Joe Carroll: Cooley going strong but Mary’s bow out of provincial series

It doesn’t follow that a county whose teams do well in the provincial or All-Ireland club championships will also have success. The two, you could say, have separate identities, and don’t necessarily play off each other.

Baltinglass won the All-Ireland a number of years back, but before and since Wicklow haven’t been a contender in the Leinster championship.

The ‘Garden’, indeed, is one of the country’s few counties never to have won a provincial senior title; and when he took over as manager down there a few weeks back, Oisin McConville would have known he hadn’t history to live off.

Carlow’s Eire Og were another good club team and were more than a little unlucky not to add an All-Ireland to their Leinster title when coached by Laois’s Bobby Millar in the 1990s. And only last season Kilcoo won the All-Ireland, yet it was one of the worst years ever for Down.

All of that said, it was hoped that if St Mary’s got a good run in the Leinster championship it would provide a boost to the county team ahead of what is going to be a very challenging National League campaign in the new year.

The county champions could have anything up to a half-dozen on Mickey Harte’s panel, all of them strong contenders for a place on the first fifteen.

Mary’s won their opening round match, giving hope of an extended run. But in Sunday’s quarter-final with Westmeath’s The Downs, they were always fighting a losing battle after conceding an early goal, and were well adrift at the finish, losing by 1-17 to 0-12.

It could be that they left their best on St Brigid’s Park and other local pitches over the summer, but the sad fact is they’re not going to be playing in Croke Park, and at least another year will pass before a Louth name is etched on the Leinster trophy.

Disappointment for Mary’s, but for Cooley Kickhams the dream of an intermediate title is still alive. The Colm Nally–coached side won for the second time at St Brigid’s Park on Saturday last beating Dublin’s Naomh Barrog, and now prepare for a semi-final with Meath champions, Dunshaughlin this Saturday at Pairc Tailteann.

Should they go the whole way, Kickhams will become the fifth Louth side to take the title. It all began with Dundalk Gaels winning the inaugural event in 2003 – a success which is sure to get a mention at the get-together The Ramparts club has organised.

Geraldines were next up in 2013, and then came Sean O’Mahony’s the following year. The four-timer was completed by Mattock Rangers in 2019, but like the others, Rangers failed to progress beyond the All-Ireland semi-final stage.

Kickhams, who’ve been represented in two Leinster senior finals, might fancy their chances of adding a provincial title to their hard-earned Seamus Flood Cup win.