Shane Boland looking to inspire Mayo to first step of All-Ireland double

'There were lots of rumours in recent days that our game might be played in Sligo or Carrick-on-Shannon. We would take wherever was chosen anyway'

Fri, 20 Nov, 2020 - 15:27

Mike Finnerty

With two Mayo teams still in the hunt for national glory these are busy times for the Boland brothers.

Fergal, a talented dual player who hurls with last year’s Connacht Intermediate champions Tooreen, is a member of James Horan’s Mayo football squad who are busy preparing for an All-Ireland semi-final next month.

Meanwhile, his older brother, Shane, 26, who turned in a man-of-the-match performance for the Mayo hurlers last weekend, has even more pressing matters.

The team's top scorer this season, the Tooreen sharpshooter has a Nicky Rackard Cup final against Donegal on Sunday at Croke Park to get ready for.

And while it may not make as many headlines as the achievements of the Mayo footballers, the chance to play at GAA Headquarters in a national final is the stuff of dreams for Shane Boland and his team-mates.

“We were almost shocked when we heard confirmation of the news on Monday that the game was part of a double-header along with Kildare and Down in the Christy Ring Cup final in Croke Park,” he admitted.

“There were lots of rumours in recent days that our game might be played in Sligo or Carrick-on-Shannon. We would take wherever was chosen anyway, as we are so glad to have reached the final, but it is truly special for all of us to play in Croke Park. The lads are thrilled with the news.”

Shane Boland, who works with the Department of Agriculture in Naas, has happy memories of his last game at Croke Park — the 2016 Nicky Rackard Cup Final when Mayo beat Armagh.

Also on the team that day were the likes of his brother, Fergal, current Clare county footballer, Eoghan Collins, and Mayo’s most well-known dual star, Keith Higgins.

'Tough assignment'

This time around it’s a new-look Mayo team who are managed by Ballyhaunis native Derek Walsh with former Galway hurler, Liam Hodgins, among his backroom team.

“Donegal are a good side and we face a tough assignment on Sunday,” he said. “It takes a good team to reach any decider and they have chalked up some very big scores along the way. We beat Donegal in the semi-final of the Nicky Rackard Cup in 2016 but it was a close game.

“This will be a new experience for some of our young players like Brian Morley, Eoin Delaney, Jason Coyne, Liam Lavin and Cormac Phillips. But it is one we should all relish as it is such a special honour to reach a final and play in Croke Park in the year that is in it.

There is a great spirit in our camp and I hope we can bring the cup home to Mayo on Sunday night.

As luck would have it, a club-mate of Shane Boland’s in Tooreen, Ciarán Finn, would be lining out for Donegal on Sunday were it not for a cruciate ligament injury.

But now Finn, like the rest of the Boland family in East Mayo, will be watching the action from the comfort of home.