Age is only a number for the Emmet’s

By Michael McMullan

IF you’re good enough, you’re old enough. That’s the adage of Sleacht Néill hurling manager Paul McCormack ahead of Saturday’s semi-final with Swatragh.

It’s meeting of the last two winners of the Fr Collins Cup. Swatragh were champions in 2012 with Sleacht Néill at the top of the table since, bidding to keep a hold of the cup for a 13th season.

With Sean Cassidy and Conor McAllister missing from their win over Lavey, five of their defence was aged 22 and under.

Goalkeeper Oisin O’Doherty, one of four players from their 2013 final win over Ballinascreen, and Shane McGuigan were the experience in the back seven.

Fionn McEldowney, Cahal McKaigue and Deaglan McNamee came from the same minor year. Conor Coyle is slightly older. Ruairí Ó Mianáin a year older again.

“We conceded 13 points (against Lavey) and you’ve Shane McGuigan in there who actually then came off,” McCormack said, pointing to midfielder Eamonn Cassidy and wing-forward Eunan Boylan in the young boys’ bracket.

“The average age of our team, when you take out the three or four experienced boys, is right down in the low 20s.”

Oisin O’Doherty was joined by brother Cormac, Brendan Rogers and Chrissy McKaigue from their 2013 winning team.

Since then, the Emmet’s have always blooded a player or two every year. There is a different element to some of the newcomers from last year.

Éanna Ó Caiside, part of their first Ulster-winning team, returned from Australia, while Chrissy McKaigue is back after setting his hurl to one side last season.

“That’s the evolution of the club and the evolution of the players and senior panel over the years,” added McCormack, who took over from Michael McShane last season.

“He (McKaigue) took a bit of a break last year but he still got that that desire and that hunger to play. He’s getting better every match and there’s more to come from him. Brendan still enjoying it and so is Cormac.”

They are the example and standard for the young players to look up to and learn from. Now they’re in beside them, searching for their medals too.

Aside from winning all three group games to ensure their path back to another semi-final, McCormack is glad to see his squad come back into shape.

July was a quiet month after the league. The county footballers were making their return with players also back from injury. There is no substitute for having a hurl in hand on championship day, the movement patterns and less time on the ball.

“What it has done, “it gives those boys minutes that they certainly needed,” McCormack said of the group stages.

“We’ve looked at that to try and get them up to speed as quick as possible.

“I would say, probably, some of them had a bit more hurling done this time last year but every year is different and we take it on the merits of what’s in front of us.

“The game always keeps moving and you have to adjust and you have to find out about yourself,” McCormack added.

“If you’re not good enough, you go away and you work at it. That’s one thing I’d say about the players, they’re always looking to improve which is a brilliant position for us as a management team to be in but also for the group.”

It’s about chasing challenges and Swatragh comes next. McCormack can see what’s coming.

“They have got some quality players,” he said of this weekend’s opponents. “We’ve seen them at county level and they will have ambitions to push on. The two of us meet, it’s on the day and we need to be at it.”