All Ireland Club Championships - Final Stages

[Milltown Row2]

The saying "you have to lose one to win one" is strangely true with this competition. Small comfort for the great clan na gael teams of the 80's (beat us in 82) but teams can get lost in Croke.

[ross4life]

Get over myself/chip on my shoulder 

Lads i'm talking about casual observer giving st Brigids no chance before a ball is thrown in. (these same guys always looks for excuses after a game) sure they may find the croke park/All Ireland final a bridge to far but they have worked just as hard as cross to get there & are there on merit.

[Winnie Peg]

Glad you say that BCB but thats not how the Crossmaglen supporters felt in 07 when you beat us in Mullingar. Any supporters (Cross) i talked to after that match were very condescending, comments like wondering why they came down, they should have waited for the final to travel , how it was easy, wondering how we got out of Roscommon never mind connaught and slagging of a number of our players. It wasn't even like you walked that game you only won by a goal. It left a very sour taste and i am delighted that we have a chance now to play you in the Final.

May the best team on the day win and hopefully it will be Brigids.

That is not usual as while we have our quota of gobshites, the majority of Cross people are respectful of the opposition.  the other thing too is that there is a different approach with this team than before, a bit of a re-birthing if you may, and there is a back to basics approach which has paid dividends.  I would hate to think that what you describe is what people think of Cross because the people within the club, involved in teams etc, are not like that at all.

You have plkenty of them alright. You have the most arrogant unsporting supporters in Ireland.

[Throw ball]

Glad you say that BCB but thats not how the Crossmaglen supporters felt in 07 when you beat us in Mullingar. Any supporters (Cross) i talked to after that match were very condescending, comments like wondering why they came down, they should have waited for the final to travel , how it was easy, wondering how we got out of Roscommon never mind connaught and slagging of a number of our players. It wasn't even like you walked that game you only won by a goal. It left a very sour taste and i am delighted that we have a chance now to play you in the Final.

May the best team on the day win and hopefully it will be Brigids.

That is not usual as while we have our quota of gobshites, the majority of Cross people are respectful of the opposition.  the other thing too is that there is a different approach with this team than before, a bit of a re-birthing if you may, and there is a back to basics approach which has paid dividends.  I would hate to think that what you describe is what people think of Cross because the people within the club, involved in teams etc, are not like that at all.

You have plkenty of them alright. You have the most arrogant unsporting supporters in Ireland.

Personally think that is a load of rubbish. All teams have supporters they could do without and the more successful teams get more than their fair share. Must say that the only experience I can remember of Cross getting beat in Armagh was last year - and they took it very well.

[INDIANA]

Get over myself/chip on my shoulder 

Lads i'm talking about casual observer giving st Brigids no chance before a ball is thrown in. (these same guys always looks for excuses after a game) sure they may find the croke park/All Ireland final a bridge to far but they have worked just as hard as cross to get there & are there on merit.

Dont worry about it Ross. Oisin described us as an average team prior to the semi in Navan and we bet them off the park. This is not the Cross vintage of 99-2001. Brigids have every chance if they believe.

[brokencrossbar1]

Get over myself/chip on my shoulder 

Lads i'm talking about casual observer giving st Brigids no chance before a ball is thrown in. (these same guys always looks for excuses after a game) sure they may find the croke park/All Ireland final a bridge to far but they have worked just as hard as cross to get there & are there on merit.

Dont worry about it Ross. Oisin described us as an average team prior to the semi in Navan and we bet them off the park. This is not the Cross vintage of 99-2001. Brigids have every chance if they believe.

Lessons learned, different ball game.  If anything I would have Brigids as slight favourites as they have more overall experience.

[ross4life]

I hear that Joe brollys piece in the mail on Sunday tells us why cross WILL win on Thursday...doesn't even mention brigids once in the article.

i wonder does he even know who Cross are playing?

[brokencrossbar1]

I hear that Joe brollys piece in the mail on Sunday tells us why cross WILL win on Thursday...doesn't even mention brigids once in the article.

i wonder does he even know who Cross are playing?

And you give Joe any credit?

[ross4life]

I hear that Joe brollys piece in the mail on Sunday tells us why cross WILL win on Thursday...doesn't even mention brigids once in the article.

i wonder does he even know who Cross are playing?

And you give Joe any credit?

I give him credit for helping out on the St brigids team talk 

[Rossfan]

I had mixed feelings seeing that sea of red and green flags all over Kiltoom area today
They have a 50/50 chance at worst and I will not be surprised to see them bring home the Andy Merrigan.

[ross4life]

I had mixed feelings seeing that sea of red and green flags all over Kiltoom area today
They have a 50/50 chance at worst and I will not be surprised to see them bring home the Andy Merrigan.

I was walking into the ground with a couple of fermanagh fans today they asked "why does a Roscommon pitch have so many Mayo flags?"

[goh4205]

Get over myself/chip on my shoulder 

Lads i'm talking about casual observer giving st Brigids no chance before a ball is thrown in. (these same guys always looks for excuses after a game) sure they may find the croke park/All Ireland final a bridge to far but they have worked just as hard as cross to get there & are there on merit.

Dont worry about it Ross. Oisin described us as an average team prior to the semi in Navan and we
bet them off the park. This is not the Cross vintage of 99-2001. Brigids have every chance

Good lad Indiana, keep up your anti 6 counties bollox

[Throw ball]

I hear that Joe brollys piece in the mail on Sunday tells us why cross WILL win on Thursday...doesn't even mention brigids once in the article.

i wonder does he even know who Cross are playing?

Joe isn't from Cross so you can hardly blame them for that!

[ross4life]

I hear that Joe brollys piece in the mail on Sunday tells us why cross WILL win on Thursday...doesn't even mention brigids once in the article.

i wonder does he even know who Cross are playing?

Joe isn't from Cross so you can hardly blame them for that!

You don't say  my point is one of the main GAA pundits in Ireland should at least acknowledge the other finalist.

[drici]

St Brigid's Cross to be burned as Rangers seek Fifth Title


The burning question is whether the bonfires will blaze in the villages of Curraghboy and Brideswell onto Kiltoom in South Roscommon to welcome new arrival Andy Merrigan or will the said same Andy have the €2 toll fare to make the journey to a familiar halting site, Crossmaglen for the fifth time.
Every man, woman and child from the parishes of Kiltoom and Cam will descend on Croke Park as their team bid to change the National Holiday that is St Patrick's Day to St Brigid's Day. Their rivals from the Parishes of Upper and Lower Creggan have almost forsaken Lourdes now that Croke Park has become a regular pilgrimage with Thursday being a third visit in five years and a sixth in total.

St Brigid's Day is Feb 1 which heralds the first day of Spring and the female patron Saint of Ireland also known as Muire Na nGael (Our Lady of the Irish). Ireland's foremost female saint will need to be shining brightly on her namesakes from Roscommon, if they are to halt Crossmaglen Rangers from performing the annual ritual of burning St Brigid's Cross (made from rushes pulled rather than cut and hung by the door to ward off fire and evil spirits) as the Ulster raiders seek to avenge their only final loss back in 2009.

Not since the famed Clan Na Gael lost their fourth All-Ireland final in a row in 1990 has a Roscommon team graced the club final. In 1983 Portlaoise beat Clan Na Gael 0-12 to 2-00 followed by the heartbreaking 4 in a row -1987 to St Finbarrs (Cork)0-10 to 0-7,1988 Burren (Down) 1-9 to 0-8, 1989 Nemo Rangers (Cork) 2-13 to 1-3 and 1990 Baltinglass (Wicklow)2-7 to 0-7. Roscommon Gaels who lost to St Vincent's (Dublin) 4-10 to 0-5 were the first of the 3 Roscommon clubs to reach the club final.

Clan na Gael (Lurgan) who lost to UCD (Dublin)0-14 to 1-4 in a replay (1-6 apiece) in 1974 are the only other Armagh team to reach the club final. A debate has sprung up recently as to the origins of that Club's name.

While the bookies see the contest as a foregone conclusion in favour of Crossmaglen the exact same proclamation by the said same experts in both semi-finals were proven to be incorrect. Rangers should, because of their record, start as slight favourites but the contest is far from a David v Goliath confrontation. St Brigid's disposed of the most successful team in club history Nemo Rangers (7 titles) in the semi-final which earns the rights to the utmost respect. On top of that achievement is the fact that the last time these two teams met in the All-Ireland semi-final in 2007 in Mullingar Cross were put to the pin of their collar to eak out a 1-11 to 0-11 with St Brigid's guilty of some glaring wides.

Changes from last Meeting

Both sides have undergone change since their last meeting in Mullingar. Only 6 Cross players Paul Hearty, Aaron Kernan, David McKenna, Stephen Kernan, Johnny Hanratty and Oisin McConville who strated the match with Kilmacud started the semi-final against St Brigid's.

The team which started in the win over Nemo Rangers had only 5 St Brigid's players who began the semi-final clash with Cross Robbie Kelly, Karol Mannion, Frankie Dolan, Senan Kilbride and David O'Connor.

Theoretically then Thursday is a whole new ball game with very few old acquaintances to be renewed but the ones that have can hold the key to the destination of the trophy. Senan Kilbride and Frankie Dolan have been the top scoregetters for their team all year with a massive 2-70 shared evenly between them of the 5-120 scored over the 9 championship matches played to date. Indeed it was the telling 0-6 from Kilbride that made all the difference against Nemo while fellow ace attacker Dolan picked up the AIB Connacht Provincial Player Award. Allthought they had two dominant scoring contributors a feature for St Brigid's is that 13 other players managed to get on the scoresheet from corner backs to impact substitutes.

The three other survivors from the loss to Cross have all played pivitol roles in keeping the Brigid's bandwagon on the road to Croker. Midfielder Karol Mannion has been an inspirational driving force while corner back Robbie Kelly has been rock solid with the work ethic of corner forward David O'Connor eyecatching.

Top of the shop for the Crossmaglen Mullingar survivors is ace marksman Oisin McConville who continues to dictate matters for his team. An unprecedented fifth Ulster Provincial Player Award is testimony to his worth to the team. Rangers last line of defence goalkeeper Paul Hearty who, like Oisin and regular substitutes John McEntee and Francie Bellew, is seeking a fifth All-Ireland club winners medal, has earned his corn this year with some vital breathtaking saves at crucial moments in a host of matches in this championship run. Stephen Kernan is a key playmaker and excellent ball distributor for Cross and has been a telling contributor. Attacking half back Aaron Kernan is the hub from which Rangers prosper. A dominant performance from Aaron and it is a rarity for Cross to lose. Popping up all over the field his linkage with the play and ability to bring fellow players into the game is tremendous. His Man of the Match performance in the semi win over Kilmacud goes a long way to Cross being in a sixth final. Outside of his own team mates Johnny Hanratty is perhaps the most underrated of the surviving sextet. The sheer commitment and engine of the midfielder has given Rangers a very often unnoticed vital edge especially when it comes to getting the all important match winning "dirty ball" there is none better than Hanratty.

Bonus Territory

The prize for the winning team is the Andy Merrigan Cup, which is named in honour of Castletown and Wexford footballer Andy Merrigan, who died as a result of a farm accident at the height of his playing career. It was first presented in 1974.

Reaching the 2011 Senior Club Final is certainly bonus territory for the two finalists for entirely different reasons. St Brigid's will see it as justice and progress for all their efforts this last decade where their knocking on the door has finally paid off as they have gained access to the biggest stage available to them as a club.

Having set so many records over the course of the last 15 years Crossmaglen Rangers, despite all of their success, would have been deeply hurt by the "blip" in 2009 which saw them firstly lose the All-Ireland final and then later in the year the chance for a National record 14 in a row Armagh senior championships. The end of an era was soon to be forgotten as a new chapter in the club's illustrious history was to commence in 2010 with a National record 38th Armagh championship achieved as the club bounced back immediately to announce the arrival of the new kids on the block.

Defending All-Ireland club champions St Gall's, previous club champions Burren and Kilmacud Crokes have been cast aside as this current Crossmaglen Rangers squad emerges from the long shadows cast by the immortality attained by their predecessors to carve their own niche, their own style and add their own titles to an already overloaded chest full of booty. The continual infusion of young blood with the old guard has kept Cross at the height of their powers. As previously Thursday next has a dozen of the squad seeking a first All-Ireland club medal with a quartet after their fifth and the other 16 looking to add to their haul.

Down to the Wire

The one common denominator for both sets of supporters at Thursday's final is that they will get wholehearted commitment and endeavour from their teams. In the face of adversity in their semi-finals both teams showed the character to prevail a trait that was evident from the two teams throughout the championship. Brigid's looked dead and buried in the Connacht final against Killerin until a fisted Cathal McHugh in the last 10 seconds forced extra-time in which Brigid's excelled to win 2-14 to 1-10. Twice 6 points down against Kilmacud Cross looked dead and buried but resurrected themselves to claim victory just like they did in the county semi-final replay with near neighbours St Patrick's. The two teams have taken things right down to the wire and come out the right side of the verdict. Unfortunately one of them will be on the wrong side of the result come 5pm on Thursday but once again the result should go right down to the wire.

Cross to Capture Fifth Title

First time finalists St Brigid's will be hoping to get off to the lightning start that Kilmacud got against the Rangers. More importantly they will be trying to supply the same type of ball to their full forward line of O'Connor, Kilbride and Dolan which caused the Cross defence all sorts of problems. The bigger more physical Kilmacud players gave the Rangers smaller backs a torrid opening half hours football. It is worth noting that an all at sea Rangers restricted a free running free scoring Kilmacud first half attack to just 4 second half points, 2 from play. St Brigid's though are a bit like Cross not renowned for whirlwind starts preferring to ease themselves into games which will suit the Ulster champions. Once Paul Kernan, Stephen Finnegan, Paul McKeown and James Morgan showed in front of the forward the tide turned in their favour. After getting a reprieve to play in the final Danny O'Callaghan, who is having a fine debut season in that central defensive role, will have learned not to get involved in silly things and concentrate on what he knows best.

What at times can be their weakest line, half forward, in terms of defensive duties Cross will have to be on their toes as St Brigid's are dependant on their half back trio of Ian Kilbride, Peter Domican and Gearoid Cunniffe to set up an awful lot of their attacking play. Domican an All-Ireland minor medal winner in 2006 is strong in the central role as is midfieklder Karol Mannion. The last time these finalists crossed swords David McKenna was outstanding at midfield but an injury plagued career since then has limited David to patches of his ability as his midfield partner Johnny Hanratty toils selflessly in this sector with great reward to his team. Midfield has been a problem area for Cross all year but up to now they have been able to negotiate a way around it with substitutions and positional switches.

If the Cross defensive sextet expect to be given a hard time then their rival defenders face an even more daunting prospect as Cross have not failed to hit the back of the onion bag in any of their championship matches this year to date. Limited to just one point from play in the first half , Rangers second half reply of 2-5 from play was the telling factor against Crokes. With Clarke and McConville on the inside forward line it is no wonder that manager O'Brien will be keen to start his skipper in the corner. The Kernan brothers Stephen and Tony, Francis Hanratty and Aaron Cunningham have all made telling contributions with scores and general play over the course of the campaign.

" For Rangers to succeed a lot of it will be about getting attacking half back Aaron Kernan on the ball and into the game early. One imagines that Rangers ratio of at least one goal a game will have to be maintained if a place in another All-Ireland final is to be achieved. Another key to Rangers winning on Thursday is that their promising talented youngsters step up to the mark and be counted when it matters most by adding consistency to their play." was what I wrote in the my semi-final preview, Cross bagged 2 goals and the talented youngsters stepped up to the mark and were counted in style, Aaron Kernan got Man of the Match. A triple repeat will see Andy Merrigan coming home for the fifth time.

Not for the first time in covering Cross does the importance of a strong bench have a huge bearing on the outcome. To be able to sustain the very high standard which Cross are constantly playing at the pressure for places on the starting 15 has to be maintained. There are always a few anxious faces and moments before a Crossmaglen Rangers team is selected as the starting team covers about 20 players with the five left out just losing out by a whisker. No one complains ,you just jump off the bench when called upon go out and win the match for your team and then go back to the hard grind of training determined to get a starting place. One club, one family, one success story which is the model role for all clubs and the envy of many.

Crossmaglen Rangers rarely do easy and will have to call on all their previous experiences and their substitutes bench to see off a St Brigid's side who will not be phased by the opposition or occasion. The Kiltoom club are on the verge of making their own history and won't be heading to Dublin for the spin. Although Rangers have recovered and moved onto pastures new the pain of defeat in 2009 hurts enough not to be repeated with that desire for victory a cross too much for St Brigid's to bare.