Fullen Gael’s are favourites, but Modeligo can advance after trip to Birmingham

The big day is almost upon us.

Modeligo GAA Club makes the journey across the Irish Sea this weekend. Birmingham will be their destination, to be more precise Páirc Na hÉireann is where they are heading.

Throughout 2014 Modeligo were magnificent. It was a long year, but it was one that no one associated with the Club or the Parish would swap and they will be hoping that the 2015 will start as 2014 ended.

For many, the usual festive celebrations over the Christmas and New Year periods were not as what they usually would be.

There was the little matter of a Match in the New Year to look forward to, and all associated with the team had to stay focused on the task in hand.

To be playing Championship hurling the second weekend of January is not easy. It does not happen over night.

Modeligo had their first training session under former Ballyduff Upper and Waterford hurler Pa Kearney last February. Along the way since then they would have changed many challenges. Some were familiar, others no so familiar.

Just four clubs were involved in the Western Junior Hurling Championship in 2014. To try and get an extra game for the clubs involved, it was decided that those that met in round one of the championship would also meet in a fourth round of games in the league section of the competition.

The Western Hurling league was also there for clubs. The four junior clubs were given the option of playing against the Intermediate Clubs. Few would expect a junior club to win the competition, but they would be expected to compete, and in doing so they were getting their players playing against players perceived to be of a higher standard.

If any of the Junior Clubs were expect to compete best against the Intermediate Clubs it would be Modeligo.

They won the Junior Championship in 2008 and competed in the Intermediate championship from 2009 to the end of 2012.

In 2013 having dropped back down to Junior they reached the divisional semi finals where they lost out to a strong Ballysaggart side after a replay. Ballysaggart as we all know would end the year as Divisional, County and Provincial Champions, and were very unlucky not to have been crowned All-Ireland Champions last February, loosing out to Antrim side Kickhams Creggan after a replay.

Modeligo have a good team, with a nice blend of youth and experience. The experience lies in Centre Back Pat Fitzgerald, who was involved in the Waterford set up while Justin McCarthy was the Waterford senior hurling championship and he was retained in the panel for the rest of 2008 after Davy Fitzgerald took over. In addition to playing inter county hurling he has also played Senior Club Hurling in both Waterford and Kilkenny.

Tom Devine, still a teenager is also an experienced player, having won an All-Ireland Minor Championship with Waterford in 2013. He was also a key player on the Dungarvan Colleges team that won the Dr. Harty and Dr. Crokes Cup Finals in 2013.

Seanie O’Donovan is another experienced player. He was part of the Colaiste na nDéise (another named used by the Dungarvan CBS and St Augustine’s combination in Colleges hurling) to win the Dr Harty Cup in 2012. He also played minor for the county that same year.

Older brother Pa also has played underage hurling for Waterford. While the likes of Pa Walsh, Brian and Kieran McCarthy, Thomas Walsh, Jamie, Shane and Michael Troy etc. would all be regarded as excellent hurlers for this grade of hurling and who could hold their own playing at a higher level.

The club has received good support all year and they are expected to bring a good support with them across the Irish Sea, with in the region of about 100 people expected to attend, and there is some who are resident in the UK that are also expected to make their way to the midlands to roar on the side in green and white.

In championship hurling in 2014, Modeligo only failed once not to win. They began the championship campaign with a draw against Colligan before beating Geraldine’s and Saint Mary’s before beating Colligan twice more, the latter time in the Divisional Final to set up a County Final against Bunmahon.

Bunmahon were a surprize package in the final. There was at least two sides in the east of the county that most would have reached the final ahead of Bunmahon, but they got to the final on merit.

On the day Modeligo were magnificent and ran out easy winners which sent them into the Munster Championship.

This was not new territory for Modeligo as they played Dripsey for Cork after their previous County final win, but the outcome that day did not go in their favour.

Modeligo this time around wanted and extended run in the competition and left no stone unturned to ensure it happened.

After winning the county final, they played neighbours and County Intermediate Champions Cappoquin in a challenge game, then it was a case of jump into their cars and made the journey across the Knockmealdown Mountains into Cahir to watch Feohanagh Castlemahon from Limerick and Tipperary champions Skeheenarinky in the Munster Quarter finals as they would be playing the winner.

The Limerick side won the game meaning Modeligo had to make the journey to Limerick and not a handy one to Cahir for the semi final and much of the first half it looked as if the home side would win through to the final but a terrific second half saw Modeligo come through and advance to the Munster Final against a fancied Castlemartyr side in the provincial decider.

In the final it was a case of goals win games. The Cork side after winning their first county final in 50 years were the favourites, but as they say goals win games and Modeligo hit five of them in Mallow to set up this weekend’s game.

Modeligo will travel to Birmingham knowing that they face a tough battle if they are to advance to an All-Ireland semi final against Castleblayney from Monaghan.

Fullen Gaels may be only a new club, only formed ten years ago, but they have quickly gained a good reputation.

With many players now-a-days deciding not to return home to play their club hurling with in their parish of birth, they are staying in the UK. Although Fullen Gaels are based in Manchester, they are drawing players from as far away as Liverpool, Chester and Bolton.

They have won the All-British Junior Championship each year from 2010 to 2014 and in that time have won four Warwickshire Cups and one Lancashire Cup.

Last year they reached the All-Ireland semi final where they were narrowly beaten by the Kickhams Creggan side that beat Ballysaggart after a replay in the All-Ireland final and twelve months earlier they were in Croke Park for the Junior All-Ireland Championship final where they lost to Kilkenny and Leinster Junior champions Thomastown on a 2-17 to 2-14 score line.

The Manchester Club have some experienced players to pick from including Knockanore man Tom Goulding who has played with the Shamrocks in the past and Alan O’Neill who has played for De La Salle.

They also have plenty of other experienced players in the likes of Reamonn McEntee, Patrick Duggan, Liam Knocker, Eoin O’Brien, James O’Shaughnessy, Conal Maskey, Shane Lawless, Simon Wallace and Alan Morrissey.

The motto on the back of the Fullen Gaels ‘Pride and Passion’ is one that the exiles will belief in. Modeligo will have to respect them and they will.

The home side are 10/11 favourites going into this weekend’s game with Modeligo. A few Euro on Modeligo at Evens could well prove to be a good bet. After all many Waterford side love their opponents to be favourites.

Can the Bookies be proven wrong here? The Bookies seldom loose. This could well prove to be one of these occasions when they do. It’s Modeligo to advance to play Castleblayney for me, but it could be tough. Maybe a few Euro on a draw at 9/1 might be a good bet.