Mounthawk bond strong as ever, says Paddy Lane, as past pupils row in with support
STAR: Mercy Mounthawk captain Paddy Lane has scored an incredible 7-38 in five Corn Uí Mhuirí games. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Having lost eight players from the side that reached last year’s Hogan Cup Final at Croke Park, there was a general feeling around Mercy Mounthawk at the beginning of this season that they might not be as strong as in 2024.
The likes of team captain Odhran Ferris, goalkeeper Michael Tansley, Gary O’Riordan and Niall Collins had moved onto pastures new in their educational and sporting journeys, and there were several creditable challengers eager to dethrone the reigning kingpins.
However, as the Tralee school prepare to defend their Munster Colleges SFC (Corn Uí Mhuirí) title in a mouth-watering final with St Brendan’s Killarney at Lewis Road on Saturday (12 noon), new skipper Paddy Lane has been delighted with the response of the entire squad.
Read More
“We probably thought that we weren’t going to be as strong as last year, because we were losing a cohort of that team, and a lot of good friends of ours left the school,” he said.
“When we went back in the summer, we said we would go for one last lash, and here we are today getting ready for a Corn Uí Mhuirí final. It hasn’t been too bad of a year for us.
“A lot of fellas who were on the verge of the panel last year, or on the verge of the team, they played a block of football in the summer with their clubs.
“For example, Ben Sharp played about 20 games with St Pat’s, and that brought him on leaps and bounds. You can see now that he is one of our main players.”
The Austin Stacks inside forward, who has notched a sensational tally of 7-38 in five games in the competition, credits manager Aidan O’Shea for fostering another powerful group spirit within this relatively new-look Mercy Mounthawk panel.
“The camaraderie was a big thing that we were worried about this year, because we were so tight last year. We found that it was going to be hard to match the bond we had last year. In fairness, it’s probably been every bit as good, and we’re nearly even closer together this year,” he added.
“We’ve had Odhran Ferris, Gary O’Riordan, Oisín McGibney, Kian Sheehan, they’ve all come back in with the team. They’ve come to training at half seven in the morning, they come to all our games on the sideline.
“Bringing them back in was a big thing in making the group tight again. We’re playing for them as much as we’re playing for the group at the moment. We’re definitely bonding well.
“I think the biggest thing is making it enjoyable, which Aidan, in fairness, does. I couldn’t speak any higher about the man, he’s a genius, in the way that coaches us, and in the way he makes it so enjoyable to play football.
“That’s probably the big thing. Everyone on this team just loves playing football, loves watching football, and that’s probably thanks to Aidan O’Shea for a lot of that.”
Still only 18 years of age, Lane has already captured Munster titles at schools and club levels, and with both the Kingdom minors and under-20s. An elusive All-Ireland title has remained tantalisingly out of reach. First things first, however, getting over the ‘Sem represents a huge obstacle.
“The ‘Sem are probably the kingpins of Kerry schools’ football. I think it’s 25 (titles) they are going for, so that is a crazy number compared to us, who have only been in two finals. We’re kind of in territory that we’ve never been in, so we’re just enjoying the experience and, hopefully, it continues.
“Especially as it’s on before the Kerry (v Donegal) game, there will probably be a big crowd at it. We played in a big game last year in Tralee, in a derby, so some of us are used to it, and I’m sure the ‘Sem are used to it as well. We’ll just relish the occasion, and it should be a good day out.
“The ‘Sem are a quality team, so we’ll do our homework, we’ll do our best, and will worry about ourselves. We’ll see what the result is on Saturday.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
