All-Ireland success hasn’t sunk in yet says Maghera boss McCloskey

THE St Patrick’s Maghera students weren’t expected to attend school on Monday having just brought home an All-Ireland title, but for joint manager Joe McCloskey, the beginning of the week signalled business as usual.

Only this week will be sweeter than most. McCloskey always knew this team had the potential to capture an All-Ireland crown, but actually delivering that prize takes a lot of dedication and effort.

But with 10 minutes remaining in their Paddy Buggy Cup showdown with Tralee CBS, McCloskey knew the game was done.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” McCloskey said of St Patrick’s success. “When I had these lads at Year 11 and Year 12, we won the Leonard and Foresters (competitions) and I knew there was something there and I maybe had them earmarked for doing something better.

“I’m really, really delighted for them, for that particular group, they’re a lovely bunch of players. For the Year 14 boys to finish their school careers as All-Ireland champions is a super thing for them to do.

“It was probably the first game this year that I knew before the final whistle that we had won and it was quiet surreal just waiting on the final whistle. We had built up the momentum and finished so strong.

“Tralee, they seemed to run out of gas a bit and when it was 2-13 apiece, about the 50th minute, I knew we were going to win it. I remember looking at the clock and it was 56 and I knew that was it, we weren’t going to lose and there was actually another 10 minutes left!”

Nerves seemed to impact their first half performance, with the Kerry based college raising two green flags, but once Maghera settled into the game, there was only going to be one winner.

“Even in the first half, although we were down, we gave them two goals from our mistakes but they only scored 0-3 from play,” he added. “We said at half time we needed to relax and play the way they could and that’s pretty much what happened.”

Sleacht Néill clubman Gerald Bradley was the only Maghera student to ever win All-Ireland medals in both codes, but another eight players have joined that illustrious list following their heroics over the weekend.

“Eight of them won the Hogan Cup last year so they’re leaving school with both medals,” McCloskey noted proudly. “We only had one person before that, who was Gerald Bradley from Sleacht Néill, but there’s nine of them now.

“There would be very, very few that would have All-Ireland Colleges hurling and football medals. My won year in ’95, we won the Hogan but got beat in the O’Keefe the week after.

“I think if you go back to ’84 maybe, that team were beat in the Hogan and O’Keefe finals so that’s only three groups now that I know who have competed in both finals.”