O'Hanlon anticipates close minor decider

MFC final preview

Kevin Óg Carney

“We had a cracking league semi-final and both teams have improved since that day so the chances are that it’ll be a great championship final.”

Ed O’Hanlon doesn’t know how things will pan out in this Sunday’s U17 Division One Championship Football final but he’s pretty sure that partisan and neutral supporters are likely to be won over by the quality of the contest served up in the undercard at Kingspan Park.

The Gaels’ team manager also reckons that irrespective of the colours garlanding the silverware at the final whistle, both Cavan Gaels and Mullahoran will reap the benefit of their current underage talent for many years to come.

“I suppose the primary objective of any underage management team is to nurture talent so that they can make the step up to senior ranks and, going on what I know of the two teams, good reinforcements are on their way to the senior panels in both clubs,” O’Hanlon enthused.

“The demise of our senior team has been very over-stated. They’re still getting to the latter stages of the league and championships and they’re still there or thereabouts but it’d definitely be a great lift to the club at the present time if we were to win our first Division 1 minor championship in 13 years.”

Assisted by selectors DJ Gaffney, Christopher Quinn and Stephen Maguire, the Gaels’ supremo says “preparations have gone well and we’re all looking forward to the final.” He confirms he will have a full hand to play with all players ruled in ahead of team-selection.

Hunger, O’Hanlon maintains, will be present in barrow loads in both dressing-rooms this Sunday with Mullahoran seeking to bridge an even bigger gap (30 years) since their last blue riband minor football triumph.

And as to which sector of the field might be the abattoir/Elysian field for either combatant this weekend, the three-time MFC medallist merely says that “there’ll be battles all over the field.”

O’Hanlon’s charges have proven their worth in times past; having won the corresponding under 15 title last year, 12 months after also reaching the last four of the competition. Accordingly, he is “confident that they’ll have the experience and the maturity to perform on the day and do themselves justice.”

“We’ve trained very hard since last spring but I’m sure Mullahoran have as well. I think that hard work by both clubs showed up in the league semi-final performances and it was probably the best game of the year so far.

“But finals have the habit of taking on a life of their own and these fellas are all young and a lot comes down to mental strength in underage finals. I think our lads have come on a lot over the year in terms of their resilience but you can’t allow for the bounce of the ball or a simple mistake. Anything can happen in a final which can make all the difference in deciding the game.”

O’Hanlon doesn’t need a second invitation to talk up Mullahoran’s U17s and their think-tank as he is clearly an admirer of both the Dreadnought’s starlets and their leaders.

“We’re preparing for a very closely contested game that will probably go right down to the wire and knowing what we do about the Mullahoran camp, we are expecting a very tough battle.

“They’ve won the league and are unbeaten all year and they’re very strong in attack and there’s a lot of space in Breffni for their players to work their magic if we let them ‘cause they’re good footballers and very well coached.”

Cavan Gaels have impressed all year. And after tearing up trees at the group stage and then beating Butlersbridge in the quarter-final and Killygarry in the semi-final, the county town side have earned a lot of respect and kudos from their own supporters and opponents alike.

The reputation of the 26-strong panel could head further skywards should they work the oracle this weekend.

Main picture: Back (from left): DJ Gaffney, Ed O’Hanlon, Hamish Vickerman, Finn Crowe, Sean Grogan, Daniel Olude, Daniel Sommers, Josh Dunne, Oisin Fitzpatrick, Emmanuel Venitelli, Cormac Crotty, Jakub Jaskiewicz, Martin Anthony McDonagh, Eivanis Griskas, Marcel Holko, Louis Maguire, Olin Smith, Chris Quinn.

Front: Johnny O’Hanlon, Darragh McDonald, Shane Galligan, Samuel Clarke, Simon Kolmor, Lukas Hanley, Ben Tully (captain), Joshua Shehu, Michael Monaghan, Ciaran Galligan, Bobby Hanley, Conor Doyle, Frank Gaffney, Stephen Maguire.