‘Any team is beatable on any given day’

Moate Community School are bidding to win the Bro. Bosco Cup for the first time as they prepare to contest the Leinster Schools SF ‘A’ final at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise tomorrow Friday (throw-in 3pm). Standing in Moate’s way are current Leinster and All-Ireland champions Naas CBS.

It will be the Moate side’s second Leinster final, having lost to St Peter’s College, Wexford in 2017. As he was in 2017, Peter Tormey is part of the MCS management team and this time he is joined by Niall Daly (Pádraig Pearses and Roscommon) and former Moate All Whites and Westmeath footballer John Murray.

“It’s great to be back in a final. Obviously at the outset there are 25 teams in this competition and while it’s such a great competition, it’s very hard to win it because there are so many quality teams,” said Tormey.

Moate started their campaign with a narrow win over Ashbourne CS (in what was their only group game), but they have improved significantly since.

“We’ve been on an upward trajectory. At one stage against Ashbourne, we were quite comfortable and led by seven or eight points but they got a run on us in the second half and we just got out of there winning by a point. Since then, our performances have definitely got better and we got a little bit of momentum from the (Scoil Mhuire) Clane game going into the St Peter’s game, and last week was a big task getting over St Mel’s,” said Tormey.

“In the other games we had a nice cushion going into half-time, but in the Mel’s game we were five points down at half-time and while we had the wind in our favour in the second half, it was still a big test. But the lads didn’t panic and they kept the scoreboard ticking. The game ebbed and flowed throughout and it was just great to get over the line.”

The Moate CS management have been very pleased with the leadership shown by sixth years in the squad. “We have a really good group of sixth years and they have led from the front. They are really driving the standards and they are bringing the group on. Some of them have been involved with county teams in both Offaly and Westmeath and they are bringing that experience with them,” said Tormey.

“We’re still unbeaten this year in league and championship and every day we go out now, we’ve probably been saying to them, ‘this might be our last training session or our last game’. The confidence in the group is growing, they’re enjoying the journey and they’re working hard,” continued the Bunbrosna man.

Asked about Naas CBS, Tormey understandably pointed to their considerable achievements of recent years.

“In 2017 when we were in a Leinster final, they actually won the Leinster ‘B’ that year and since then they’ve been ‘the Dublin’ of the Leinster Schools championship. They have won three Leinsters and were beaten narrowly by Rochfortbridge in another final. They have dominated Leinster in the last five or six years so it’s a massive challenge for us,” said the Athlone resident.

“Up until last Friday (when they beat Coláiste Choilm, Tullamore in their semi-final by two points), they had massive wins in the competition. Tullamore really got stuck into them and that game could have gone either way. But in the first five minutes, Naas created three goal chances and converted one. Had they got the other two, the game could have been over. They possess that quality in that they could put you away in a five-minute period. We know that if we are going to bring the game down the final stretch, we’re going to have to reach a different level.

“We’re going to give it a real crack, but we’re under no illusions; they are going to be favourites. They have quality players like Ryan Sinkey and Carl Lennox up front. Throughout the competition they have been putting up some big scores. But any team is beatable on any given day, and we’re more focused on our own performance than looking at what Naas will bring.

“We’re looking forward to it. It’s a great occasion for the lads and the school. We’ve had heartbreak in the competition in the past. The senior girls have won a couple of Leinsters and the U-16s just recently. We’re probably saying that it’s up to the lads to work hard and go after it as well.”

With a number of renowned Gaelic games figures among the teaching staff in Moate CS, including current Westmeath senior manager Dessie Dolan, the school has been making a major sporting impact over recent years.

Pointing to colleagues such as JP Casey, David Duffy, Gary Flanagan, Fidelma Quinn, Patrice Smyth and Michelle Doyle, Peter said: “Our sports department is growing and there is massive interest. Our principal (Tom Lowry) and deputy principal (Maura Murray) give us great backing. Sport in the school is thriving and it’s a great boost when you can get to a final.”

And Peter is hopeful of major support from local clubs and the wider community. “We had great support in the semi-final and hopefully the locality in the community will come out and get behind us,” he said.

“We’d be hopeful that we can give it a right rattle but it’s going to be tough. Naas are on the crest of a wave as regards this competition. It’s up to us to see if we can take them down,” he added.

*See here for separate article which includes the Moate CS panel.