Masita Hogan Cup final Mercy Mounthawk (Kerry) v Omagh CBS (Tyrone) (Saturday, Croke Park, 3pm, live on TG4)
RUAIRI McCullagh was man-of-the-match in the Hogan Cup final 12 months ago and he is certainly one player that Mounthawk from Tralee will have to keep a close eye on this afternoon at Croke Park if they are to upset the odds against Omagh CBS.
The Loughmacrory man has been the go-to player for the defending champions throughout the campaign and while he had to go off injured in the semi-final he will be back at full throttle at centre half-forward as his school bid to create history and become the first from Tyrone to win back-to-back All Ireland titles at this level.
“It’s a wee bit different this time,’’ explains McCullagh.
“You know you’re the oldest in the group now and I suppose you have the year below with you, a lot of new faces and new lads and they haven’t experienced this before and we’re going down to Dublin soon and they’ll get wee taste of it, so just training and stuff down there and the bus journey down, it all takes in the factor and we’re really looking forward to it now,” he said.
“Years ago you didn’t really know much about the Hogan Cup as our school had only ever won it the once, so it was never really talked about, the Hogan Cup, until you’re actually in it.
“It was always the MacRory Cup and now that we’ve been through it last year, you realise how big it is and the big event it has and it’s in Croke Park obviously, the biggest stage.
“It’s obviously massive having it in Croke Park, it’s always the place you dream of playing in, it’s where you want to get to in your career and be playing consistently there at county level eventually.”
This group of players have got used to winning big games this last two years and that is a trait that McCullagh is hoping will stand to them again.
“It’s that winning feeling, it’s so hard to beat like, you can’t buy it and because you put in so much work to get there in the first place and then to actually do the thing, it’s just unbelievable, so I suppose for us it’s about giving that opportunity to them lads that haven’t experienced it.
‘’Lads like Mark, Paudie, Sean McCann and Blaine, you know, them boys, Oisin too and I suppose really shining through to them and passing on whatever experience we gained from last year.
‘’Personally, it would mean a lot cause anything I go to do, I go to win it, so I’d love to do back-to-back Hogans, you know it’s something you dream of from first year in the school and I’d think it would be great for the whole team and the whole school.
‘’Hopefully it will promote people to come here more often and see the success and hopefully one day lift a MacRory or Hogan themselves.”