By Michael McMullan

ST Patrick’s, Maghera took a few days to enjoy their 17th MacRory Cup title before getting the heads down for a tilt at the Hogan Cup.

They face last year’s beaten finalists Mercy Mounthawk from Tralee who have seven of the team who played in the defeat to Omagh CBS.

Padraig O’Halloran is a key man at centre back, while they have a midfield duo of former Kerry minor star Ben Murphy and Daniel Kirby. All three are from Austin Stacks with Kirby featuring in their run to the All-Ireland semi-final.

Tomás Kennedy of Kerins O’Rahilly’s and Paddy Lane (Austin Stacks) – who hit 0-6 in last year’s Hogan final – are key men up top.

“From looking at the results, you’re seeing that they’re putting up very big scores in Munster,” said Maghera Joint Manager Willie McAteer, who pointed to the Tralee midfield pairing as another strength.

“They’re obviously a good side; they’ve come out of Munster and they’ve beaten a lot of the traditionally bigger schools, so they’ve obviously got a bit about them.”

Two days after the MacRory final, McAteer had a D’Alton Cup team out in action as the wheels continue to turn elsewhere in the school.

With the junior and senior camogie teams reaching All-Ireland finals, there is plenty of sporting interest.

In the nine years since they last lifted the MacRory Cup, there were knockbacks. St Mary’s, Magherafelt and Holy Trinity, Cookstown hit them with late goals to knock them out. It helps make success taste all the sweeter.

McAteer backs up the narrative of his team’s workrate. When the management laid their cards on the table, their focus was on the collective rather than the individual approach that didn’t work in the earlier competitions down the school years.

“They’ve realised it has not worked for them as a group, doing the individual thing, and they’ve really bought into the collective this year,” McAteer said.

The proof was in the final when Abbey VS hit them for 2-1. McAteer uses the Mike Tyson line.

Everyone thinks they have a plan until they are punched in the face.

Maghera got knocked down but were on their feet and kept on trucking until they backed Abbey back into their own corner.

It was something McAteer felt clicked first when they were hit by a messy goal in a league game in Lurgan against St Ronan’s.

One of those days in long grass and inclement weather when the panic button is there to be pressed.

“Everybody dug in and it was one of those ones where you were starting to get into a habit of winning games ugly,” McAteer recalled.

“You started realising these boys had a wee bit more to them and as the year went on, we started putting the pieces together.”

Darragh Doherty, Pádraig Haran and Finbar McShane were converted from further upfield to form a key line along their half-back region.

All of a sudden, they began to unite as a team and there was depth created in the squad around the edges.

The panel were back in training days after the final, both on the pitch and in the gym with strength and conditioning coach Ollie Cummings again working his magic.

The sprained ankle that forced Odhrán Doherty off in the MacRory final has cleared up and he’ll be good to go this weekend.

Mercy Mounthawk are the next challenge. They tasted St Patrick’s Day in Croke Park last year. Maghera have Hogan Cup tradition of their own.

The winners of this weekend will fancy themselves to go the whole way.

Kerry and Ulster have been the teams to beat. This year will be no different.