Wheel comes full circle as McKeever faces Stars in another final, 26 years on

SFC final preview

As Gowna return to the county final after missing last year’s decider, aiming to regain the title they held in 2022 and 2023, selector Mark McKeever says they are under no illusions about the size of the challenge against Kingscourt.

“We’ll have to be at our very, very best to compete with them,” he warns.

“They’ve been building for a couple of years and on top of huge experience they’ve added some excellent minors from last year. They’re unbeaten like ourselves. There’s not much between the two teams.”

This will be the first senior final in more than two decades for Gowna in which McKeever is not togged out. He laughs when asked if he might lace the boots again.

“No, definitely no playing boots this year, maybe wellies if needed,” he jokes.

The transition from player to selector has been quick; he was still training with the team and playing championship football last summer.

“I don’t see a huge difference, really,” he reflects. “Obviously you’re on the other side of it now and sometimes you’d love to be out there in the middle of training, enjoying it, but that’s the part you miss, the actual training and fitness side. When you’re standing on the line you can’t do much of that. But it still feels like you’re fully involved. There’s a very important role to play on the sideline too.”

If anyone personifies Gowna’s modern journey it is McKeever. He joined the senior panel in 1999 at the tail end of the club’s first golden generation, which delivered titles in 1988, 1994, 1996 and 1997. As a young player he assumed success would be perennial. It wasn’t.

“We lost a few very established players around that time and probably didn’t have a strong underage crop coming through,” he recalls.

“Panels were small, sometimes 18, maybe 22 or 23 at most. It was a struggle.”

The club endured a barren spell by their own standards when merely staying up at senior level was an achievement.

“A lot of boys dug very deep to keep us at senior and that stands to us now,” McKeever says.

“Our younger players have been coming through at senior level, having to fight for places and gaining that experience. The sons of the lads I played with are now coming through and have driven it on in the last few years.”

From the outside some have suggested Gowna’s resurgence is down to “good breeding”, the sons of county players inevitably becoming county players themselves. McKeever insists the real story is more complex.

“Playing at a high level is a big part,” he says.

“Our underage teams have been in Division 1 and 2 for years. Even next weekend (before the minor final was postponed) you’ll see Southern Gaels, where we and Lacken combined to ensure our lads are playing a couple of divisions higher than they would on their own. They’re tested every week and that makes them stronger.”

Another vital factor has been the direct involvement of senior players in underage coaching. “We’ve had the likes of Joe Brady, Enda Boylan, Barry Hughes back in the day, then Ciaran Brady more recently, Laurence (Brady), Sean Pierson and boys like that. They’ve all won senior championships and come back to coach. That experience filters down and pushes them on.”

And, he adds, the unseen administrative work matters just as much.

“There’s a huge emphasis on underage in the club for the last number of years, that not only on the pitch it’s secretaries, chairpersons, all the volunteers. Most people only see the big day but not the day in and day out, the Saturday mornings and the hours of work. I was one of those that was looked after very well as an eight or nine-year-old starting out,” he says.

This season brought another change with the arrival of Vinny Corey to replace Dermot McCabe, who guided Gowna to back-to-back titles and three finals in four years. McKeever acknowledges they were “big boots to fill” but believes the Monaghan man was the ideal appointment.

“From the outside it looked a daunting task because Dermot was excellent as both a player and manager,” he says.

“But Vinny has played and managed at the highest level with Monaghan and wasn’t fazed. He took to it like a duck to water”.

“My own role this year was to help make it easier for Vinny, making sure he didn’t need months to get to know players and the set-up.”

Now comes the final hurdle. Kingscourt Stars, champions themselves in 2010 and 2015, have rebuilt steadily and are back on the big stage. McKeever bristles at any suggestion that their run to the decider is a surprise.

“People might have seen them as outsiders but I don’t,” he insists. “They’ve been building for a couple of years. On top of their huge experience, they’ve added some excellent minors from last year. They’re unbeaten like ourselves and there’s not much between the sides.

“My first year with Gowna we played Kingscourt in the final and were lucky to win by a point. These are two traditional powerhouses of Cavan football coming back to the fore.”

He highlights the quality in the opposition ranks.

“They’ve massive players, Jordan Morris was an All-Star nominee this year, Padraig Faulkner is an All-Star. There’s huge experience around the middle. We’ll have to be at our very, very best to compete with them.”