Fagan proud of Marist players despite defeat at final hurdle

No doubt, there was bitter disappointment in the Marist College camp over last Saturday’s Leinster final defeat to Coláiste Mhuire, which means the Athlone school is still waiting to win their first provincial football title at this level.

Yet there was also a deep sense of pride of being part of a memorable occasion at TEG Cusack Park and satisfaction that the players had given it everything during a memorable campaign.

It was little surprise that Marist College joint manager Kevin Fagan highlighted the strength of Coláiste Mhuire’s midfield pairing, Críostóir Ormsby and Rory O’Brien, as a key factor in the outcome.

“We came into the game today as massive underdogs, and we knew it was going to be a massive ask. Obviously, with the powerhouses they have there in midfield, it was always going to be hard,” said Fagan, who was joined at the helm by Paul Kelly, Fergal Wilson, John Parker and Fiona Dempsey.

“We went in a point up at half-time and coming into the second half with a little bit of a wind (behind us), we were kind of confident and thought we’d push on. But look, they came with a massive ten minutes at the start of the second half. We couldn’t get out from our own kickouts and I think we lost six in a row, maybe. There might be some regrets there about doing something different to try and get your hands on the ball,” continued Fagan, adding that Coláiste Mhuire proved themselves to be “an excellent team”.

The Marist claimed thrilling victories in rollercoaster style contests at the quarter-final and semi-final stages, with Kevin stressing that the overall experience will stand to this group of young players.

“As Dean (McNicholas, Coláiste Mhuire manager) said in the build-up, we were a bit like Dingle (in the All-Ireland club championship), but we just didn’t get the win in the final, unfortunately. But they’re a great bunch of lads. At the start of the campaign, we honestly thought that getting to a final might be a bit beyond us, but they showed huge character,” said Kevin.

“We did get a bit of luck along the way, winning on penalties and after extra-time, but that shows huge character and that’s a big asset to have for young lads going forward. So, it’s on to the next year’s group now and it’s always a different group. It’s onwards and upwards and we’re delighted with the effort they put in all year.”

Kevin also paid tribute to the performance of Marist attacker and joint captain James McHugh, who scored 2-8 in Saturday’s final despite being forced to live off scraps for long spells of the game. Indeed, this was the equivalent of his 3-5 tally in the semi-final win over Ardee CS.

“James is one of the most naturally gifted players I’ve ever seen,” said Fagan. “He was doubled up (with markers) there a lot at the time. He has great strength and unbelievable accuracy. He just knows where the goals are and he’s a huge prospect for Westmeath. Hopefully he pushes on now. Garrycastle will do a great job with him going into senior football he’ll be a massive prospect going forward.”

The Marist had to cope without key player Andrew Henson due to a bad hamstring injury and while Kevin admitted this was a major blow, he didn’t want to take taking anything away from Coláiste Mhuire’s achievement of winning back-to-back titles.

“Yeah, Andrew was kind of hoping to play. He was half back but he wasn’t at full strength and if he played, he probably would have had to go off. It was a psychological blow. He’s a real leader just from a character point of view. It was a massive blow for us, but the lads reacted brilliantly and gave a massive effort.

"Look, Ben Sheerin went off for Mullingar as well, they had their blows too. They lost Stephen McWade (he came on very near the end) during the week to an injury, so we have no excuses from that point of view. They’re a great, well rounded team and we just fell short,” said Fagan.

Considering the level of talent on show from both sides, Kevin believes there is a bright future ahead for Westmeath football if these players continue their development.

“I looked around at one stage and I don’t know what (the crowd) was there today but, looking at the terrace being full and the stand being full, I was just proud to be a part of it, to be honest. It was an all-Westmeath final and it was just an unbelievable occasion. Look, it’s hard to be on the losing side, but at the end of the day, it’s a great occasion to look back on,” said the Tubberclair goalkeeper.

“The (Westmeath) minor and U20s coaches, they have to be licking their lips, thinking about the prospects they have in the next few years. Trying to mind them and get the most out of them now will be the priority for the county, I suppose,” he added.