Fonacab Ulster Minor Tournament final: Cavan Gaels (Cavan) v Four Masters (Donegal) (New Year’s Day, St Paul’s GAC, Belfast, 1pm)
Ed O’Hanlon claims there “isn’t a whole pile” of talk in Cavan town about 1999 and the last batch of St Paul’s minor champions before the turn of the millennium.
There isn’t any real way to gauge it in any case. Although it feels as though you can take O’Hanlon at his word.
The Gaels aren’t shying away from a momentous occasion. Often this build up can be excruciating. Hours pass like days and days like generations.
But Cavan’s champions are enjoying this, thriving in a year that has gone on so long that it’s been ended by time rather than defeat.
“We’re massively enjoying it. It’s a dream to be here. Every other team in Ulster would swap with us in a heartbeat.
“We started on January 17th. We’re a full year at it. We took a short break at the end of the league, but nothing worth talking about.
“We’re very conscious of over training, and we’ve had very few injuries. You’ve MacRory Cup games going on too, Rannafast, we don’t want to flog them on top of that.
“We only really got the band back together again prior to the Irvinestown game.”
O’Hanlon was there back in 1999 as a young spectator to watch the win over Slaughtneil. He was there too in 2000 when a much fancied Gaels team returned to the showpiece event only to be denied by the smallest of margins.
In many ways it’s a role reversal as Four Masters make back-to-back final appearances of their own on Monday. The Gaels defeat of 23 years ago can in a strange way act as motivation, inspiration.
“We have a big tradition at St Paul’s. We dominated minor football in Cavan during the 2000′s, and we were in ten or eleven county finals in a row.
“We were big favourites back in 2000 and got turned over by a point, but we’ve often been there or thereabouts.
“A final is on the day, any team there will be pretty decent. Four Masters are no fools, and they’ll know that just as well as we do.”
A major talking point of the final is the fixture layout, with the Gaels perhaps hampered by Four Masters extra rest.
But O’Hanlon isn’t in the form for complaining:
“We will not be making any excuses about the extra week rest. From a neutral point of view, they are favourites, but that doesn’t come into our heads.
“We’ll be focussing on ourselves. You have to remember these boys are 17. I don’t believe in crying over a five or six day turnaround. You just play the cards you’re dealt.”
The Gaels’ manager was complimentary of his side’s understanding of the occasion, something which has enabled them to enjoy the build-up.
“I’ve always loved this competition. The lads understand the history of it, and of the club, and they’re keen to write their own story.
“I think they understand the magnitude of it all. They want to do something special.”
Something special is exactly what it will take. There has never been much in the line of handouts in west Belfast, not in football, nor in life.
Against a Four Masters side O’Hanlon concedes is “top quality”, they will have to be a scrap for every last ball until the dying embers.
Maybe then, 1999 and 2023 will be welded together with some shining silver to show for it.
Maybe then, the St Paul’s tournament will be the talk of Cavan town once more.
