Maghera go in search of more silver

Hogan Cup final
St Patrick’s, Maghera v St Colman’s, Claremorris
Monday, Croke Park, 1pm

By Michael McMullan

THE Hogan Cup has resided in Ulster for half of the last decade and St Patrick’s, Maghera will hope to maintain that recent trend on Monday.

The MacRory champions lock horns with St Colman’s, Claremorris as the curtain comes down on the school season.

Looking back over the last 20 years of the competition and Ulster’s total sits on 11. There have been six Connacht finalists since kingpins St Jarlath’s, Tuam took the cup west in 2002.

You have to go back 12 years to Maghera’s last win. Connor Carville captained a team that dominated Ulster through their school years.

The Derry school lost finals to Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne (2014) and St Brendan’s, Killarney (2016). They’ve never been back since. A shared MacRory title with St Colman’s, Newry, in Covid year, was the closest.

In recent seasons, Maghera have been in the shadows with promising teams that haven’t delivered.

Holy Trinity, Cookstown and St Mary’s, Magherafelt chinned them with late goals.

This year, Maghera stripped everything back. The team came first.

Graft and humility sum them up best.

They still needed a Turlough McHugh goal to help them to victory over a St Mary’s, Magherafelt team in control in the MacRory quarter-final.

It stood to them. Abbey hit them for two early goals in the final. Ben Murphy slalomed through to land an early Mercy Mounthawk goal in the Hogan semi-final.

Tight corners? Yes. Panic? No.

When St Colman’s, Claremorris pour over the Maghera footage, there isn’t one star that needs curbed. Maghera epitomise teamwork.

Gabhan McIvor, Finbar McShane, Darragh Doherty, Pádraig Haran and Darragh O’Neill are their beating heart that turn them from back to front.

Captain Cahal McKaigue is a unit with experience from an All-Ireland win with the Derry minors.

Odhrán Doherty, Darach McGonigle and Turlough McHugh come out and round the middle to chip in.

If Doherty starts, does Kevin Barry Mullan be kept on the bench for an impact? Or does someone else drop out?

Cormac Óg McCloskey will need a bit of watching up front, playing with the freedom 18 months of injury heartache grants him.

Jack McCloy is a towering goalkeeper. Padraig O’Kane and Rian Collins are their sticky defenders. Management trio Willie McAteer, Sean Marty Lockhart and Chrissy McKaigue will decide who is best suited to curb Darragh Beirne and who Niall McNicholl will follow out the field.

A look at the Claremorris pathway to Croke Park will also tell them about Tom Hession, Nathan Gill and Dara Flanagan’s eye for a goal when raiding from defence.

They’ll work out the main playmaker and it will more than likely be another mission for McShane.

The last time Maghera won the Hogan Cup, it was a swashbuckling performance of kicking and scoring. All but one of their tally came from play.

Gerald Bradley was top scorer with five points. On Monday, his nephew Jack McCloy will stand between the posts for Maghera as they bid for title number six.

The Hogan Cup has made a habit of wintering in Ulster in Kerry. If Maghera are to maintain that trend, they’ll have to continue what they’ve made a name for doing.

Keeping the head down and knowing their value is greater than the sum of their parts.

Can they do the same in Croke Park? Monday will tell the tale.