Mullahoran hoping to end 30-year wait for title

Minor Championship final preview

Kevin Óg Carney

Mullahoran’s unbeaten run this year and their trek to this Sunday’s U17FC final has surprised a lot of the initiated, not least the Dreadnoughts’ team-manager Danny Brady.

Ahead of what is an eagerly-awaited county decider at Kingspan Breffni, Brady believes his charges have achieved more in 2023 than anyone within and outside his camp could have imagined at the start of the year:

“The lads have done better than any of the management team could have expected at the start of the year and most people wouldn’t have thought we’d have been among the top four teams this year never mind winning a league and getting to the championship final.

“These fellas didn’t make the under 15 semi-finals last year in either the league or the championship but through sheer hard work they have come on so much. But I felt that if we got enough of a buy-in from them and they worked hard we would given any team a run for their money this year and that’s the way it has turned out.”

Brady describes his charges’ improvement over the last 12 months as “unreal.” He has been taken aback by the results Mullahoran have achieved so far. According to him, the Dreadnoughts’ think-tank were genuinely wondering at the start of the year would their decision to compete in Division 1 backfire on them.

“A serious amount of work has gone in by the players and off the field as well and that’s the reason why we’re now about to play in another county final. I can’t tell you the effort that has gone into getting us to where we are now, from the time we had them in the gym last October.

“In fairness, I think the longer the year went on, the more I had it in the back of my mind that we might surprise a few people when it came to handing out the silverware.”

With a panel of 25 under his watch – including a half-dozen u15s – team manager Brady says the ambition that stirs within the Mullahoran camp is all but tangible, possibly nurtured by a lack of success experienced at the younger age groups.

He is disappointed, of course, that his captain Patrick Harten, will miss out on Sunday’s decider ‘cause of suspension but he hopes young Harten’s teammates will be even more motivated as a consequence to get over the finishing line in pole position.

Brady is buoyed by the sleeves-rolled-up attitude portrayed by his troops and their acceptance of all that has been asked of them by their management.

“We haven’t ask too much off them but they are good listeners and they enjoy going out onto the field and expressing themselves and that’s what we encourage them to do.

“We don’t dictate to the players but they know we want them to move the ball quickly and to work hard on and off the ball and that’s what they’ve been doing all year.”

It takes two to tango, of course, so what does he make of Cavan Gaels?

“We played well against Ramor (MFC quarter-final) and Kingscourt (semi-final), two very good teams, but the Gaels have been the best football team we’ve played this year,” the father of current U17 team-captain Dylan Brady opines.

“We had to play at our best to beat them (Gaels) in the league semi-final. It was a titanic battle that went to extra-time after we got two late points to draw it in normal time.”

Scraping together narrow wins is something that Mullahoran have made a habit of this year at U17 level and their manager (assisted by selectors Christy Shiels, Paddy Brady and Killian Brady) says that their near-misses have highlighted the Dreadnoughts’ character is spades.

“We haven’t been winning games easily. We’ve had to work hard right to the end but if I thought we would be within striking distance of them (Cavan Gaels) 10 minutes from full time, I’d be happy with that because I know our lads wouldn’t be found wanting in such a situation.”

Mullahoran last won the Division 1 Minor Championship title in 1993 when they defeated Kilbride (Bailieorough-Knockbride) in the final to retain the title; they had beaten Garrymore Gaels the year before.

Photo: Back (from left): Oisín Maguire, Shane O’Sullivan, Aaron Plunkett, Matthew Brennan, Conor Plunkett, Ciaran Sharpe, Senan Briody, Cameron Sheridan-Ryan, Daniel Smith, Odhran O’Reilly, Tadhg Sheils, Donal Deneher, Kian Lynch, Dylan Brady.

Front: Fionn Higgins, Ultan O’Reilly, Emmett O’Reilly, Conor Sharpe, Patrick Harten, Francis Comaskey, Oisín Sheils, Luke Maguire, Harry Mulligan, John Donohoe, Patrick O’Reilly.

Missing from photo: Tiernan Flood.