'There was a stigma about us that we were soft for a long time but we completely put that to bed today'
An emotional Joey Christie was still trying to gather his thoughts as he reflected on Rathmolyon’s fantastic win over Clann na nGael in the IHC final at Kiltale on Saturday.
Christie had struggled a bit with injuries during this years IHC campaign and had been in and out of the team. However, last Saturday he delivered a man of the match performance which helped Rathmolyon claim the Mick Leonard Cup.
When Christie scored his eighth point on Saturday, he fist-pumped the air and in his own words, lost all composure.
“There wasn’t much going through my head for that last score. I seen the ball going over the bar and just lost all composure. I’m still a bit all over the place here as I'm chatting to you right now,” said Christie.
“This has been coming a long time. There was a stigma about us that we were soft for a long time but we completely put that to bed today. Last year the pain of losing that final was tough. When we got back to training at the start of the year we only had one goal. We were just building and building all year and thank god we got over the line.”
Christie spoke about how the pain of getting so close but ultimately losing out in previous years was a huge motivational factor for Rathmolyon.
“A huge motivational factor for us was that we had come so close in years gone by. We lost the final in 2022. We got to a quarter-final in 2024, we were beaten in extra-time in the semi-final in 2023 and then lost to a very good Kilskyre/Moylagh outfit last year. We didn’t really turn up that day. We knew today we had to turn up. There was no other option and every single Rathmolyon man out there was unbelievable today.”
The change in the hurling championship structure meant that after topping the group, Rathmolyon had to wait four weeks before they contested Saturday’s decider. Christie said that it was always the plan to top the group so they had already mentally prepared for the break. He also spoke about a challenge game that the team had against Kiltale in preparation for the final.
“The aim at the start of the year was to top the group anyway, so we were anticipating that four-week wait. We just wanted to get into a final because when you get into a semi-final, you don't know what is going to happen. In knockout hurling, form goes out the window.
We had our plan set out. We got a challenge against Kiltale and that was fantastic for us. It was great to test ourselves against them.”
Christie went on to speak about the love of hurling in the area. He also gave a special mention to some of the stalwarts in the squad.
“Every time you walk up the village of Rathmolyon, you have a chat with someone about hurling. It is the only thing that matters in Rathmolyon. If you are not able to chat about hurling you may stay going through the village to be honest,” said Christie.
“The celebrations will go on for a while. It won’t be just tonight, we could be months celebrating this. Im delighted for the likes of Simon Ennis, Jarlath Ennis, Gary Doherty, Johnny Harnan and all them. It is 10 years since we went down to intermediate and for the work they put in, it is fantastic that they now get something back.”
The celebrations will surely go on for a long time in Rathmolyon. There will be a few senior clubs looking over their shoulders with caution as the Village enter the SHC B ranks in 2027.