Garland and Blayney excited by Ulster challenge

By Shaun Casey

IN Castleblayney’s last three appearances in the Ulster Intermediate Hurling Championship, their participation has been ended by either the winner of the competition or the runner up, but star man Niall Garland insists they’re keen to change that record.

The club last competed in the Intermediate Championship final back in 2011, when they lost out to Middletown, and have been hammering that door ever since.

They have tasted Junior Championship success in the intervening years, 2014, 2018 and 2023, but their eyes on firmly fixed on the Intermediate title.

This weekend they begin their campaign against Donegal representatives St Eunan’s at Letterkenny in a repeat of that 2023 Ulster Junior final.

“You’re training on a Sunday morning there and it’s freezing but we’re privileged to be out in it,” Garland said ahead of another provincial journey.

“We live for this time of the year, and this is the championship that we always look for. It’s the ultimate goal and the dream of the club.

“There’s a lot of us that keep coming back every year for this championship, we’re blessed to have a great trophy cabinet and medal boxes that are full to the brim with county titles and that’s lovely, but we haven’t got this one yet.”

In the last few years, Blayney haven’t been far away. Last year Lisbellaw defeated them by the minimum of margins in the semi-final. The year before, eventual winners Carey Faughs were four-points better off.

“We’ve been very close and more often than not, we’ve been beaten by the eventual winners or at least the finalists,” the Monaghan sharpshooter continued.

“We work really hard every year, but we’ve fallen just short and we’ve done a right bit of soul searching to try and get this extra inch that we’ve been missing.

“It’s easier said than done because every year the competition is so different and difficult. All teams participating it in are so equal and on a given day, anyone can beat anyone.”

On the long journey that awaits this Sunday, travelling all the way from Castleblayney to Letterkenny, Garland expects fireworks when they eventually arrive at O’Donnell Park.

“Heading up to Letterkenny, there’s probably not a further place to have to go and it’s a tough place to go. I’ve played their many times with Monaghan against Donegal and it’s very tough place to go.

“Every year we have a new crop of younger players coming in that are new to the panel and they add a freshness and a desire to the crop.

“It’s new to them boys but we have an awful lot of experience there too that have come through every situation, both good and bad, whether that be with ‘Blayney or with Monaghan.

“A lot of us are used to travelling for the big games so we have a good understanding of how to prepare. We’d obviously rather be at home but we’re around the block long enough to know how to deal with it.”