DURING last week’s media event, Ruairi McHugh got his hands on the famed MacRory Cup, but not for as long as he would have liked.
The Holy Trinity, Cookstown captain traded the trophy with the St Mary’s, Magherafelt skipper Eoin McEvoy as they posed for photographs and interviews.
The two captains will commence battle on Sunday afternoon and only one will take home the MacRory Cup crown.
“It would mean everything to the school, it’s what the school’s all about,” said Na Fianna, Coalisland club man McHugh.
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“To represent the school, it would be unbelievable to get our hands on it. It felt nice having it, for the 30 seconds that I had it, so it would be unbelievable to get our hands on it properly.”
Sunday’s showpiece is a “massive day” for everyone involved according to McHugh, as he leads his side into their first ever MacRory Cup final.
The Cookstown college have done it the hard way, taking down both Abbey CBS and St Pat’s, Maghera on route to the decider.
They now face another Derry opponent, Magherafelt, who have only won the title once in their history, back in 2017.
Sunday will be a historic day for whoever comes out on top, and McHugh hopes his side will have enough to get over the line.
“Leading the lads out, we’ve created history so far, but the job isn’t finished yet. We plan to go out and get our hands on the MacRory Cup.
“It’s a massive day, a massive occasion. There’s a great buzz about, we can’t wait to get out and start playing and two weeks will be a massive day, but we’ll be able to handle it and perform.”
Getting over the two huge obstacles in the quarter and semi-finals helped create a great buzz and lots of excitement throughout the school.
Holy Trinity have carried the weight of the underdogs tag with them throughout the competition so far, but they haven’t let it affect their performances on the field.
“We went in as big underdogs (against Abbey CBS and St Pat’s Maghera) and came out on the right end of the result. There’s a great buzz, everyone’s asking about it. Teachers, everyone, the wee ones in the school looking up to you, it’s unbelievable.”
McHugh, who was also the vice-captain of the 2021 Tyrone minor team, points to the input of their “unbelievable” management duo of Peter Canavan and John McKeever.
The pair will also partner up at club level for the upcoming season as they lead McKeever’s own Portglenone.
Canavan, a two-time All-Ireland winner and eight-time Allstar with Tyrone, will hope to inspire his side from the sideline.
“He’s done it all before, him and John, two great managers. They both know football like the back of their hand so it’s unbelievable to have them on our side.”
