Tommie Larkins in the relegation final. Full preview in this week's Connacht Tribune.