Healthy respect between two great rivals
Mount Leinster Rangers manager Paul O'Brien Photo: Pat Ahern
Do you know what?
Four words which Mount Leinster Rangers manager more than once during a ten-minute interview. What does he make of the rivalry which exists between Rangers and St Mullins?
“Do you know what?” he says.
“From my perspective it is great to have some part to play in that rivalry because it is strong, really healthy and is built on respect. There are family connections there,” he says.
“So many are playing with the county. There is only ever going to be respect in that kind of situation. Both teams will go out and hurl hard, hurl honestly and it is an interesting prospect to be going into.
“You know both teams are going to hurl hard, hell for leather and I would say there is not too many county finals across the country which have the forward talent which is on display next weekend,” he states.
“I can’t think of two clubs in any other county that have the forward divisions that Rangers and St Mullins have.” In the replayed semi-final between Bagenalstown Gaels and St Mullins, the two-potential match-winners, Marty Kavanagh and James Doyle for Mullins, were well marked and their influence was limited.
O’Brien came down from his home in Dublin to see the game.
“You know what?” (those words again).
“If you start worrying about individual players, it is the fella you are not worried about which can end up causing damage. You have to respect the team. St Mullins have some of the best forwards in the county. They have to be given consideration but not at the expense of the other fellas as well.” When it came to preparation, both teams have had similar problems. Leaving out replays, the finalists with their full teams have had only five championship games since they met last year.
“We have been trying to build throughout the year to be right for next weekend. To be right for last weekend. To be right for next weekend. That is when you need to be going well. With us having so many lads in with the county, it has been kind of slow for us to try and get that semblance of fluidity to it.
"We don’t have too many chances in challenge matches to do that,” agrees O’Brien.
The structure of the Carlow championship still gives teams a chance to experiment.
“We have been moving in the right direction. The first day out we were missing a few players. There was a bit of shadow boxing between both teams. Both teams were missing plenty. Ballinkillen should have beaten us the next time out. We were lucky we had our gap week after Ballinkillen to get our work done and refocus. We kicked on a little bit since then,” said the Rangers manager.
I would say the scoreboard wasn’t generous to Ballinkillen at half-time. There was only two points in it at half-time and that half hour was the hardest we had all year. Ballinkillen could have been ahead at half-time. We had a couple of subs we were able to bring on who made an impact.’ Chris Nolan went to play hurling in America over the summer. Even though he was back, the rules meant he missed the last two games of the group stages. He is eligible for the final now. No-one believes for a moment that the Carlow intercounty player will not start on Sunday.
And do you know what?” The Rangers manager is not going to say anything about who might start and who might not make the match day fifteen.
“Chris Nolan has been training hard for us over the last month as has his brother, Jamie. As is some lads who have been started in one game or are in and out of the team. There is fair competition for places. We have had good quality matches in training. There is good competition for places there.
It is still a week out but you want to be getting your panel to a county final all fit and well. A bit of juggling around now is good.”
