Crossmaglen get blend just right

GAELIC GAMES:THE OUTLOOK for this year's AIB club football championship has changed considerably as a result of events in Crossmaglen on Sunday. Rather than the initially optimistic prospect of an excitingly open championship, it has now been downgraded to something a little more familiar – at least in Ulster.

Not that Crossmaglen are at all bothered by this prediction: their six-point win over reigning All-Ireland champions St Gall’s has not only installed them as favourites to win back the Ulster crown, but also restores them as one of the favourites to win the All-Ireland title outright, which, of course they have won before, on four previous occasions.

What made their victory over St Gall’s all the more impressive (and at seven points up at half-time, the result was never in doubt) was that it was achieved with the perfect mix of old and new, of youth and experience. The bones of this Crossmaglen team have effectively been on the road since 1997, when they won their first All-Ireland title, but in some ways the more they’ve changed, the more they stay the same.

“There are lot of new faces, and that really is what we’re trying to do,” says former Armagh and Crossmaglen star Tony McEntee, who now acts as joint manager along with Gareth O’Neill.

“Some of the changes are forced, because players are getting older, and just aren’t as mobile as they used to be. And there has been some retirements as well. But we have a good old batch of players there still, available to come in if needed. They don’t all play the same style of football, but at least the players are there to come in, to give the same effort.”

When McEntee talks about that “good old batch” he’s obviously referring to the likes of Francie Bellew, Paul Hearty, Aaron Kernan and, of course, Oisín McConville – who contributed 1-6 on Sunday. At age 35, McConville’s best years may be behind him, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still capable of producing something special.

John McEntee, twin brother of the joint manager, has also come out of retirement to add to their cause, and in a 10-minute cameo role on Sunday, chipped in with an excellent point: “Well I don’t know if everyone recognised John, with that extra stone he’s put on,” says Tony, jokingly. “When Francie got hurt, it was an easy option for us to bring John in. We needed a physical presence out around the middle of the field. He got a point, delivered a few good passes. He might not be as fit and physically mobile as he once was, but he can still do a job for us.”

As McConville admitted after Sunday’s win, once Crossmaglen regained their Armagh county title after a one-year break – thus making it 14 wins from 15 seasons – the next target was winning back Ulster, which they also collected seven times during that period.

McEntee is careful about looking beyond the semi-final stage on Sunday week, which will see Crossmaglen take on either Burren of Down or Coleraine of Derry, particularly as young forward Jamie Clarke remains suspended, and so, too, will be midfielder Johnny Hanratty, who was sent off late on Sunday.

“Well, it was easy to get up for St Gall’s,” he says. “The All-Ireland champions, here in Crossmaglen, our home ground. It was easy to build the boys up for that. But the boys are moving well, and we do have a lot of mobility on our forward line. Our style of play suits them.

“We deliver the ball early, and often, and try to get as much passing into the forward line. When they know it’s coming, and with their movement, I think it does work well. But I think as well once a team plays to a system they’re supposed to play to then forwards should perform, shouldn’t they?”

There’s no denying either Crossmaglen have regained the swagger of old, which perhaps abandoned them when they last reached the All-Ireland club final in Croke Park two years ago, and lost out to Dublin side Kilmacud Crokes.

Having regained their Dublin title, Kilmacud are out in the Leinster club championship this Sunday, when they face a difficult trip to Portlaoise to face the reigning provincial champions – and whoever emerges from that will have to fancy their chances of winning the provincial title outright.

Cork champions Nemo Rangers remain the bookies favourites to win the All-Ireland football club title outright, following their eighth county title win in 11 years last Sunday week.

They now await the winners of this Sunday’s Munster quarter-final involving Kerry champions Dr Crokes against Monaleen of Limerick. St Brigid’s of Roscommon, who are firm favourites to claim the Connacht crown, are also out on Sunday against Glencar/Manorhamilton of Leitrim.