‘Commitment of players has been superb’ says Murtagh

Next Saturday marks a red letter day for Mullingar’s Coláiste Mhuire, who face Ardscoil na Trionóide, Athy in the prestigious Br Bosco Cup final at O’Connor Park, Tullamore (1pm).

Maths teacher Brian Murtagh will keep a watchful eye from the sidelines along with other management team members Dean McNicholas and Matt Kearney as the senior footballers try to bridge a 42-year gap and bring back the Br Bosco Cup for only the second time in the college’s proud history.

Modestly, Murtagh plays down their roles and his initial thoughts point to the quality within the squad and the level to which the players are consistently performing.

“There’s serious talent in the group, from all angles; from the back line right through. They’re talented footballers – even on the bench. We’ have lads who should be starting, to be honest, and would be starting under different circumstances, but the fellas that have been there, they’ve held on to their jerseys. They haven’t given away their spots to anybody.”

A marked man could well be emerging Shandonagh star Will Scahill, who has certainly set the pulses racing at times in this campaign, but Murtagh, acknowledging the undoubted talent of his attacker, is quick to point to other qualities he brings.

“Will will get a lot of the credit, and rightly so, for the performances that he turns in, but we base a lot of the stuff on hard work and good work ethic, and it’s not just Will’s scores that impress us, it’s his hard work also. He’d be responsible for a lot of the turnovers that we’d get; it’s hard work as well as talent and the team wants to share that workload.”

The campaign thus far has been pretty impressive and an unbeaten Coláiste Mhuire side will line out in Saturday’s decider.

“We started off and, look at the last few years, we haven’t even won a group game or got out of the group stage. So when we looked at our draw, we had Naas, who were after winning a number of successive titles and were dominating the competition. We had Ard Scoil Rís, who beat us comfortably last year. And we knew that they had a good few lads still involved. That was our group and we just focused on it,” he said.

Coláiste Mhuire won both group games pretty impressively and emerged to meet Dublin opposition in the form of St Fintan’s, Sutton. Once again the Mullingar side proved superior, but they were now facing different challenges.

“We were going into the unknown with a lot of those games,” said Murtagh. Victory over Sutton brought us up to the quarter-final against Coláiste Eoin (Dublin), who again, going back through the recent years, would have been strong. And to be fair, they put it up to us for long periods of that game. We got a couple of goals coming into injury time that kind of killed the game and took the sting out of it.”

After that, Maynooth Education Campus stood between Coláiste Mhuire and a first final since 1988. It had the potential to be close but ultimately Coláiste Mhuire found the answers and won handsomely, 2-11 to 0-8.

“They had beaten a highly fancied Tullamore team and once again, they really put it up to us. We got, I suppose, a fortunate goal to start off; that kind of settled us a little bit and it was kind of the difference for a long way,” said Murtagh.

“I know we pulled away towards the end, but for long periods of the game, it was really tight and competitive, and with a couple of chances that Maynooth had, the scoreline could have looked a lot different that day as well.”

The sense of occasion is not lost on players or management, as they aim to etch their names into school history. The only man in the history of the college to raise the Br Bosco Cup was Seán Hynes, in 1983, and Matthew Thornton will hope to emulate that on Saturday.

For Brian Murtagh, the dedication and work ethic of his players have been key to their success. “Look, everyone wants to do the fancy stuff, and what gets you to places like this is the hard work,” he says. “Each and every one of them is putting in the effort, not just in matches but in every training session. Attendance has been nearly 100% all the time, which shows their commitment.”

Balancing training around school work has been a challenge, but Murtagh acknowledges the sacrifices made. “We fit sessions around the light, whether it’s at 7am or in the evenings from 4 to 5.15. Mullingar Shamrocks have been brilliant in giving us the use of their back pitch with lights since the clocks went back, and we appreciate that support.”

The atmosphere in the school is electric as the final approaches. “There’s a real buzz around the place,” agrees Murtagh. “Not just with the senior team, but across all the school’s sports. It’s great for the students, their families, and the entire school community.”

Dean McNicholas, a member of the management team, is a former Tyrrellspass footballer and he’s been receiving lovely messages of support from local people keen to see Coláiste Mhuire make history.

Given the school’s proud sporting tradition, it is surprising that it has taken 37 years to reach this stage. “When you think of the talent that has come through, it’s hard to believe,” Murtagh said. “In my 10 years here, the furthest we got before this was a quarter-final, so this is a significant breakthrough.”

The occasion has also brought former players back into the fold.

“You look behind you at games and see ex-students on the sidelines, which is brilliant,” Murtagh said. “There are even family connections between past and present teams, which adds another layer to it. The well-wishes from the wider community have been fantastic.”

Playing the final on a Saturday is another unique aspect of the occasion. “Usually, we’d be together in school on the morning of a match, following a set routine. Saturday changes that dynamic, but it also means more supporters can attend, including families and even distant relatives who might not have been able to make it on a weekday.”

Their opponents, Athy, are chasing a first-ever title, making it a novel final. “We’re used to facing the traditional powerhouses like St Pat’s and Naas, so this is different,” Murtagh said.

“But Athy have come through a tough route, beating strong teams like Marist and Moate. They’re a well-balanced side with excellent players, and like us, they pride themselves on hard work. It should be a great game.”

Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the match will be played under the existing rules, rather than the new ones introduced recently. “It requires a high work rate, as both attacking and defending will be crucial,” Murtagh said. “Some of our lads have been playing under the new rules with under-17s and under-20s, so adjusting back will be a challenge. But ultimately, our approach is built on hard work, and that won’t change.”

All involved and the many supporters of Coláiste Mhuire will hope the side’s insatiable desire to get their hands on the trophy again can inspire a winning performance in Saturday’s final.