By Eanna O’Reilly
THE last time Salthill-Knocknacarra claimed the Frank Fox Cup in 2012, manager Finian Hanley was a key member of the side which defeated Tuam Stars in the county final. Thirteen years on, he is orchestrating things from the sideline as the seaside club attempts to win their fourth senior championship title.
Hanley is eagerly anticipating Salthill-Knocknacarra’s showdown with Maigh Cuilinn on Saturday evening and is enjoying the build up to the biggest day in the Galway club calendar.
‘‘We’re very happy to be there,’’ he said. ‘‘We looked in a bit of trouble coming towards the end the last day [against Corofin] but we’re there. Our aim at the start of the year was to be in the last four, we got there, and it was just a case of really going for it after that.
‘‘We feel, by and large, that we deserve to be there this year. Ourselves and Maigh Cuilinn have both probably pushed on a bit. But there was nothing in either of the semi-finals. Corofin and Tuam could easily have been there. But the lads are buzzing and really looking forward to the final at this stage.’’
Hanley is hopeful that Salthill-Knocknacarra may have found an extra few percent in terms of overall quality this season and is hoping that it will make the difference on Saturday evening.
‘‘We’ve brought in a few new players this year; there are a good few lads involved who are playing in their first full year of senior football. We found a few new characters during the year, when we had players out injured at different times. You only really find out about lads’ abilities when you put them into a championship battle, and we’re certainly going to have that this weekend.
‘‘We’ve found some really resilient players who have revitalised things. They love going out and playing and they bring great enthusiasm. There is plenty of experience there too, a lot of the lads would have played in the final in 2022, and we lost the quarter final [to Maigh Cuilinn] by a point in 2023. So, we feel we have been fairly close in the last few years.
“Last year [semi-final defeat to Corofin] was obviously very disappointing. We freshened things up a bit at the start of this year, and I think it’s really stood to us so far.’’
Despite being regarded as one of Galway football’s big clubs, Salthill-Knocknacarra’s title haul at senior level is relatively modest. Hanley also pointed out that their appearances in finals are far from regular and is impressing upon his players the importance of seizing the day.
‘‘Historically, its very rare for us to get to a senior final. It’s a huge opportunity and I think the lads are really relishing it. So far this year, when the lads have gotten a chance to go after teams, they’ve really gone after them. But it won’t count for anything unless we perform on Saturday now.
‘‘Maigh Cuilinn won’t be giving anything away easy. Both teams are gunning for the same thing and both teams have some really good footballers. We only have three senior titles in our history. Both Maigh Cuilinn and ourselves have gone long spells waiting for silverware, so nothing will be taken for granted going into this final.’’
Hanley is expecting a huge challenge from their opponents on Saturday and feels that Maigh Cuilinn’s appearances in recent finals will be a huge asset to them.
‘‘The experience of playing in finals year in year out, and having experience of winning them, which they have done twice, is a huge thing for any team to have. That’s they level they are at. They have some unbelievable footballers. Guys like Seán Kelly, Peter Cooke and plenty of others.’’
‘‘You’d have to be impressed by what they’ve done as a club in recent years. We know them well; there’s a lot of connections between people from the two clubs, social connections and different things. It will all make for an intriguing final and we’re really looking forward to it now,’’ he concluded.
Pictured: Salthill-Knocknacarra team manager Finian Hanley who is expecting a huge challenge from Maigh Cuilinn in Saturday’s county senior football final at Pearse Stadium.
