Farrell finding inspiration from times past

JFC final preview

Kevin Óg Carney

Templeport team-manager Declan Farrell knows his current cutting crew, inside-out. He played with a few of his charges the last time (2015) the Saints lifted the JFC and he has coached most of them at various times down the years at underage level.

But, ahead of this Saturday’s delayed 2020 Junior Football Championship decider at Kingspan Breffni (6pm), the true blue yellow and green stalwart reflects on how the mother and father of viruses has radically changed the dynamic between manager and player(s):

“We’ve been going through some weird times ‘cause of Covid-19 with having to make do without players due to them catching the virus and not having others through being close contacts,” Farrell explains.

“It’s been very difficult over the past year to get used to the new way of working with the filling out of forms and zoom calls and all that and getting all the lads together and trying to prepare properly but it’s been the same, I’m sure, for Denn so we’ve just had to get on with it.”

The novelty of playing last year’s final this Saturday is embellished by the fact that Templeport and Denn make for unlikely bedfellows at the home of Cavan GAA on final day. Indeed, trying to extrapolate how things are going to pan out this weekend by going on past form is a fool’s occupation given that the clubs haven’t met each other in a competitive environment for many moons.

“Both teams are going into the unknown,” Farrell declares. “We haven’t been competing in the same league so there’s no form to go on but I have a lot of confidence in our fellas’ ability to win the final and fire us into the intermediate championship.”

The craziness of the situation which has panned out is such that should Templeport trump Denn on Saturday evening at HQ they will be facing a showdown with Cornafean in the 2021 IFC in a couple of weeks time. Should Farrell’s charges fail, a date with Kill Shamrocks in this year’s JFC will be their lot.

The 37-year-old Templeport supremo will have experience aplenty to call upon on both sides of the whitewash this Saturday with at least a half-dozen of his former team-mates from the 2015 JFC triumph down for selection. He is disappointed that both Shane Galligan and Aaron Donohoe have been ruled out though.

Templeport’s former gutsy attacker and now manager will, thus, oversee a team replete with plenty of experience this Saturday; plenty of talent too that he has seen at first hand for quite a number of years now. Players like Liam Galligan, Eoghan Martin, Liam McAweeney, Benjamin Kelly, Eoin McCaffrey, Eoin Doonan, Dylan Raythorne and Oran Duffy form a massive bulwark for the team from the west of the county. Farrell is pleased there’s good competition for places in his squad and a “good bench” too.

Most of the current Saints’ senior panel are multi-medallists at underage level and some observers, at close hand and further afield, have moved to call Farrell’s troops the club’s ‘golden generation.’

“They’re all good players, good footballers,” Farrell enthuses “and they’ve showed that year in, year out by beating some very good teams like Knockbride and Shannon Gaels over the last couple of years.

“Aside from the football, they’re good lads, good characters and fine ambassadors for the club. I just hope they showcase their talent to the best effect in the final; that they do themselves justice and don’t have any regrets when the final whistle goes.”

Farrell says he has enjoyed having his hands on the tiller to date but “we’re still on a journey and we’re not finished yet.” He is adamant that Templeport Saints Aidan’s current flagship team is capable of playing at a higher level and would love to see his beloved club burst down the door to allow them access the intermediate grade.

It’s said that hunger is the best sauce of all and Farrell believes that Templeport gaels could be excused for crying out with the pangs of hunger. He tells us that the Bawnboy-based club has won just four county championship titles at adult level since 1950; two junior and two intermediate championships.

“These fellas have proven themselves all over the years against all kinds of quality players and teams with a lot of them having division one underage medals. They’re definitely at a point now where they can step it up and hold their own at intermediate level if things go right for us against Denn but we’re not looking any further than winning a junior title right now.

“It would be just terrific for the club, a real big lift if the lads could do it this weekend for just like myself and others before me who were inspired by the likes of Frankie Dolan, Jim McAweeney and the Martins, a win for these lads this year would do wonders for the promotion of the game in our club at juvenile level.”

Of course, it takes two to tango and Farrell is acutely aware of the potency of a Denn team which is also regarded as a ‘coming’ team and one full of teeming talent too.

“We’ve got a lot of talented players but so too have Denn. You only have to look at their forward line to see the potential they have; fellas like Cavelle Keoghan, Thomas Edward Donohoe and Ben Conaty to name but three. We know we have to limit the number of opportunities that their attack gets if we are to be in with a shout at the latter stages of the game.

“Physically Denn are very powerful. Mossie Corr is a very strong footballer. Brandon Keoghan and Oisín Kiernan are great at delivering the ball forward.

“But, like us, they don’t rely on any one particular sector of the field. They’re a very good outfit, all-round.

“Denn are strong favourites and rightly so but we were the underdogs in 2015 against Cornafean too and we surprised a few people that day. Hopefully, history will repeat itself.”