'No baggage' as Knockbride aim to make up for lost time
JFC final preview
When Niall McCabe and his teammates left Kingspan Breffni on the evening of the Division 1 Minor Championship final seven years ago, they would have been forgiven for thinking the good times were just about to roll.
Okay, they had been beaten by a star-studded Crosserlough but there was no shame in that and given that the club’s premier team were operating in junior ranks, a relatively quick breakthrough seemed likely.
It hasn’t worked out that way, however, as Niall McCabe, who captains the team in this Saturday’s Junior Championship final, explains.
“We probably didn’t (think it would take so long to make a final) but I suppose that might have been a bit of naivety too because when we came on to the senior team there was a lot of us nearly around the same age.
“There were a lot from my team and then there was a lot of us 19, 20, 21 and it just took a bit longer than we expected but I think we’re all a good age now. We have a lot of players in the 23 to 26 age bracket and so with the new lads we have who have come in this year from minor, it’s great for them that there is a base there of older lads so there’s not too much pressure being put on them in their first year on the team.
“Look, it does take that bit of time. Senior is a step up from minor, regardless of what level you’re playing at. I know we went from Division 1 minor to a junior team but the standard is still higher at adult level.”
It’s been a long and successful year for Knockbride so far but McCabe admits that championship is what matters most.
“At the start of the year it was our goal. We’ve been there or thereabouts nearly every year since I’ve started playing senior so it was important for us to get that step further. Obviously, we had a good league but if we didn’t perform in the championship, it would have been a bad year overall so we’re just happy to get there but I suppose the work really starts now because we have to get over the line next week again.”
The 25-year-old Marketing professional has always been a football fanatic and represented the county at underage level.
“Yeah, definitely, from that day dot. It’s religion in Knockbride. The whole community is centred around GAA, the whole weekends are going to games, watching games… Just sport in general, I played soccer and basketball growing up as well but GAA was always the one. Especially in the family, you’re not really going to be doing anything
else.
“Are they mad into it? Dad is, Mam goes along when we’re winning!” he joked.
“My sister plays as well, my two brothers don’t play any more, they’re living away from home but yeah, it’s a big thing in the family.”
Niall may be captain but he doesn’t feel any undue pressure in the role.
!I’m laid back but I talk when I need to talk. But we have a lot of leaders on our team, I don’t feel I’m the main leader. At the end of the day, it’s just a title to me, we have so many lads who can talk and lead trainings.
“We have older lads, younger lads who drive standards at training which is the good thing about our team, there is no authority or no one man who has a bigger voice than others. We’re all on the same playing field and we all help each other out.
“The lads have made it easy for me. I suppose when I was first captain, there was a bit of imposter syndrome, I’d never been a captain before and I was a young age but the lads make it easy for me. It’s a privilege to captain those lads.”
Along with “the lads”, McCabe is full of praise for manager Aidan McCabe and selector and former county player Raphael Rogers.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him. He does his homework on every opposition and at trainings, games, he drives the standards. We’ve been in three finals this year and it’s because of the management team, Aidan and Ralph. All the lads are getting on well, there’s a good camaraderie, all the lads are enjoying training, we’re enjoying games so, yeah, can’t complain.”
A notable facet of Knockbride’s run to the final has been the spread of scorers – 17 different players have contributed throughout the campaign from the 28 used.
“It’s definitely a positive. In the league final, that’s what got us over the line, each player had two or three points, and you have to be like that. The squad we have this year is unreal, if you’re off your game, you’re out and that’s it. There are lads on the bench who don’t deserve to be on the bench, we have 18 or 19 lads who have to be starting every game but unfortunately you can only pick 15. Standards are high and you need to be getting your scores if you want to maintain your starting position.”
The final against Arva promises to be a titanic battle. Both sides have eyed each from afar for months.
“We knew we’d have to meet them at some stage but we weren’t taking anything for granted either. We had a couple of scares in the run up to the final. I think we beat Redhills by three points, we beat Munterconnaught by six points so it’s not easy to get here regardless of your league form or positions, Division 3 versus Division 2, there’s no easy games in the championship. Teams will put it up to you regardless.
“We knew that Arva were obviously the favourites, they were in the final last year, they have three players in the county so they were always going to be the team to beat.
“We weren’t taking anything for granted but we’re happy where we are now and that we do have the chance to beat them.
“They were in it last year, they’ve won it before and they’ve won an Intermediate so they definitely have more championship final experience but there is a bit of baggage there as well that comes with that when you don’t win the year before and we’re going in with no baggage. We’ve played an Ulster League final this year, a league final, a Junior B league final and a Junior B Championship final that was abandoned so we’ve nearly a lot of experience built up in this year alone with finals so we’re not worried about not being able to do it on the big day.
“We have an exciting team that’s ready to go. We’re all in it together, there’s no nerves attached to it.”