Adam McDonnell could be a key player for Summerhill in Newbridge on Saturday evening.
Fri 14 Nov 2025, 2:30 PM
One thing is for certain, Summerhill won’t be taking Athy for granted like some of those involved in Kildare GAA did before their county final against five-in-a-row chasing bigshots, Naas.
Almost everyone had written off Athy ahead of the final against Philly McMahon’s genuine All-Ireland contenders, almost everyone that is except those inside the south Kildare side’s camp and Summerhill manager Dave Clare.
Following last week’s impressive win over Longford’s Killoe Emmet Og Clare turned his focus to Athy and admitted to knowing a lot about the Kildare champions from his three years in charge of Celbridge. He had used his knowledge of the team in red to put his money where his mouth was and he backed them to get the better of Naas.
Clare showed more faith in Athy than the local media did and even those who circulated the fixtures in Kildare were so sure of a Naas win that they had posted that the former four-in-a-row champions would be facing Baltinglass in the Leinster Club SFC.
Athy captain David Hyland rubbed the egg into the faces of the doubters during his acceptance speech after picking up the Dermot Bourke Cup, and rightly so, because his side is littered with so much quality that they should never be written off.
Even if you had lived under a stone for the last few years just a cursory glance at the Athy team sheet should signal enough alarm bells and Summerhill certainly won’t fall into the trap of taking anything for granted.
Indeed it will be quite the opposite in Newbridge next Saturday evening as the Meath champions will be massive 3/1 underdogs – this time it’s the Meath champions who are being written off.
Athy look like formidable opposition. The aforementioned Hyland is a long established Kildare stalwart and alongside another inter-county star Kevin Feely they have one of the most feared midfields in the country.
Former Tyrone player Cathal McCarron anchors their defence from centre-back and proved in the final win over Naas that he still poses plenty of threat going forward.
Throw in goalkeeper Shane Jackman and the Spillane brothers, Michael and Padraig, and Summerhill will have their work cut out to create attacking openings.
Feely and Hyland provide an outstanding platform for talented forwards like Barry Kelly, Niall Kelly and Brian Maher to exploit, but this is the area that could be key to a shock. One thing is for certain the local Meath media won’t be underestimating our champions in newbridge next Saturday at 5.15pm.
The foundation of Summerhill’s remarkable run since limping out of the group stages of the SFC has been their formidable defence.
Ben Moran was magnificent in the Keegan Cup final win over Ratoath. In Ronan and Ross Ryan they have powerful pillars of defence, while both Jamie O’Shea and Jack Bannon have proven very adept at attacking from deep.
If there is any midfield pairing in the province capable of putting it up to Hyland and Feely then it is Adam Flanagan and Adam McDonnell. McDonnell has taken his game to another level this year and he is already being earmarked as a key player for Meath in 2026 despite never having played for the seniors at a competitive level.
If their normally rock-solid defence can lay the platform then in players like David Larkin and Diarmuid McCabe Summerhill have the creativity to provide opportunities for Liam Shaw, Eoghan Frayne and Conor Frayne. Kevin Ryan’s pace will also be key and if anything malfunctions the strength of Summerhill’s bench could be a factor.
Two year’s ago Summerhill were well beaten by Naas in the Leinster quarter-finals, but they were still in that game with 15 minutes to go before the exertions of winning the county final and getting over Tullamore in the first round of Leinster took its toll.
This time around Summerhill appear much more focused and far better conditioned. They are being written off in most circles, but don’t be one bit surprised if they can do an Athy on it and stun the province again.
Fri 14 Nov 2025, 2:30 PM
