Latest / On The Edge Sports Podcast / Preview of the Sligo GAA Mens Senior Club Final 2026

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Preview of the Sligo GAA Mens Senior Club Final 2026 · On The Edge Sports Podcast

• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome back to On the Edge Sports Podcast.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: It is the pinnacle of the men's senior club championship.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: The final is up this Sunday.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Markovitch Park, half three at the Shaman Gilles vs.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Cemaries.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: But first, in case you haven't noticed my lovely top, we've got merch.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you didn't see it in our episode earlier this week, we have got four of these to give away.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: So four winners will win one of these.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: We've got our lovely sponsors on the back, by the way.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Four of these plus a ticket to the men's senior final on Sunday.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: So it is probably this is going on a Thursday, so it'll be quick.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: So all you can do is just comment your name below or hit like or do a share.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: We don't really care what you do, just interact with one of these episodes, and we'll pick four people then probably on Friday to win that.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Darn.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Just a quick thanks to our sponsors, EJ Menswear and EJ Menswear.com here in Sligo Town.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: And also to RebootFitness in Tubercurry at Torresran and now in Charlestown.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Check out rebootfitness at tubercurry.com, check them out on social media and download their app to sign up.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't know at the beginning of this championship where we would be interacting with, and we've gone knee-deep into this championship all summer.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's been absolutely unbelievable.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: And we have a sensational, evenly matched, I would say, final in place.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Marys Shambergales, let's dig into it.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Can St.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Marys can they turn the two recent defeats?
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: They got beaten this year and the last year in the semifinal.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Semi-final, yeah.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: You think St.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's have learned enough?
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um time is going to tell.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: They've definitely learned, they've definitely improved on where they were last year or even where they were at the start of this championship, I would say.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um I would also say that it's looking at it, and I know it's it's it's a cliche, but I think the two best teams in the championship have got to the final.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um based on like I know they played each other in the group, but they they were obviously Shamark Gilles at the start of the the whole championship.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like I don't think they were taking it overly serious.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, they're taking it serious, but they're not overly worried about the game.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: They were kind of like maybe just growing into it a bit.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: And even they're starting that day, like the like seven lines wasn't playing, Patrick Kenny.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like when was it?
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: August Bank Holiday weekend, right?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's that's a lifetime ago now.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know what I mean?
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: The amount of stuff that has happened, the amount of games that's been played, the amount of training sessions you had to do.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to time your run as a management team, as a group of players, you have to be timing your run because this is when you want to be playing football.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: This is this Sunday is what your whole year, like like league football, anything along those lines, it comes down to Sunday.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: And can St.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's learn enough from last year's defeat?
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: So, like if I was looking, because again, I haven't a clue of the team.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, is there many is there many personnel changes from the semi-final last year that you can think of?
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, not a huge, no, not a huge same.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a lot of these younger fellows have both?
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: There's a couple of defenders missing for Shamark Gales, okay.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, long-term injuries and stuff like that.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: But apart from uh them couple of guys that was playing cornerbacks, um more or less the same teams, yeah.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: And same Mary's the same team.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Very, very inside out.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but would I would I be right in saying Marys have uh is a lot of the younger lads have maybe grown into their roles a bit more this year, okay?
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because I mean you were mentioning people at the beginning of the season, like Mr.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Davy, Mr.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Nyland, yeah, and they've definitely come to the fore in the games I've been watching, like you know.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: So so yeah, so it'll be it'll be interesting to see.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: So to answer the long in a long-winded way, you're going, they've every chance of reversing semi-final and this year's chance.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: No, they'll have obviously going back to their semi-final win over Drunk Left Frost's point or even their quarterfinal win over Kulera, like like you have to be improving on what's after happening in them games, and you've got to be really analysing, like you look at every team in the country now is using is using the tapes and using the video and like coming up with a plan and using the opposition games as well, coming up with plans of what they're gonna do.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, over the last few weeks, because it's been it's gonna be three weeks since both of them played on that Sunday up in Markovitch, like you know, so you have there's a lot of downtime there, there's a lot of time that has to be um you know coming up with game plans, coming up like and also you don't want to be overly focusing on the opposition.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I've seen this teams this year, and they kind of disrupt their own flow and what's the right thing.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they do, yeah, to their detriment.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like like and what I would be saying is you know, plate your own strength.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, keep an eye on what the opposition have and who the opposition have in certain areas of the field, but make them worry about you also, you know, and that's and that that's 100% will be going for Shane King and his management team with Sham McGayls as well.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: They would be looking to play to their own strengths.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, they'll be keeping an eye on certain players for St.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's, and matchups are going to be absolutely crucial.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: And that's in any big game, matchups are crucial, but it's about getting the matchups right, and you know, conditions are going to play their part.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's a checked the weather's promise.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: But it no doubt the pitch, the pitch last Sunday in the intermediate junior A was immaculate.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and I was talking, I was talking to a couple of lads that played in the in the finals on Sunday.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: I was asking them what it was like because at in the two senior semi-finals a couple of weeks ago, it was a little bit sandy, and it was like there were studs getting stuck in the ground, even though from the outside looking in it looked immaculate.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: From the outside looking in last Sunday, it looked very good as well.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: And but from what I heard was it has improved a lot, yeah, and another week would bring it on leaps and bounds as well.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: But then the conditions, weather-wise, you know, like we had a big breeze blown into the town goals the last day, swirling breeze in Merkovich Park.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: But this time of year, when you're playing football, that's something that you just have to deal with on the day.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and you can't be worrying about that or hoping that it's gonna be such a good day or whatever it may be, because the two the two semi-finals played a couple of weeks ago was you couldn't have picked a better day.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it was immaculate, you know what I mean?
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: You really couldn't, so it's gonna be interesting to see, and like when you're talking about matchups, obviously, there's a couple of guys on both teams.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: So we go to the Shamrock Gales team, and obviously David Quinn kicked 114 in the semi-final.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: Unbelievable kicking, it really was.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, you have the two Deglans, you have Lee and Shane chipping in there, you had Niall Kenny that got a goal and two points the last day as well.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: There's four forwards that you have to mark.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, and who do you choose?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like and and do you double up on them?
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like you, like you mentioned, you've mentioned on numerous occasions, and you mentioned on a commentary when we were doing the semi-final, was that the defensive setup from St.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's looked very, very strong and very well organized.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: And the fact that they had an extra body back there the whole time.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Now, that was probably due to counteracting the log ball in for Dunkleff Ross's point when they had two giants of men in the full forward line, which Shamrack Gales don't have.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, do you know what I mean?
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: But I just again from what I've seen, Mary's they just seem like a great unit in the backs, and I think well, I like I'm sure even David Quinn is not expecting to score 114, you know what I mean?
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: So, like it's a final, you wouldn't expect that to happen, obviously.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: But like they like Mary's, like they've they've won their last two games by a point, and in both those games, there was chances where the opposition could have so like does that show uh a positive resilience from them?
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Does it show a weakness?
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: As I would say, everything will be answered on Sunday.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: But it's but it's a fair question, and and and I've been asked it a lot over the last few weeks, you know, you know, are the will them games bring them on?
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I suppose when you done your interview with Mark Bernie, say Mary's manager after the game, you had asked him, you know, would you have sooner had a break, or are you enjoying playing football?
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: As a manager and as a group of players, it's playing games.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: That's how you progress and that's how you get better.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, we mentioned the fact that from Cliff Ross's point and Shamrock Gales both had four weeks off after the group stages because of the way it panned out that they had the buy-in the last game.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: Now they're after having another three weeks off.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so St.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's had their three weeks off for the first time in the championship.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: Shamrock Gales are going to be playing two games in seven weeks.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: Do you know what I mean?
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it didn't do them any harm in the same games.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: It definitely didn't.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: And again, you'd be just wondering because, like, mentioned it before, play whatever friendlies you want, or play in-house games, A versus B games, whatever way you want to be doing it, whatever way.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Do many clubs play friendlies with other county clubs, yeah, they do, yeah.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: So that's is that fairly regular?
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: So, okay.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it would be.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: And you probably have to, you know.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: You'd lose your sharpness, I imagine.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: You would, yeah.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: And but what I would say about the friendly games is that you you're probably only going at about 70-75% in them games because you probably can't trust anything out of it.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you can't, you know, it's it's it's kind of an awful lot of it's going through the motions, it really is.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: And like, as I say, Mary's defensive unit, you know, they have to get their matchups right on who's going to be picking who.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like, if you go back to the group game that they played out in a scroll, Ryan Feely, who's had a brilliant, brilliant championship and has been getting loads and loads of applaudits, he picked up David Quinn that night in Inno Scrum and done a good job on him, he really did.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: But in that instance, he was gone out of the full back line, and Shane Degnan, who had come back into the team for Shermuch Gales, ends up kicking 1-4 that night.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so there may be too many fires to put out.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: But there is the conundrum on it.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: On the flip side, like we have like Nathan Rooney has been having a great championship, consistent all the way through.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the last day uh it was Ronan Island came on and got three points, and Eli Rooney got three.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: So, and Kyle Cawley got three as well.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: So the full the forward line, I know Ron Nylon was a forward line, but like the other three, maybe they're coming to the boil at the right time, too.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, and like and like Kyle Cawley was excellent the last day in the semi-final.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: He really was his showing, like he kept showing for the ball, he really did, and he more often than not, any ball that came in next year near him, he either got a score himself or he set up a score.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: So, like for the Shamrock Gales guys, there's three or four guys that you're mentioning there that they're gonna have to mark.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know what I mean, and like who do they put on who?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, obviously, you have you have really good taggers in the full back line there, you have Evan Lyons and Carl McKenna, Ben Tue there in the full back line for Shamrack Gales.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: Who are they all gonna be matching up with?
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: Who are they gonna be picking?
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like, it's gonna be there's gonna be some serious battles on Sunday.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: They really look through the two teams like well look at this is a local podcast.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: We know the lads, we're not gonna call out, but like you genuinely also you couldn't really pick out a big weak point in either team.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: No, not really, no.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you can go, oh, they'll they'll roast them here or they'll catch them, and even the midfield battle, you've four big men there as well.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: You do, yeah, you do, and then like two of the guys like so um I thought Sean Carroll was excellent against uh Samanashki's full last year, and in the game that St.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's played, Sherman Gales in the group stage, Kieran Kenny, the other wing back, was excellent.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's right, yeah, yeah.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: You go back to St.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's had the likes of Finton Campbell, who had a great show in his semi-final.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: So there's a wing forward and a wing back matchup that's going to have to be getting right.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Who's going to take the better of that?
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Who's going to handle that more?
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: You mentioned midfield, like David McGovern is coming up with big, big catches in midfield.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: Dylan McDermott on the flip side for Shamrack Gales.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's another big man in midfield, well able to get up and get a two-pointer, well able to get up and get a score.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: And then, of course, then you mentioned Roland Island that came off the bench for Samaris the last day.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like he's carrying a knock, has been carrying a knock all through the championship.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: The question for Mark Bernie and his management team is do we start him?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Do we try and finish with him?
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know, do you start?
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: Would you start him?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: If if he's fit, yeah, 1 million percent.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: I uh and my my opinion on that is I I would put my best team out at the start of the game and hope a player will last as long as he can if he's carrying a knock.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: Because and and and I'm not saying I'm right, I'm just saying this is my opinion on it.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: This is all you if you if you if you're carrying a knock and you say, right, I'll get him on for the last 15-20 minutes, at that stage the game could be gone.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: So unload what you have at the beginning, and then you can kind of hold what you have, like you know, say look, it's it's an amazing conundrum.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: It is, yeah, it is.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: Who who would you say has a better bench?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Have Mary's been utilising the bench more so, maybe, or maybe they've had to, they've got more games, of course.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I would say just looking at at what you're dealing with over the last over the last group stages and the the knockout stages, I would say that say Mary's probably on paper have a better bench, you know.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: The likes of the guys that have been coming on, okay.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: So you either we'll we'll talk about Ronan and we have Emlin Mulligan and we have Stephen Cohn.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: Sin Young has come in.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: Vin Young has started a good few games there, also.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: Mark Clifford, the young guy, got got on the last day, Brian Meehan into midfield, you know, and have firepower there as well.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, on the Shamrack Gale side, they needed Shane Degan coming back into the four after missing the first two championship games, and nobody knows what injuries these teams have coming up to a county final.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: You don't know what's after happening.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I know you have a few weeks off, but when you're going hammering tongs at training, like you need to be you you you want your own players putting you on the back foot in trainings to get you ready for a county final on Sunday.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: A fella could pick up a knock, he could pick up a tweak of a hamstring or anything like that.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're going into a county final not 100%, that's when you're going to get found out.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: Do you know what I mean?
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: And even in the two semi-finals, like we haven't even mentioned them, like Robert O'Kelly Lynch was unbelievable for St.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick Brady the far side.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick, yeah, Patrick Kenny.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh oh, sorry, Patrick Brady from Mary's as well, but on the Sherma Kales, like Patrick Kenny like machine.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like you know, you put you you put him against we'll say Robert Kelly Lynch.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: There's a serious matchup.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: If you go to the far side, then and you're you're saying, okay, Patrick Brady had a super out, and the way that they've lined up, he'd end up marking Lee Degnan.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the two Dagnans are brilliant to watch.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean I haven't watched them with close loads all year, but like there's so many good players on these pitches.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: So like the way that we're talking there now doesn't make it for a mouthwater and clash on Sunday.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: I hope it's a replay because I missed the championship if it ends on Sunday.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh like, oh my god, and like and well, yeah, last year was a replay, wasn't it, yeah?
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so like you know, sorry both teams, but we'd love another.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: I know, yeah.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: You don't want it to end, it's been so good, but like like even us, and we didn't do four hours of research talking to each other about this.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: But when you start churning out the idea, yeah, when you start going through it, where do you where do you pick it up?
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, look at Shaw McGails are the champions.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: They could go, well, we did beat Mary's by seven points, yeah.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: But let's go back to junior A, oh, more Gales were hot favourites by every club.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like on that day, you go, Oh, maybe they've learned from that, maybe they've tweaked this, maybe they've done that, you know what I mean?
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: And because if if you're looking at it, say Mary's were on the back of we'll say two group wins, okay.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: Sher McGale's running after drawing their opening two games.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: So did it mean more to Sharma Gales to make sure that they got the W that night and then it's grown, yeah.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: And had St.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's that little you know reserve thinking of we have two wins on the on the trot here.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we don't have to go full tilt if we if we lose it, it's not the end of the world, we can reset and go again.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: But on the on the on the flip side of that, the semi-final last year, cracking contest out in Cache, game was over.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, Shamrack Gales had gone into we'll we'll we'll call it uh unassailable lead, it was nine or ten points, and I think he was getting to double figures, and St.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: Mary slowly but surely just kept chalking at it, kept knocking it down, and then all of a sudden there's only a kick of a ball in it.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Now Shamark Yales won it, they really did, and they flexed their muscles and they got to the county final and they got across the line.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: But without that game, you know, you're thinking, would Shamark Gales actually had the mental side of it to be, you know, because they they were well ahead in the game, and when you get pulled back into it, no more than anything else, you're not as good as you think you are, you know what I mean, and you're not as bad as you thought you were either.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: So it'll be interesting just to see because like obviously they had a facile victory in the semi-final over Malash Gales, and it was over with 20 minutes to go.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas Samaris were pushed to the pin of their collar in the last two, three games, even against Eastern Harps, go back to the last group game where they were in the jeopardy of ending up in a relegation playoff.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, fast forward a few weeks later and they're into a county final.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they have am I right in saying they haven't beaten anyone by more than four points?
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, beat harps by four, to workuring by four, and to the chamber by four.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: So they don't want to hammer yet.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: They're very good.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: Keep you guessing, keep you guessing.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and like if you're if you're the manager in El St.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's, who do you put on David Quinn?
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, like any one of the three, the Tigers, as we call them.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: The Tigers back.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: I pro I I probably would put Ryan on him, Ryan Fayley.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: And um for the simple reason Well, but we said earlier on that that brought Ryan out of the back room.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: So but you're gonna go, but we'll we learn from that, we'll do something else at the back.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's where you've got to fill that's where you gotta fill the gap, and that's where the likes of Scotty Lynch or one of these guys is gonna have to sit in the pocket and mind the house, if you know what I mean.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: If you were taking Ryan out of it because like he's such a big presence there in the full back line, but he's so so strong.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like he marking Key and Lally the last day, and he was given away a lot of inches in height, but what he lacks in height, he makes up for in strength and power.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that I think Ryan is the kind of player that will sacrifice his own game for the betterment of the team, and it might not happen, but that's what I would do.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: I would I would put him out on the sharpshooter or the danger man out in that because what happened with David Quinn the last day, he got he just caught fire for about six or seven minutes, and he ends up kicking three two-pointers in a row.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: He you know, and if you give him the space and time, he's gonna do that, he's gonna do that all day long.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: But on the smile, yeah, like it's it's like you you have a danger man inside then with Shane Degnan, like yeah, you have Niall Kenny coming off the shoulder, like you've got a great goal the last day, like you know, and and then Johnny Quinn is in the other corner, takes a small bit of watching as well, like so you know, and and that's but that is what we want, isn't it?
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like all you want is that it's evenly matched, and two great teams, as you said, you no one could say that anyone has a hard luck story knocking to the final this year.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: And and it's like if you're looking at what what Samaria's done the last day, like they always always had an extra body in defence, whether it be Scotty Lynch, whether it be Paul Kikoyne, who handled a load of ball the last day, and and David McGovern is a key man to that.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: He kind of waits around, helps out, yeah, takes ball and becomes a link man.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, let the runners do their running, you know, the likes of Patty Brady and the likes of Robert Kelly Lynch, like we have Jared Kelly Lynch in the middle third there, full of legs, like got up for a goal chance the last day, um, probably should have stuck it in the back of the net, like you know, like but there's the running power that's emergency.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: Two big men, George Barlow and Dylan McGriver, have been solids all this season.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know, and then you go to the other, like the the aforementioned Patrick Kenny, like like anybody that was in the stand in the first half against Milash Gaussian was a couple of times that he took off running.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: People were like, Holy god, look at this guy go.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: Do you know what I mean?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I I didn't even realise the time we were talking to him.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: He was the most chilled out, relaxed dude you'll ever meet.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I seen him with the pitch at all like that is him.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, it's like this racehorse.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: And like you're you're talking so his running power, and then you're talking Kieran Kenny on the left half back, and Sean Carl coming through like a truck engine coming through the middle third, like you know, he's not afraid of a bit of contact, and he'll usually get through that.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: He wants the contact, yeah.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: Do you know?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: So an awful lot of it will boil down to all that little middle section, that middle third, and then you go to the two keepers, like Daniel Lyons, you know, top keeper for Sham McGails really is James Cronin has really upped his game and really improved him where he was last year, and his kick outs have become an awful lot better for Sam Mary's, also.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: But in that instance, I guarantee that Sham McGails are going to put a high press on, and they're gonna make James try and go as long as he can.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Does he have that distance to get across the top, get across that press?
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: Only time will tell.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: I know that if Sam Marys do that on the flip side, you want to try and lure the opposition keeper into a false sense of security and make him take a risk.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: So you've got to be setting these traps up for them, and when that happens, then you win the ball back, you've got to be sticking it in the dungeon bag or sticking it over the bar, and that gives you the oxygen to go on, and it gives you the ball.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it starts everyone's start second guessing goalies or defenders second guess their passes out or kick outs or whatever.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: And like if you're looking at you're talking about running power, like like a guy that breaks lines every time he's playing the game is Carl McKenna for Sham McGayl.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: So he's he more often than not, he's lining up in the full back line.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: But he gets the ball, he's gone.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: He really is, and he eats up the ground, and he's not afraid to go.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's like Shane King, as the management team have said to him, if you feel that you can make yards, go for it, and we'll get somebody else to sit in.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the likes of Dylan McDermott, the likes of George Barlow there will just sit in and let him go and let him break a line.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: And in the modern game now, you need your backs doing this, you need them breaking lines because in that little middle third, you know, you need hard running power and ball off the shoulder, give and go, and you could be gone with the pace and power of these modern day footballers now, they could be gone 30-40 yard yards in split seconds.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like and in any game I have watched or coached or even half played in this season, the team that keeps winning is the people that overrun the defense.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: If the if you're not working back or tracking back, and there's an overload, and I've seen it at under 15 games, right up to senior.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's those teams that are who's who's gonna keep working the hardest.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if you get overran nine times out of ten, you're gonna lose the match.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, so but like as I said, there's two there's two there's two immovable objects here.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: Which one's gonna move first?
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, so there is so yeah.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: So look, it's half three on Sunday in Markfitch Park.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we will definitely be there.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we may be doing a bit of crack, we don't know yet.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be live streaming, will we not?
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Will we be doing something?
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we will be there.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh, it's live on Sligo GATV.ie and it'll be on Ocean FM.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: And the minor final is on beforehand, that's at one o'clock, that's St.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: John's versus Curry.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and in our last episode, sorry, we forgot to say congrats to Castle Connor, who won the junior C title this game.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Just remember we forgot to do that in the review post.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: So uh well, you kind of live over near the Mary side of town, so do you have to pick them as your favorite?
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: Oh well, I I I I I live in that area, and uh Shammar Gales are the noisy neighbours out in my in my in my home club.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um nail my colours to the mast.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, look at I think it's gonna be tight, come down to the kick football.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: How could anyone say someone's gonna run away with this like?
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: But I I think oh will the experience get Shamar Gales crossed the line?
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like we we well, like I keep ringing the singing the praises, sorry, of Mary's defence, but maybe it's because I've seen them so much.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, maybe, yeah.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: Do you know maybe maybe like and I've I've seen there's nothing wrong with Sherma Gales' defence either, but I've gone maybe are they grown into this amazing unit that can keep out anyone overall?
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so that's where I'm kind of going.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Would that sway me towards that?
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: Then the classy players up front, then like the forwards, like, and then you have the Connor Davy coming in running, just real class around the pitch.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and that's gonna be a draw.
• 22:19
  unknown: A draw.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: Give us a draw, give us a replay.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: We'll have another podcast.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: But look, whatever happens, uh, and like we have to say, like, this has been a mind-blowing season.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we're like by the time this comes out, we could have a million and a half views on Sligo Club Championship on this podcast, between all our social media.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: And we have to say massive thanks to.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna start naming every name, but like people in the GA, Porter McKeon, the PRO has been immense help to us.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Jessica Fari, Lee Maloney, Gavin Cawley, people in the press, people up in Markfish Park, Rory and James from SligoGA TV.e.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if it ends on Sunday, like we've had an absolute sensational summer of fun and crack, and it's so lived up to everything we wanted.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, yeah.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: There wasn't too many hammer-ins really like along the way.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: There was no like one or two, but most so many games were four points, two points, could have been caught at the end.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: New rules.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so like I'm really hoping that Sunday now, hopefully the weather will be nice.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: Big crowd in Markfitch Park.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, if we've had a million and a half people over seven weeks listening to us, sure to god just like Shamrack Gales have super support, yeah, and they really do.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: And everybody is getting behind St.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's now, like they're they're they're back in the county fire.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: The CDO Grip Bulls did the other podcast.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, check that out.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: There's a great history podcast of St.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm sure that there's going to be a big crowd of Markfitch Park on Sunday.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think a lot of neutrals, like I'm the epitome of the neutral, like you know, seeing it in the flesh.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but there's a there's but there, but there is a genuine interest in it.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's not that ah, will I go or will I won't go?
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: People actually do really want to go to the game and just see how it pans out.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, can Shamrack Gales go for two in a row?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, can Say Mary's win their first title since 2015.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: 2015, yeah, yeah.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like if it was written in the stars the 50th year, but like dreams don't always come true.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: No, definitely not.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it really is like you couldn't confidently call it.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you had to put a tenor on something, you'd probably be going more for the draw because you're definitely more confident of that than picking either one, like you know.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: But look, whatever happens, uh, we can't wait for it.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: Half three Sunday Mark Fitch Park.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: Go check out the minor final as well at one o'clock.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: Streamed live on Sligo GATV.e and all on OceanFM as well.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll be back next week chatting about it.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: We'll probably be up, we'll definitely be up at the stadium.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: We we'll see you around.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: Come over and say hello.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, uh, if you haven't already, if you want to win one of these lovely Goa Sports, we went local, okay, and all of the responses in the back there.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, go and check, or just go and comment, like, do anything you want on any of our socials and I do this podcast this week.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: I will pick four people, you get a ticket to the match, and one of our jerseys.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: So for me and Darren, uh, roll on the final.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we can keep going on, we'll keep going on here with glowing in our face here, and all excited, looking forward to this.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: But, anyways, we'll see you in Mark Fish Park, half three on Sunday.