'Being senior is not about us as a team, it's for the club'

IFC FINAL

As Aodhan Mallon prepared to sit down with the Meath Chronicle ahead of next weekend's IFC final against Meath Hill it was put to him did he mind do interviews?

Quick as a flash and sharp as a rapier he hit back "ye don't do interviews for relegation finals!".

Quick as a flash and sharp as a rapier pretty much sums up Mallon as a footballer - a vital cog in the O'Mahonys machine that is now just one step away from a quick-ish return to senior football.

Mallon has been outstanding for the past couple of seasons for the Hoops. His energy, drive, leadership and accuracy often getting his team out of tricky situations. He is certainly a player of county potential.

However for now, Mallon is focus on getting O'Mahonys back to where he believes they belong, among the elite of Meath GAA and while he is pleased with his own form, he always believes he can do better.

"You always feel you can do a bit better. I feel everyone has really stepped up this year. The most impressive performances are coming from the young lads," said Mallon.

"Lads like Sean Betson and Ivo Fitzherbert are only 18 years old and they are getting better by the game.

"The older lads on the team like Brian Dillon, Oisin O'Brien, Darragh Maguire are playing the best football I've seen them play in years.

"To get to a final everyone has to be playing well. We are happy enough with our performances. We are a hungry group and we all want to be better, game by game.

"We are always a slight bit disappointed after every game because we feel we have a bit more to give.

"It is huge for O'Mahonys to be a senior club. It is all about the club because we have some really good young talent coming through and we want to be a senior club for them.

"Also when you see lads like Iano (Matthews) winning the Premier 6 and the work they put in, it is for lads like that as well.

"Lads like Peter Matthews, Oliver O'Toole, Stephen Bray, Marky Brennan. Being senior is not about us as a team, it's for the club."

There were times this year when that dream of being a senior club looked like pie in the sky, as likely as the Republic of Ireland winning the World Cup or Meath winning the All-Ireland.

However, Mallon has always believed that the potential is there and as they have steadily progressed this year, so too has the hope that dreams might come true.

"We had shown glimpses throughout the year that we are capable of good things, but we also had some bad patches of form," said Mallon.

"It was hard to judge where we were in A FL Div 1. We did put in some good performances and showed at times that we were capable of getting to the Intermediate final, but then when the first championship game came around Walterstown really caught us on the hop. It looked really bad after that game.

"We responded really well against St Michael's, but even after that game it looked possible that we wouldn't even get out of the group.

"We have just been building momentum slowly and steadily. To get to the Intermediate final you have to earn it and we have certainly earned it the hard way."

Mallon believes that the drive behind the team comes from having management that are passionate about the club, Navan O'Mahonys men who want the best for the players and for everyone involved.

"The management really drive on the team. Their passion is infectious. They want the best for us and the best for the club," he said.

"They have really brought us together. It is our second year together and this is the best we have played in a good while, it's the best I've been involved with. Having lads from the club involved bring that extra spark."

While everything is rosy in the Brews Hill garden right now, Mallon does not take next Saturday's opponents for granted - not on your life.

"Meath Hill have been the favourites right from the start and rightly so, they have been flawless in the championship," warned the O'Mahonys man.

"If we are to give them a competitive game then we are going to have to play the best we have played in a long time and we know that.

"I don't know much about them personally, but I'm sure the management will have their homework done as always and they will decide the match-ups.

"We are really looking forward to taking them on, we know they are a serious outfit and we will have to be our very best," concluded Mallon.