Sharkey: Clubs are key to St Patrick’s surge

By Niall Gartland

ST PATRICK’S, Academy are counting down the days to their second MacRory Cup final appearance in three years, but the school’s GAA development officer is keen to ensure that their various feeder clubs share in their success.

Ciaran Sharkey is tasked with overseeing all things GAA in the Dungannon-based school, and he’s also part of the management set up of their MacRory Cup team, who will lock swords with Abbey CBS this Sunday at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.

He’s keen to point out, however, that as a collective, they would be going nowhere fast without the good work of club volunteers throughout their catchment area.

“There’s brilliant work going on in the school, but we’re really just borrowing the players from the clubs, first and foremost. The clubs around us are doing excellent work. The feeder clubs are brilliant, and the lads are coming into the school very well-prepared.

“We’ve also brilliant staff throughout the school who are taking teams and moulding these boys for MacRory. Ryan Pickering, Kevin Collins and myself have been with this group since fourth year, and Jody Kelly was there before us in third year. The management team has basically stayed the same for this group, which helps.”

Elaborating on the role of Pickering, a former MacRory and Hogan Cup-winning captain with the school, as well as former Tyrone defender Ciaran Gourley, Sharkey said: “Ryan’s in the school four years and this is his first year involved with MacRory. He’s been there and done it. He captained the MacRory Cup team when the school won it, captained the Hogan Cup team, and also captained a Tyrone minor team that won an All-Ireland.

“When you’ve a man like that, it would be silly not to use him. He can talk to the lads about his experience. Mr Gourley as well — he won a MacRory and a Hogan with the school back in ’97. The management team has boys who wore the jersey.

“Ryan has been coaching with Dungannon Clarkes’ senior team over the last number of years and had previous experience coaching a senior team in Monaghan. That’s brilliant experience — but it’s not just Ryan, it’s the whole management team.”

While the 2024 final didn’t quite go to plan against Omagh CBS – while they were by no means overrun, they could have no complaints about their six-point defeat – Sharkey believes it helps that they can still call upon a number of players who were involved that day.

“You have Liam McGeary, Davin McKeown and Ross Daly, who unfortunately won’t be ready. He did his hamstring in the quarter-final, so the final won’t suit him. Ronan Donnelly was also involved as a panellist and that experience stands to them.

“Being part of a final and the build-up is huge. Hopefully those lads can talk to their teammates about what it’s like. Even a one or two per cent lift can make a difference.”

So who will it be? St Patrick’s are bidding for a first MacRory Cup title since back-to-backs in 200809 while Abbey CBS are gunning for a first title since 2006.

“When you talked to anyone at the start of the year, Abbey CBS were always earmarked – people said this was their year.

“When you look at the Dromintee boys they have and their overall panel, they’re rightly favourites. For me, it’s probably theirs to lose.

“They’re very well organised. We actually played them in a challenge game at the start of the year in Saval and they put 15 points on us that night. They didn’t even have their Dromintee boys available, which shows the strength in depth they have. They gave us a good lesson that day.”