Rathvilly slight favourites for intriguing Senior final
Old Leighlin's Mikey Bambrick and Rathvilly's Peter Burgess Photo: Pat Ahern
This year’s Carlow Senior Football final promises to be an intriguing and entertaining occasion. For the neutrals at least. For those close to the team, their supporters and the players themselves. entertainment doesn’t come into it. It is all about winning Both Old Leighlin and Rathvilly have committed themselves to an attacking kind of brand this year while the new rules have ensured that anyone tempted to play the old possession game is going to be left behind.
Boyle Sports are quoting Rathvilly as 4/6 favourites but the Old Leighlin odds are prohibitive enough at 11/8. The odds on a draw after 60 minutes are 15/2.
“It is going to be on the day. There is nothing between the sides. We drew in the group stages. We are just delighted to be here. We got out of jail last week against Bagenalstown Gaels,” said Kevin Byrne, the Rathvilly joint-manager, on Sunday last after his side came through the semi-final replay comfortably enough.
He accepts that his side are entitled to be fancied.
“Going into the final, we have had four to five hard games. I think that will stand to us. Old Leighlin came out of the group. We know what they are going to give. We take nothing for granted. We are defending champions and we are there to be shot at. We will take a lot of shooting,” he says.
The sides have history in meeting each other in finals but it goes back a while. Rathvilly won by seven points when they met in 2009. A year later, Old Leighlin got their revenge when coming out on top. Three years later, Old Leighlin prevailed by 1-10 to 1-8.
Byrne says he was on the wrong end of those games which included meeting in the knock-out stages over a five to six year period.
“I came out on the wrong side of a lot of them. I think it was lost three and won two. Maybe two out of four. We have had humdingers against Old Leighlin over the years including a replay,” he recalls.
The Old Leighlin manager, Brian Lonergan, has no problem with Rathvilly being cast in the role that the bookies have decreed.
“You have to say they are strong favourites but we will go into it well prepared, confident. We will give it a good go. I am looking forward to it. Everyone is. It should be a fast, open game. Hopefully we will get a good day. Let everyone go at it and see how we fare,” he says.
If the two teams go at it head to head, they will have similar styles. Lonergan says it could all come down to something quite small.
“Both sides are well represented with county players with pace. Both teams can score from distance. Again, it is who turns up on the day. Maybe who gets that breaking ball and who gets on top around those 50-50 balls. There is a lot at stake. It is a repeat of last year’s semi-final. We would not be happy with how we performed on that day. Rathvilly played most of that game with 14 players. We will be fully prepared hoping for a good performance and see where it takes us,” the Old Leighlin manager points out.
The parish of Old Leighlin is probably still buzzing after their ladies won their senior final recently.
“Championship football is all about momentum. There is big momentum here. Big numbers in the field with the ladies, the men and underage. There is a real good feel-good factor here. Let us hope it continues into next week.” This is too hard to call. They drew in the group stages. Hunger will not be an issue for either side. The fact that Rathvilly are champions has to help.
Rathvilly
