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St Vincent’s bid for All-Ireland glory

Thursday, 13 March 2008

AS big days go, St Patrick's Day will be one of the biggest ever for everyone involved with St Vincent's GAA Club.
The renowned North Dublin club’s senior football team will enter the fray at Croke Park to take on mighty Nemo Rangers from Cork for the right to be crowned 2008 All-Ireland Club Champions.
Not since their last Leinster Championship in 1984 has there been such a buzz around the Marino-based club, as the St Vincent’s boys have marched to county and provincial titles on route to this All-Ireland final date.
It has been just over 30 years since St Vincent's won their only All-Ireland crown, so the players taking part next Monday know they have a golden opportunity to create a monumental piece of club history.
Coach Mickey Whelan enjoyed some great moments as a player, winning two All-Ireland titles with Dublin and one with St Vincent’s and later had the honour of managing his county for three years in the 1990s.
But never before has Whelan had the chance to lead a senior team out in an All-Ireland decider and he will be hoping to get his team tactics right against powerful opposition in Nemo Rangers.
Even captain Mossy Quinn, who has been a central figure in the Dublin squad that has captured three successive Leinster titles, would probably admit that this will be the biggest day in his career.
Mossy scored one of the two early goals that broke the hearts of reigning All-Ireland club champions Crossmaglen in this year's semi final and if St Vincent's are to finish off Nemo Rangers in the final, they will need their inspirational forward to be at his best.

Nemo Rangers currently boast the best record in the country for All-Ireland club titles, with a total of seven in the bag already.
This highlights just how big a game it is going to be for St Vincent’s, who so far have only that one solitary All-Ireland crown captured in 1976.
Perhaps a couple of good omens from that day is that Mickey Whelan played for Vincent's and their opponents in the '76 final were none other than Nemo Rangers.
However, there is even more of a history to this game in that Nemo were also St Vincent's’ opponents in the All-Ireland final of 1973 when the Cork giants came out on top.
So something is going to have to give when these two go head to head at GAA headquarters in what is sure to be a fascinating contest.
It is probably hard to believe now, but St Vincent's’ long march to this year's final actually started with a defeat to Kilmacud Crokes in the first round of the Dublin championship last April.
They have made no mistake since, however, having availed of a back-door route, and successfully negotiated their way to the Dublin championship final with a revenge victory over Croke's in the semi-finals.
It was late October when St Vincent's held their nerve to beat St Brigid's by two points to capture their 25th Dublin championship but their first one since 1984.
St Vincent's’ next outing came in the Leinster quarter finals against Seneschalstown at Parnell Park, when they had to settle for a dogged 0-11 to 1-8 draw and a replay the following week in Cavan.
St Vincent's made no mistake at the second time of asking and dispatched their Meath rivals with five points to spare.
The Leinster semi final in late November saw St Vincent's really let loose against Portlaoise with an emphatic 3-13 to 0-11 victory. That showed how much they meant business in their quest for a proper shot at the All-Ireland title.
But first they had the challenge of trying to win the Leinster Championship when they came up against Tyrellspass in Mullingar on December 16.
And Christmas certainly came early for the Northsiders when they outfought Tyrellspass to win the provincial club title by a 2-8 to 0-8 scoreline.
St Vincent's then had two months to prepare for the extremely tough task of taking on Crossmaglen Rangers in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Once again, Vincent's were not to be found wanting as they tore into their fierce Armagh rivals, barely letting them settle into the game and hung on for a magnificent four-point victory.
Croke Park beckons on Monday and if St Vincent's show the fighting spirit and skill that has taken them this far, they have every chance of being crowned the best club team in Ireland.

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