Inside Track: Naomh Máirtín carry county’s hopes into Leinster

Interest in the Leinster club championship in this county was heightened last year by the St Mary’s gallant performance.

The Ardee team went all the way to the final, and were unlucky not to force their game with Dublin champions, Cuala, into extra-time.

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A point behind after staging a fine comeback, Mary’s had a chance to level matters late on, but Ronan Carroll, whose points from long distance were – and still are – his speciality, was just wide of the mark.

Can Náomh Máirtín go one better and give Louth a first outright win in the competition? The county champions face a quarter-final on Sunday next in Drogheda, taking on Laois title-winners, Portarlington.

In the 55 years since the provincials were first played, a Louth team has yet to win a Leinster.

It’s the same with Wexford and Kilkenny, but unlike those two, Louth has been represented in finals – by Newtown Blues, in the second of them, Cooley Kickhams, in 1973 and ’76, Mattock Rangers, in 2002, and Mary’s, last year.

Naomh Máirtín had an entry in 2020 after winning the Joe Ward Cup for the first time, but didn’t get a chance to bring their skills to a wider audience. COVID-19 was still taking prisoners, and because of this, the competition was cancelled.

But they were in the running the following year and didn’t fare too well. A huge first round win over Carlow’s Rathvilly augured well, but when they next made it onto McGeough Park, Haggardstown, it didn’t work out too well for them.

Their manager, Fergal Reel, had suffered a serious domestic injury the day before the match, and, although there to call the shots, the Silverbridge man wasn’t in the best of pickle.

Still, that could hardly be blamed for the team he had led to two county championships, showing only signs of their best form.

Playing against Wexford side, Shelmaliers, Mairtíns led by 1-3 to at one stage of the first half, but at the interval were only on level terms. They were down to 14 after goalie, Craig Lynch, had been black-carded.

By coincidence, Shelmalier’s also had their No. 1 black-carded, but the other Craig, McCabe, was back in time to deny Máirtíns what looked a certain goal. It ended with a couple of points between them.

Many of that Máirtíns team are still putting in shifts, and as seen at the Gaelic Grounds last Sunday week, haven’t lost their edge. Sharpened it, in fact.

Thomas Sullivan is pivotal in defence at No 3, fronted by Conor Healy; midfielder Eoghan Callaghan gave a man-of-the match performance in the final, and with the lively Tom Gray claiming four points, the dependence on Sam Mulroy to come up with a bagful of scores wasn’t there, though in finishing with 1-4, the county star made more than a useful mark on the scoreboard.

All connected with the team coached by Mattie Rice will have benefited from the three-week break since the county final.

Portarlington’s first round match with Carlow champions, Old Leighlin, went ahead last Saturday week, and was, no doubt, watched by Naomh Máirtín observers. They’d have seen the Laois champions race to a comprehensive 1-12 to 0-6 victory.