Jarlath's ready for final scene

Colleges' SF final: There was a moment earlier this week when the mentors of St Jarlath's College panicked a little, and wondered if their boys could rise to the challenge of Sunday's All-Ireland final against St Michael's, Enniskillen.

The concern wasn't their ability, but those two games in the previous eight days that have already descended into the classics of colleges' football.

Every muscle and every nerve of the Tuam players was tested over the three-hour epic with Colaiste na Sceilge, and even those watching were left spellbound long after the toiling ended.

The hesitancy proved brief. All those associated with St Jarlath's realised it's time they won another All-Ireland, and no one more so than long-term guardian and coach Fr Oliver Hughes.

For the third Sunday in succession then the boys are ready for the game of their lives.

"Well it's not ideal timing," says Fr Hughes, "but it is a final and I think that's important enough to bring them right back up. Winning has a way of keeping people on a high and getting them over the tiredness and injuries and so on.

"Of course, we won't absolutely know until the game starts and unfolds just how well they will have recovered. They've never been through a situation like this, playing three hours of football in eight days. And it was tough, quality football against such good opposition."

For all the grand tradition of St Jarlath's, the 1994 title remains their only win in the last 18 years. They still lead the All-Ireland list with 11 honours in all, but they also lost out narrowly to St Patrick's, Navan in last year's final and fell short too against Good Counsel in the 1999 final.

"The simple thing is that these titles are very hard to win," explains Fr Hughes.

"And I suppose two things have maybe come up against us in recent years. The standard of football in Connacht has dropped, so sometimes you can come out with not such a good team and get caught.

"Then you can get out with a good team, like we have this year, and because you haven't had a stiff test you could still get caught in the final. Of course, you need things running for you on the day as well, and I was quite happy last year, but Navan had two or three outstanding individuals who lifted their game and just inspired the win."

Clearly then they've had a real test this year: "Well, we didn't know how we would react to the sort of pressure that Colaiste na Sceilge would put us under.

In the end, those games had everything, a real rollicking football with total commitment form both sides.

"And there's also clear talent in this St Jarlath's team. Michael Meehan at full forward - a brother of Galway's Tomas and Declan - has been leading the scoring totals, but there's been great back-up from the likes of David Warde and John Devane.

In defence, Darren Mullahy and Alan Burke have been shining as bright.

Though St Michael's, coached by Dominic Corrigan, have never won the All-Ireland, they have been knocking about for a while now and will be no strangers to St Jarlath's either when they meet in Carrick-on-Shannon.

"We played them last year in the semi-final and beat them by a point. And they have the bulk of that excellent team back from last year. But it always takes a very good team to get through Ulster."

"The McRory Cup is so competitive and I saw them in the semi-final against Dundalk schools and they were very, very impressive."

If tradition counts for anything, St Jarlath's will start as marginal favourites.

Yet that tradition is on the verge of change, as St Patrick's College in Tuam, the former CBS school who in recent years have lost their competitiveness in colleges' football, will soon be merging with St Jarlath's.

It will take another three or four years to work out the mechanics of the amalgamation before it actually takes place but within the same time, the boarding school at St Jarlath's will also be closed. With that goes the heart of school's 200-year history, giving another reason perhaps why this year's title would be even more cherished.