On Sunday, Wolfe Tones and Longford Slashers will battle for the right to be crowned Longford Senior Hurling Champions as they clash at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park. Wolfe Tones are back in the final for the first time since 2021 when as reigning champions, they were defeated by Slashers.
At the helm of the Edgeworthstown side this year is John Lynam ,who along with his assistant Mattie McLoughlin, is really looking forward to the big occasion.
‘It’s a big day for me personally. It is my first time with the lads as a manager. I have been involved in the backroom team before, but I was never in this position before, so it is huge for me and it’s probably bigger than when I was playing for the team.
I am only there to pick the team but it was the lads who got themselves to the final, Mattie and I helped to guide the lads, but it was their commitment and good play that got us to the final, and I believe that we have a good chance of lifting the JJ Duignan Cup.’
Wolfe Tones have won twenty titles including six-in-a-row between 2013 and 2018, they missed out on the final in 2019 but won it for the last time in 2020 when Aiden Sheridan lifted the JJ Duignan Cup, and John is hoping that they can get back that championship winning feeling on Sunday.
‘It means a lot to our club and we have been very successful over the years but that has been down to the great work that has been done at underage level. We have Sean Browne, Willie Browne, Jimmy Connell, Mattie McLoughlin all working so hard at that level, and we are trying to bring more lads through as the senior side has probably fallen away a little bit recently, but hopefully we will be back to winning ways on Sunday.’
This year’s campaign has seen Wolfe Tones beating back-to-back champions Clonguish by nine points and losing to Slashers in a keenly contested game in Allen Park by just a single point. Lynam reflected back on those games.
‘We were unlucky against Slashers and we did miss some chances at the very end to snatch the draw. Our performance against Clonguish was very impressive and we scored five goals that day which we were very happy with. The big county final over the years has been us and Slashers, so it’s great to be back in the county final again and playing Slashers in the decider.
Our players deserve their place in the final as they have put in a massive effort this year. Some lads are working away and have to travel to training or are working late and still come to training. They are also putting in sessions themselves outside of training and they are giving everything that they have in our efforts to bring back the JJ Duignan Cup to Edgeworthstown. We have leaders all over the pitch from Maitiú O’Donohue in goals to Cathal Mullane in the forward line and the leadership qualities we have in every line of the field will hopefully be the key to beating Slashers on Sunday.’
Interview by Tony Ghee.