GAELIC GAMES:Nemo Rangers may be the greatest club team to lace up boots, but St Brigid's Karol Mannion says his team hold no fears, writes GAVIN CUMMISKEY
THE HEAVYWEIGHT champions of the club game danced out of their corner in the Munster final, pummelling Kerry’s best, Dr Crokes, into submission with 1-13 in the opening stanza.
If it had been a fight, the referee would have been forced to intervene long before the finish. That it was a game of football must give St Brigid’s hope. Nemo Rangers erred on the side of mortality in the second half.
Not that Roscommon’s representatives fear the greatest club team to ever lace up boots. They have enough belief coupled with pedigree to sit comfortably among the Rangers of Nemo and Crossmaglen and Kilmacud Crokes in this weekend’s collection of All-Ireland club semi-finalists. They may be the odd club out, the other three have won All-Irelands, but they have been genuine contenders for a very long time.
St Brigid’s have done what many cannot; replenishing their panel with enough talent to sustain them through an era of success that began in 1997 with a county title that ended a 28-year famine. That proved a false dawn as three county final defeats followed before the actual breakthrough, as long-serving Roscommon midfielder Karol Mannion explains.
“The reasons St Brigid’s came good over the last decade was we had a group of lads who came out of a successful under-21 team. The age profile from about 23 to 27 got us over the hump of not winning county titles,” he says.
“I lost three finals before I won one. Those lads came into the team around ’04 so come ’06 they were ready. Myself and Frankie, John Tiernan and Shane Curran as well, were around a long time and we were doing so much without getting over the line, but the influx of underage players got us going.”
A Connacht title was delivered in 2006 but Crossmaglen Rangers denied them a taste of Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day, 2007. Later that summer they made it three county titles in a row before a lull. The team that grew up together evolved again, welcoming youngsters like Peter Domican and Cathal McHugh – boys with All-Ireland minor medals jangling in their pockets.
“Yeah, Peter and Cathal were on the All-Ireland minor team. Darren Dolan is Frankie’s youngest brother; he has come through as well. Another thing is the likes of Garvan Dolan and Ian Kilbride were not as influential on the team as they are now.
“Certainly, in relation to Ian, he was injured a lot in the middle of the last decade and working with the army so he wasn’t able to give the same commitment to the team that he is now. He is a massive player for us now. Same with Garvan, he might have been hit and miss over the years but, Jesus, over the last 12 months he has been a great player for us.”
And what about Frankie? The chief of the Roscommon Dolans. In footballing terms anyway. A genius whenever the mood takes him, he even outdates Mannion, having been part of St Brigid’s county winning panel in 1997. The concern about Dolan is whether he remains the same footballer that lit up the intercounty scene all those years ago before running foul of successive Roscommon managers.
“Oh, he is,” states Mannion. “The skills that Frankie has are still amazing. He might have lost some pace but his passing off the feet and shooting are still there. It has been a pleasure over the years even to train with him. The stuff he can do. When I was a corner-forward with Roscommon or Brigid’s, to get the service he was giving in made my job a lot easier.”
Mannion lists off several more names. The intention is to note that the brilliance of individuals becomes redundant without the sum of the parts. “In 2006 we wanted to kick on and win the All-Ireland. We certainly weren’t overawed by Crossmaglen and I think we gave a good account of ourselves despite making a lot of mistakes.
“We had the same chat after this year’s Connacht final. We enjoyed the few days that followed but we are a mature team now. I think we have become a very serious team over the last five or six years.”
Nemo’s opening half hour against Dr Crokes is brought up again. Mannion saw it. We all did. “It is hard to say what is a true reflection of them. It could be that they are as good as that first half or it could be the second half. Or probably somewhere in between.
“What we know is if you let them play they are going to beat you well. We can’t stand off them. We know that.”
St Brigid’s don’t stand off anyone. It is not in their DNA. The message is clear: if the high kings of Cork are to progress they will have to take it off them.
