The long wait is over

You will always pass failure on the way to success, but the day of reckoning has arrived for Navan O"Mahonys. On Sunday afternoon their fate will be decided when they meet Summerhill in the 2008 SFC final at Pairc Tailteann. Over a decade without the Keegan Cup on Brews Hill represents the longest period in the prestigious history of Meath"s most successful club. Failure came in the disappointment of 2006 and 2007, but O"Mahonys may feel their time is now. For three successive years they were installed as hot favourites to capture a title they have won 16 times previously. This time around one final hurdle remains - a rather significant one in the form of Summerhill. In the mid-1970s Summerhill were the most formidable club side in Meath and, for a period, in Leinster. However, their stock has slipped since then. After a few years in the wilderness battling against relegation the south Meath club are ready for a return to the top table. Joint-managers Paraic Lyons and Mattie Kerrigan have worked the oracle with a talented bunch of youngsters, backed up with a significant wealth of experience and knowledge. History places both clubs in the upper echelons of Meath football. Along with Skryne, history regards Summerhill and O"Mahonys as major forces. Navan O"Mahonys and Summerhill share a very significant fact. They are the only clubs to have won four successive Keegan Cups, but the Navan men even went one step further recording a five-in-a-row from 1957 to 1961. Achieving five-in-a-row is unlikely to be ever repeated and winning four successive crowns is also a long shot. Dunshaughlin managed three at the beginning of this decade. Summerhill claimed their four titles in-a-row from 1974 to 1977 while O"Mahonys managed four-in-a-row between 1987 and 1990. The last leg of that famous sequence resulted from a replay victory over Summerhill back in 1990. Summerhill"s only SFC success since winning their four previous titles was in 1986 when Lyons captained the side. Navan O"Mahonys must look back to 1997 when last year"s winning manager, Damien Sheridan (Seneschalstown) inspired the Alan Reilly-captained side to victory over Trim. However, since then O"Mahonys have suffered the ignominy of dropping to intermediate football in 2001. Such is the resilience of the club they bounced back to senior by winning the IFC in 2003 and since then they have appeared in the Keegan Cup final in 2006 and 2007. They were also denied a final appearance in 2005 when they used four substitutes in their extra-time semi-final victory over Dunboyne, and were subsequently thrown out of the championship. It has been a turbulent few years for the club. They were hot favourites to overcome Wolfe Tones in 2006 and Seneschalstown in 2007. The current 11-year drought is the longest the club have gone without the Keegan Cup. The Brews Hill men went from 1964 to 1973 without annexing the cup, but their current barren spell since 1997 is hurting the club and they will be aiming to put that right on Sunday. For Summerhill, 2008 represents a new beginning. Only Billy Shaw remains on the panel from the team that last appeared in an SFC final in 1990, and he had to be brought out of retirement this year to remedy a free-taking problem. Shaw"s return was hampered by injury, but since then Stephen Kennedy has stepped up to the plate and assumed the responsibility with great effect and a positive outcome. While O"Mahonys will be at a short price to lift their 17th title, it would be a brave man that would bet against Summerhill. O"Mahonys looked good when crushing Blackhall Gaels in the semi-final, but the following day Summerhill were equally impressive when disposing of Wolfe Tones. Summerhill used Adrian Kenny to great effect when shackling Wolfe Tones only serious attacking threat, Cian Ward. They played the possession game, ran at the Wolfe Tones defence with pace and troubled them with their intensity. Against O"Mahonys, Kenny and the rest of his defensive colleagues will have more than one attacking threat to worry about. The twin powers of David and Stephen Bray will cause problems. David is playing the best football of his life and is sure to feature on a county panel next spring. Stephen operates with more freedom and with greater effect from the '40" and while Brian Ennis is an excellent footballer there are doubts whether he is a tight enough marker to keep tabs on the 2007 All Star. It is essentially around midfield where most games are won and lost and Sunday will be no different. Summerhill sprung a surprise against Wolfe Tones by bringing Conor Gillespie out from corner-forward to partner Maurice Kennedy at midfield and it worked a treat with Micheal Byrne enjoying an excellent game as well. Lyons and Kerrigan might choose to stick with the pairing for the final, but the presence of Mark Ward and Barry Regan will pose a much more potent threat. Ward"s distribution and awareness has improved immensely under the guidance of joint-managers Sean Kelly and Sean Barry and Regan"s contribution ensures that he will be a bundle of energy all afternoon. Midfield assumes great significance because whoever wins the majority of possession to feed their hungry forward line will probably win. Just as David Bray has made a huge impact this year, so to has Stephen Kennedy. The Summerhill youngster is an exceptional talent with pace to burn and accuracy to match. He has settled into the free-taking roll nicely and if O"Mahonys show any indiscipline inside 40 metres, he will punish them. While Kennedy has been taking most of the scoring plaudits this term, it has been the outstanding form of Clare footballer Rory Donnelly that has inspired Summerhill. O"Mahonys" full-back Kevin Reilly will have his hands full on Sunday and that contest promises to be one of the key battles. There are potential match winners throughout the field on both sides. Victory or defeat will lie in the small details. A slice of luck, a bounce of the ball or a refereeing decision is all that could be needed to separate the sides. When the teams met in round four of the championship O"Mahonys enjoyed a 0-14 to 0-10 victory. That win might give the Navan men a psychological edge, but it will count for nothing in the greater scheme of things. Finals tend to disappoint as spectacles, but if both sides play football, as we know they can, then it should be a hugely exciting game. I nominated Navan O"Mahonys from the outset and I"ve seen little to change that view. O"Mahonys to end 11 years of disappointment, but not before one almighty struggle.