All-Westmeath showdown generating a great buzz

Bro Bosco Cup final preview: Coláiste Mhuire v Marist College

Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar will meet Marist College, Athlone at TEG Cusack Park this Saturday (throw-in 1pm) to see who claims the Bro Bosco Cup.

For the Mullingar school, this is their second consecutive final. They overcame Naas CBS on a scoreline of 2-16 to 0-14 in the semi-final after a fine second half display.

Last year’s final provided their first Leinster senior football success in 42 years and it has been the catalyst for a football revival at the Mullingar college which has a proud history of sporting success.

“There’s a great buzz about the town, and at school. I suppose it's just the younger lads looking up to these lads and it's all about momentum,” remarked co-manager Dean McNicholas about the impending clash.

Marist College are the opposition in an all-Westmeath decider on Saturday. The Coláiste Mhuire and Marist College meeting two years ago in the North Leinster junior final needed penalty kicks before the Mullingar side prevailed.

While the Mullingar team currently have possession of the trophy, for their opponents it has been a very different story. Their longstanding quest to win the Br Bosco Cup has brought them to five previous finals – 1983, 1999, 2014, 2016 and 2018 - and they will now be determined to finally lift the famous trophy. Saturday’s final is sure to be a tasty contest and a big crowd is expected at Westmeath GAA headquarters for what is a special sporting occasion.

The Coláiste Mhuire side which won the semi-final against Naas CBS: Adam Buckley (Mullingar Shamrocks); James Flynn (Mullingar Shamrocks), Michael Moloney (The Downs), Sean Byrne (St Loman's, Mullingar); Eoin Donohue (Milltown), Ty Masterson (Mullingar Shamrocks), Michael Weir (Capt.) (St Loman's, Mullingar); Criostóir Ormsby (Mullingar Shamrocks), Rory O'Brien (Shandonagh); Stephen McWade (Shandonagh), Paul Keating (Mullingar Shamrocks), Finn Higgins; Will Scahill (Shandonagh), Conor Cleary (The Downs), Kian Loughlin (The Downs). Subs: Ronan Byrne (Mullingar Shamrocks) for S Byrne (48 minutes), Sean Hayes (St Loman's, Mullingar) for F Higgins (52) Eoin Meehan (St Loman's, Mullingar) for C Cleary (52), Padraig Monaghan (The Downs) for P Keating (52), Eoin Mullin (The Downs) for W Scahill (57).

Rest of panel: Ben Sheerin (Mullingar Shamrocks), Seamus O'Brien (St Loman's, Mullingar), Aaron Connaire (The Downs), Beau Greene (St Loman's, Mullingar), James Baird (Ballynacargy), James Murtagh (Mullingar Shamrocks), Killian Mooney (Mullingar Shamrocks), Michael Taggart (Killucan), Ronan Byrne (Mullingar Shamrocks), Rory McCaul (Mullingar Shamrocks), Tristan Boyce-Jordan (Ballynacargy), Eoghan Daly (The Downs), Louie Dillon (Milltown), Tom Weir (St Loman's, Mullingar), Hugo Corroon (Mullingar Shamrocks), Cian Matthews (St Loman's, Mullingar), Tomás Brennan, Dillon Burke (Shandonagh).

Management team: Dean McNicholas, Brian Murtagh and Matthew Kearney.