'A huge reason was Don' - Emotion and endurance drive the Maigh Cuilinn dream

For the Galway champions, Saturday's triumph was stitched from emotion and endurance, powered by men who found their best selves when it mattered most.

RISING AGAIN: Maigh Cuilinn supporters celebrate after the Galway County Senior Club Football Championship final match between Maigh Cuilinn and Salthill-Knocknacarra at Pearse Stadium in Galway. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

Moycullen 1-17 Salthill-Knocknacarra 1-15
The beauty of county finals is that, while the formula for victory rarely changes, its meaning is always local. For Maigh Cuilinn, that triumph was stitched from emotion and endurance, powered by men who found their best selves when it mattered most.

Galway captain Seán Kelly was sensational under the floodlights of Pearse Stadium, from the opening bell to the close. He struck the first score of the game with a trademark burst from deep off the throw-in, and added the final point to make the margin two. Salthill did have two opportunities to level it. Tomo Culhane failed to convert either of the frees.

A crowd of 6,500 came for a repeat of the 2022 decider, where Maigh Cuilinn also edged a one-score game. Because of extra-time in the junior curtain-raiser, throw-in was delayed until 8pm. Kelly bided his time.

Timing is everything in high-level sport. Had Culhane found the net with either of his two punched efforts early in the half, it would have changed the entire complexion of the contest. With the breeze at their backs, Maigh Cuilinn turned to Peter Cooke after just 20 minutes.

The Galway star came off the bench in the semi-final but had not featured otherwise this season. He spent a spell in America and has recently relocated to London. Playing a man in those circumstances is a calculated gamble, one that managers up and down the country wrestle with. This one paid off.

He had three shots at the posts in the first half and split them twice with terrific two-pointers. It meant they led 1-11 to 1-6 at the break.

Daniel O’Flaherty earned a penalty for Robert Finnerty, who was striving to keep his club in touch. They were without All-Star John Maher due to an ankle injury, but Matthew Thompson stood up emphatically, finishing with five points in a standout performance.

The Young Footballer of the Year nominee had been a peripheral figure three years ago, yet his contribution this time was immense. In the closing exchanges, he had one shot that drifted wide. Here he was inspired. At one point in the second half, he demanded a quick 45 from former Limerick goalkeeper Donal O’Sullivan and curled an outside-of-the-boot gem for a two-pointer.

This is modern Gaelic football: Kelly can deservedly take Man of the Match from centre-back, while his direct opponent can still have a hand in a dozen attacking moves and leave with credit.

A relentless kickout squeeze dragged Salthill back into the game, and they could have gone four clear when Michael Kitt’s shot clipped the crossbar in a goalmouth scramble. From the rebound, Maigh Cuilinn regrouped and worked an equaliser.

Top scorer and former captain Dessie Conneely kicked it. Former Offaly captain Johnny Moloney created it. From the next kickout, Cooke dropped a superb pass inside and Moloney won a two-point free for Conneely. He delivered.

Another feature of county finals is the endless cycle; the story keeps moving on. In a wonderfully open club championship, Maigh Cuilinn will now set their sights on a Connacht campaign.

“We’ve been there before,” said manager Cathal Clancy post-match. “Our last county title was in 2022. We went on to win a Connacht title. We will be looking to do the same again but first of all, just enjoy tonight.” The scenes at the final whistle, as they clinched their third Frank Fox Cup in six years, were raw and moving. The manager for the previous two titles was Don Connellan, who died at the age of 51 in August. Clancy was a selector under him. Connellan’s wife, Linda, is Clancy’s cousin.

“He found out he was sick a couple of days after we lost the 2023 County final,” said Clancy. “It was such a hard time for him, being sick and away from football. When he passed away unexpectedly in early August, it was just such grief over this group, over the club, over the parish. We wanted to win this for so many reasons but a huge reason was Don.” 

Scorers for Moycullen: D. Conneely 0-6 (two tpf, 1f); S. Kelly 1-2; P. Cooke 0-4 (two tp); Fionn McDonagh 0-2; P. Kelly, N. Walsh, J. Moloney 0-1 each.

Scorers for Salthill-Knocknacarra: R. Finnerty 1-7 (1-0 pen, 1 tpf, 3f); M. Thompson 0-5 (1 tp); R. Walzer, C. Sweeney, D. O’Sullivan (45) 0-1 each.

MOYCULLEN: P. Greally; A. Claffey, E. Kelly, M. Moughan; D. Wynne, S. Kelly, S. O’Connor; P. Kelly, T. Clarke; J. Moloney, N. Walsh, G. Davoren; F. McDonagh, F. McDonagh, D. Connelly.

Subs: P. Cooke for Davoren (21); N. Mulcahy for Clarke (39); Davoren for Fionn McDonagh (45); J. McLaughlin for O’Connor (53).

SALTHILL-KNOCKNACARRA: D. O’Sullivan, E. Deely, E. Wynne, D. Conneely; A. Mannion, M. Mannion, D. O’Flaherty; M. Kitt, N. Hanahoe; C. Sweeney, M. Thompson, C. Power; T. Culhane, R. Finnerty, E. Nolan.

Subs: P. Kitt for A. Mannion, M. Culhane for M. Kitt (half-time); R. Walzer for Nolan (43); J. McDermott for M. Culhane (54); M. Kitt for Deely (55- Inj) 

Referee: C. Ryan (Killannin).