Gaelic Games

Con O’Meara and Coolera-Strandhill hoping to cause an upset in Connacht

The Sligo club will play Ballina Stephenites in a Connacht club semi-final on Sunday

Sligo’s Niall Murphy and Shane Carthy of New York in Markievicz Park, Sligo. Murphy, this year’s Sligo captain, is the principal scorer for Coolera-Strandhill. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Sligo’s Niall Murphy and Shane Carthy of New York in Markievicz Park, Sligo. Murphy, this year’s Sligo captain, is the principal scorer for Coolera-Strandhill. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Paul Keane
Thu Nov 14 2024 - 06:00

The Coolera-Strandhill management team met for a lunchtime get-together on Wednesday ahead of their Connacht club semi-final this Sunday against Ballina Stephenites.

It could just as easily have been a cosy reunion of past players as all four – Con O’Meara, John McPartland, Neil Carew and Barry Doyle – were playing when Coolera-Strandhill won the 2005 Sligo championship, only the club’s second county title. Last year’s county SFC win was the club’s first since 2005, and they retained the Owen B Hunt Cup for the first time ever last Sunday week after a replay win over St Molaise Gaels.

O’Meara, a towering midfielder for Sligo back in the 1990s, struggles with the label he has of joint-manager along with McPartland. Given their shared experiences with the club over the years, it’s a similar labour of love for the entire quartet. Whatever way you package it, they’ve done a decent job since being parachuted in this year to replace the 2023 management, though easily their biggest challenge awaits on Sunday.

For context, Coolera-Strandhill are 6-1 outsiders in a two-horse race, have never won a game in Connacht as a club, albeit they’ve only ever played two games, while just one Sligo club, St Mary’s, has ever won the provincial title.

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“We’re coming up against a juggernaut,” said O’Meara. “We know more about Ballina than we’d like because they have household names there and a lot of experience. They’re a big, strong, athletic side, and the way they won their county final against Knockmore, their rivals, was something else. County finals are normally tense occasions but they just played with an abandon and a freedom that was scary at times.”

Coolera-Strandhill would be foolish not to lean into their underdog status but they clearly have plenty to offer themselves.

Their coaching group has seen and done it all. Didn’t McPartland, for example, give Kieran McGeeney his fill of it back in 2002 when Sligo famously drew with Armagh, the eventual All-Ireland winners that year, said O’Meara.

They will also have home advantage on Sunday at Markievicz Park, as well as some terrific current intercounty talents at their disposal. Niall Murphy, this year’s Sligo captain, is their principal scorer, while Keelan Cawley, just retired from county duty, and Peter Laffey bring real pedigree too. Former Dublin hurler Ross O’Carroll and current Offaly coach Luke Bree also play for them.

Con O'Meara: 'We’re coming up against a juggernaut. We know more about Ballina than we’d like because they have household names there and a lot of experience.' Photograph: Lorraine O'Sullivan/Inpho
Con O'Meara: 'We’re coming up against a juggernaut. We know more about Ballina than we’d like because they have household names there and a lot of experience.' Photograph: Lorraine O'Sullivan/Inpho

“I think Keelan could very well have the most appearances of anyone for Sligo,” said O’Meara, referencing Cawley’s 15-year county career. “I know from talking to all the lads about last year, the big emotion for them all was relief because after losing so many finals since 2005, finally getting over the line was just relief.

“I think it was more satisfaction this year because they really appreciated going back to back. It’s not that one medal is more important than another but they’re legitimately the only group of players in the history of Coolera-Strandhill to have two medals. To go and win it again as they did, it just ends all doubts in terms of your deserving of it.”

O’Meara enjoyed the symmetry of this year’s success. Back in 2005 he was joint-captain of the winning team with Carew. This year he is also a joint-manager with Carew as part of the management.

They never did back to back in 2006 though, failing to even get out of their group. “Very poorly,” is O’Meara’s assessment of how they performed. “We didn’t get to another final until 2011, didn’t win another one until last year.”

Connacht is bonus territory now. Few outside of their club will expect them to beat Ballina and to secure a final clash with Leitrim champions Mohill or Roscommon’s Pádraig Pearses.

If the stars align and Coolera-Strandhill do get a crack at Mohill it would be a good story. O’Meara is originally a Tourlestrane player and lined out alongside current Mohill manager Eamonn O’Hara. It’s a long shot, though, for both clubs.

“Whatever advantage you might have had coming up against a first-time winner from Mayo, Ballina’s sights were probably set all year on going back-to-back and then getting out into Connacht and giving a better account of themselves,” said O’Meara. “They lost to Corofin last year and there’s obviously no shame in that, but I’m sure they’ve been locked on to Connacht and going beyond that even for a good while.”