GAA - Ronan Devlin enjoys reaping the early rewards

AFTER years trekking around the roads of Tyrone, coaching in primary schools, Ronan Devlin finally has a base - somewhere he can call home. A former Deputy Head Boy at St Mary’s Magherafelt, Devlin has returned as the school’s GAA Development Officer. “We’ll put in the ground work and you never know what can happen in the future,” Devlin told the County Derry Post back in November in reference to the lack of MacRory success. With the settling in period over, Devlin is relishing his new role:  “It’s nice because you have one single focus and I am able to park the car up at the start of the day now,” quipped Devlin. “Before this I was driving around the country, I was going around schools, seeing the kids once a week but you never got to take them to competitions.  The good thing is that I can now see an end product.” The school’s clash with St Colman’s in the blue ribbon MacRory Cup Final is that end product.  It’s progress but Devlin paid tribute to the structures already in place at St Mary’s. “The principal (Mrs Gillespie) and the bursar Eunan Conway probably took a risk employing someone like myself to help out the fellas in PE with the teams,” conceded Devlin. “On the face of it, it looks like it has paid off but there has always been a push for Gaelic games.  There has been great work going on in here with the likes of ladies football and camogie - Reamann Kennedy and Niamh Hughes have put in serious shifts.” Devlin has spent the best part of the season putting the squad through their paces but as he explains, he is in good company. “There’s Kevin (Brady) and his attention to detail, both with our own team and scouting opponents – it has paid dividends.  There is also John McElhone and the experience he brings to the table is invaluable.” FESTIVE FOCUS The MacRory Cup and the Christmas period go hand in hand.  This serious work begins with teams trying to steal a march on one another.  Forest runs, mountain runs, circuits and interval runs.  The Magherafelt secret was a twin pronged approach – a ‘heavy workload’ and no shortage of challenge games. Not having the ‘teacher holidays’ Devlin put his time in school over the festive period:  “I was in school so I thought it better to spend time with the boys doing something.  Kevin was in most of the time, John was in times, Eunan was in and we thought there was no better preparations than a good game. “I don’t think there is any better preparation for playing a match, than getting a good challenge match.  We took a match in Ballymaguigan one night.  It was a horrible night and we toyed with calling it off.  Then we said - ‘it could be like this the next night we play so we’ll expose them to that.’ We played in windy nights, rain, wet pitches – everything. “It was on purpose.  They’ve came across every scenarios that could happen,” explained Devlin. There was another incident that helped turn their fortunes on a Tuesday last November in Augher.  St Mary’s were on the wrong end of a drubbing against a fancied Omagh CBS in the league. “It was probably the wake up we needed,” admitted Devlin, who accepted a portion of the blame.  “They (Omagh) won by 15 points, so that was a 16 point swing (in quarter-final).  I watched the video several times and tried to do my homework, but the long and the short of it is that myself and the management were badly prepared that day.  It was our fault as much as the boys, we landed late and were a bit rushed.” Leaving Augher there was a realism that their below par showing wasn’t a reflection.  It was time to get the heads down. D-DAY Armed with a series of challenge games and a four point play-off victory over St Michael’s Enniskillen, St Mary’s made the short journey to Ballinderry to face Omagh and to right a few wrongs.  This was the real MacRory – win or bust. “We only scored 3-4, but it was the timing of the scores.  With the match being in Ballinderry, I felt under pressure myself and I was glad to get out and not to have lost at home,” admitted Devlin.  “I think from then on the boys starting believing they were in with a shout.” After going to the well for three high octane games, there can be the concern of a flat performance in the final.  Devlin agrees to an extent but believes there is more to come from this St Mary’s side. “There is always that risk, but I think there is equally as much chance of our boys clicking and not winning by a point.  We have been grinding out results and I think the talent is in that squad to really click some day and explode.” Friday would be the day to deliver, but from his various scouting trips, Devlin is wary of Colman’s.  With the lack of a real standout contender – St Ronan’s Lurgan finally put their hand up.  Not because they won the McCormick Cup. “I saw Lurgan one night and I thought they were the team to beat and the fact that Colman’s beat them would be a concern.  Everything about St Ronan’s pointed to a team that could win it, so they were the standout team. But St Colman’s are getting gradually stronger at the right time.” St Colman’s forward Rian O’Neill is ‘their biggest threat’ admits Devlin, but still chooses to focus on their own team.  Not wanting to fall into the trap of not getting their own house in order first. “Kevin Small is getting a lot of credit because he’s kicking the last score in every game and Daniel Bradley is taking our frees.  But I’d be happy happy enough if we have eight men chipping in two points each rather than a man scoring a goal and eight or nine points.” MacRory Cup finals have been open in recent times.  Devlin will take a 1-0 win…or a 25-24.  It doesn’t matter. The school took five busses to the Bessbrook game in The Dub.  A week later 10 busloads made their way to the Athletic Grounds and on Friday the whole school will converge on the ecclesiastical capital once again. “Nothing creates that buzz like success,” stated Devlin.  “But getting to a final is no good if you don’t win it in my eyes.” Devlin’s take on the contrast in traditions between the schools is simple: “You have to go and create a bit of history, the Colman’s boys haven’t won anything.  Our boys haven’t either so to me it looks like a nice even match.  People still talk about the two (finals) the school (St Mary’s) lost, but these boys didn’t lose them.  I’d be pretty confident going in, if I was them.” In 2003 Devlin’s brother Coilín was on the losing St Mary’s team.  In 1996 Devlin was a young second year on the terrace in Coalisland hoping for MacRory success.  On the Maghera squad that day was Kevin Brady.  They will be on the same bus on Friday…hoping for an extra passenger on the way home.