Seventh heaven for super Saints

St Loman's, Mullingar captured their seventh senior football title in 11 years as they overcame a gritty Coralstown/Kinnegad in an absorbing final at TEG Cusack Park on Sunday, writes Damien Maher.

In a game that proved there's no substitute for experience, TJ Cox came off the bench to kick the insurance point for Paddy Dowdall's charges, who atoned for their defeat in last year's final. Team captain John Heslin revealed how he and his colleagues had prepared for a war of attrition against the cohesive unit that is Coralstown/Kinnegad, under the guidance of Paschal Kellaghan and Jack Cooney, and said they were always expecting a mammoth battle.

"We knew that Coralstown/Kinnegad would get a purple patch; we just said at half-time that we would have to put our shoulder to the wheel. It wasn't going to be a case that we were going to come out and kick five points and go ten scores ahead.

“We knew it was going to be tight. We prepared for that and what we were going to do in that situation," he remarked.

"And everyone stood up and wanted the ball. We worked it in for frees and different things and we got scores at crucial times."

With the game on a knife-edge and a replay looming on the horizon, St Loman's eventually got the insurance point through Cox, who showed that strength in depth was indeed the vital factor.

"In the modern game more than ever, subs play a huge role. When I started playing it was all about the starting 15, but nowadays it’s about being part of that panel that’s 25 players. At any stage of the season you can pick up injuries and today we showed the importance of being able to bring lads off the bench to win the game, which is great," declared Heslin.

All Star nominee Ronan O'Toole stressed the importance of experience within the team and highlighted its significance in what was a tough second half.

"We have been in nine finals in-a-row and we have that mix of youth and experience in the team. The two Hogans, for example, Eoghan and Oisín, have come in; we have Enda Gaffney, Danny McCartan, and then TJ Cox coming off the bench. We have a lot of experienced heads after that, from Jason Daly in goals to John Heslin outfield. Kelvin Reilly came on, a cool head. So, it was experience that most likely proved the difference," he beamed.