Navan O’Mahonys tipped to edge out Pat’s in tight test

This time last year O'Mahonys were still in championship action while St Patrick's were out of the running, but even then the Navan side would have swapped places with their Stamullen comrades.

While St Patrick's exited the race after a thrilling extra-time loss to eventual champions Kilbride, O'Mahonys were embroiled in a battle for survival that went right down to the wire with the famous Hoops surviving by the skin on the skin of their teeth.

It has been a rollercoaster couple of years for O'Mahonys. Two years ago they were a kick of a ball away from returning to the stage where they have taken top billing more often than any other club, while last year they were on the brink of a drop to the unprecedented waters of junior football.

After spending 19 years in the top flight following their IFC in 2000, St Patrick's were one of the three sides, along with Rathkenny and Longwood, to be relegated from senior in 2019 after a campaign that saw them lose all five group games, including their 0-13 to 1-11 loss to O'Mahonys in round five.

In their first year back down St Patrick's were back in relegation trouble, but avoided the drop to Junior with a five point win over Castletown, they next year they also got out of trouble with a relegation play-off win over Ballinlough, but then in '22 things started to shift.

A penalty shootout loss to Duleek-Bellewstown in the quarter-finals, was followed by a semi-final defeat by the same opponents in 2023.

Another relegation play-off was negotiated a year later and last year they were back in the quarter-finals, losing out to Kilbride after extra-time.

St Patrick's are the proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

O'Mahonys have endured their fair share of highs and lows from being relegated to IFc before coming back up and winning senior championships, those on Brews Hill have seen it all, and worn the t-shirts.

So what to expect in Dunsany next Saturday at 1.30pm is anyone's guess.

These two already met in round one and there was little between them with St Patrick's claiming a mild shock win by 1-14 to 0-13, but six weeks is a lifetime in championship football and a lot has changed since then.

O'Mahonys hammered Longwood on the same weekend St Pat's had eight points to spare against Bective. Two weeks later O'Mahonys scraped by Bective, while St Pat's were held to a draw by Longwood - try to make sense of that formline.

However, everything got very real, real fast in the quarter-finals when O'Mahonys trounced a fancied Meath Hill and St Patrick's annihilated another highly regarded side in Moynalvey.

It's fair to say both sides are hitting peak form at the right time, but who has the edge?

O'Mahonys have quality all over the field. They have wore 7/10 or 8/10 players than St Patrick's, but they don't have anyone with the potential impact of Jamie Murphy - will it be the collective of the individual genius?

There's an old saying that hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard. That's not saying St Patrick's won't work hard, but O'Mahonys appear to have a hunger to correct the perception that they were lucky to survive last year and that might just give them the edge over a St Pat's side who will be eager to find consistency on a consistent basis. Verdict - Navan O'Mahonys.