Historic day looms for St Munna's as they chase elusive crown

Paddy Maloney is in his first season in charge of St Munna’s adult camogie side and he has enjoyed a superb start to his managerial career, guiding the club to the All-Ireland Junior B final.

St Munna’s are traditionally a strong club and were senior for a number of years, winning 18 senior titles, including 13 in-a-row. However, they experienced a period of transition and eventually dropped down to junior level in Westmeath last year for the first time. Paddy Maloney feels their time in the junior grade has helped the club rebuild.

“They had held their own for a number of years, but in recent times they started to struggle and junior was the best option for them, in order to rebuild. They have done a good job on rebuilding,” he remarked.

Maloney was convinced they had a great chance of making progress this year given the quality at his disposal.

“I came on board this year and we targeted Westmeath, firstly, and trying to win the junior title here. When we saw who our opponents would be, and the list of players we had - obviously the McGrath sisters (of which there are five) and the Glynns - we knew we had a good chance. We set our stall out, trying to go that bit further and maybe aim for Leinster. Thank God we got across the line,” he said.

It hasn’t been straightforward and the Westmeath campaign provided its own challenges. They emerged victorious over Castlepollard in round one, then overcame Southern Gaels. They proved too strong for Brownstown, Clonkill and Drumraney. They received a walkover against St Oliver Plunkett’s.

“We got through every round in positive fashion and there wasn’t much for us to be concerned about in the earlier stages. While Castlepollard and Brownstown, in particular, were tough opposition we still had pretty emphatic wins,” he recalled.

In the final St Munna’s faced Castlepollard again and that was to be a different game to their first round encounter.

“It came down to the last puck of the ball,” he recalled.

“We got a goal in the last minute - there were 14 minutes of injury time - and we won it in the 12th minute of added time. It was a really tough test, a seriously dramatic finish.”

St Munna’s could then turn their attention to the Leinster campaign and a meeting with Louth side St Bride’s, who won a senior title in the Wee County. St Munna’s had no real difficulty here despite having to travel to Louth for the fixture.

Olivia Glynn and Sheila McGrath got early goals in this game as St Munna’s built a commanding half-time lead before they saw out the game, 3-14 to 0-5, to seal their place in the Leinster final.

The Westmeath champions faced Wicklow side Arklow Rock Parnells in Ashbourne and after an impressive display, emerged with a 3-11 to 0-0 victory.

“We knew very little about them, but we managed to get through it easily enough. Still, it was closer than the scoreline suggests for long periods in the first half and if they had scored a goal (Bridget Leavy made a good save before the break), it would have been much closer,” he said.

Winning that first Leinster title was a proud occasion and a week later they went on to defeat Croydon of London in the All-Ireland Junior B semi-final, 3-16 to 0-2.

“It was wonderful to win that first Leinster title and for the team to make history,” agreed Maloney.

“The level of support was great; we brought out plenty of new supporters from the parish, which shows the impact we made. People who wouldn’t go to many games were there in Ashbourne cheering the girls on and it was a proud day for the community.”

The former Castletown Geoghegan hurler, who now lives in Turin, got involved with the club through his family connections.

“My wife, Laura (Heffernan), is secretary of St Munna’s and she asked me for the last couple of years to get involved. I was setting up a business of my own, so I didn’t really have time. I was also in with Turin hurlers for a couple of years, so it wasn’t possible to make time for St Munna’s - until this year,” he said.

“It just fell right: I wasn’t certain about it at the start and was undecided about taking on the role, but when I saw the list of players they had and the quality involved, it made the decision much easier. I’m delighted now.

“It’s tough on the players, there’s serious commitment involved. Some of them play football, with the likes of St Loman’s, The Downs and Killucan. Girls are working Saturdays also and they have to give extra commitment to get time off at weekends for games. It’s outstanding.”

Paddy has Alan Aughey (former St Munna’s manager) and Katie Heffernan (fitness trainer and selector) as part of his backroom team. Nicky Clinton, a former player, is also part of the management team. Laura Heffernan and Mary Glynn also give vital support, while Bridget Leavy, the team’s goalie, is club chairperson.

“Alan knew the scene really well and it was great to keep him involved. Katie was a serious asset. She was very heavily involved with the Irish rugby side, but when she was available, she was wonderful to have around the team. Nicky was delighted to chip in also and there is a great backroom team involved.”

They have been forced to look for a venue with floodlights on which to train and that led to Mullingar Shamrocks, who have been very accommodating with their all-weather facility.

“It it weren’t for them, we would really struggle to get a pitch,” said Maloney.

Saturday will be a historic day for the club as they appear in their first All-Ireland final and it promises to be a wonderful occasion.