INTERVIEW: 'Maynooth had both (games) on merit' - Ross Glavin ahead of SFC final

Ross Glavin needs little introduction to anyone involved in Kildare football over the last 25 years of so.

The Moorefield man has represented his county at minor, U21 and senior level, played his first county senior final at 17, going on win six titles; managing his club to three finals, winning two; plus two Leinster Club Championships (one as a player and one as manager); before joining Jack O’Connor in his first year in charge of the Lillies.

Ross took a back seat then for a number of years before linking up with his brother-in-law Karl Ennis, with Maynooth in 2025, Karl also having enjoyed a distinguished career in the white of Kildare.

This is Ross’ first full season with Maynooth and what an impression he has made, which to anyone who knows him, that does not come as any great surprise and he has now guided Maynooth to their first senior final since - wait for it - 1916.

Looking back on the season with the former member of the Defence Forces, as this Sunday’s Joe Mallon Motors SFC final approaches, Ross Glavin says that while acknowledging that many did not fancy his side’s chances of defeating champions Athy, or hot favs Naas “to be honest I was a bit disappointed so many people were writing us off as much as they were and then suggesting both wins were more or less down to the teams not performing rather than the other narrative that Maynooth had both on merit.

“To win a big game, to knock-out the county champions, and in the manner that we did, I was delighted with it and then to take out the hot favourites Naas, I felt we showed something we were lacking last season; an abundance of steel, a bit of toughness, that mental resilience that championship games against these big clubs come down to a battle.

Ross admits that the football may not have been the prettiest but said he thought they were really good, competitive championship club games, something that I would expect at this time of the year and I felt they were really good games for neutrals to watch because of the tension involved and all that, but we were delighted to get over the line in both games and more importantly I thought we deserved to win the both of them.

In Gaelic football the only thing that matters is championship, nothing else matters, he insists, adding, you use the rest of the year to build a squad, build morale, build team spirit, and that is exactly what we did.

“We sat down and planned out our whole year twelve months ago; where we wanted to be and the main focus of the league had two aspects to it: to grow the squad depth (we have played forty players) but most importantly to build a good team spirit; there is great camaraderie within the group; a lot of players pushing hard in training and I feel we are in a very good place.”

Ross Glavin took over from Declan McCabe at short notice and as he explains “I needed to get to know the players, and them to get to know me, they had a good league campaign last season but I wasn’t able to freshen them up for the championship while this year part of the plan was to peak this time of the year while I think we have managed to do.”

Any particular turning point in the season?

“Not really” came the immediate response adding “being three points down to Carbury 45 minutes into the game and back then when we got a ‘punch’ in the face we didn’t respond to it, in fact if anything we retreated last year, so our plan this year was if we got a ‘punch’ in the face make sure we throw back two ‘punches,’ and that day against Carbury we responded by scoring the last 1-4 without conceding, the way we won that game was important.

Of course Maynooth and Sarsfields met in the group stages, a tight enough affair, which Sarsfields won in the end but as the manager looks back at it now and the fact there was just a single score between the sides coming down the stretch, we showed great character that day he insists.

“We were trailing Athy going down the stretch also, again showed character, kicked that two-pointer and in extra time we were getting stronger.

“Again against Naas, poor in the first half, disappointing, but we came out in the second half and within five or six minutes we had leveled, still found ourselves behind again going down the home stretch and again showed that bit of character and once we got the lads into the dressing room I knew we had a lot more in us, I was looking at them (Naas) and felt they didn’t and I thought there was only ever going to be one winner here.”

The two extra time games, Glavin says, were different in the sense against Athy, we told the lads at half-time just to keep calm, while in the Naas game (half-time extra time) it was more about the opportunity we had for the next 10 minutes, all the work we had done over the last twelve months and here we were in a great position against the hot favs; they were thinking internally of winning Leinster Clubs over the past few years and here were we looking forward to getting back out on to the pitch, of proving a lot of people wrong (including Tommy Callaghan he laughs) and here we are now.”

Ross Glavin has played many championship games against Sarsfields; has managed many teams in the championship against Sarsfields, is there any that stick out, any in particular that spring to mind?

After a bit of a pause the reply comes: two in particular.

“In my first season in 2002 as a senior player, I was 17 and starting the county final against Sarsfields, a massive occasion, that was massive.”

And the other?

“A bit of a strange one” he replies.

“It was my first year managing Moorefield, they were managed by Johnny Crofton and were going for three-in-a-row, we played in the quarter-final, I thought we did the job in the first 30 minutes, and Moorefield had not won it for a few years and I felt it was vitally important we make a statement that day and I really enjoyed that one, 2017 I think” he says with a lot satisfaction.

But how confident is Ross Gavin that come Sunday the occasion won’t get to his players, going in once again as big, big underdogs?

“We find ourselves in practically the same position that we went into our two last games; Naas were 1/6 we were 2/1, completely written off, nobody gave us a chance; now Sarsfields, in this Jubilee Year, have not been in a final for a number of years so there is pressure on them, they have quite a young profile of a team, I know from my short tenure with Kildare the likes of Shea Ryan, Con Kavanagh, Matty Byrne they have the experience but a lot of the rest of them do not have the experience, so both match up similarly, obviously as far as the two clubs are concerned, one has been a dominant force over the years and one has not been in a final for 110 years, that’s some difference.”

Ross pays high tribute to his S&C man, Mick Gillick.

Mick has been working with these players for a few years now, also involved with the county hurlers, a hard worker, and it is not by accident we get to this time of the year with almost a full deck to choose from and players are getting stronger all the time, all part of the plan to peak at this time.”

On thing is for sure while The Sash will tog out as roaring hot favs but as Ross Glavin will readily testify they (Maynooth) have knocked out the hot favourites; they have knocked out last season’s champions and they firmly believe they can bring up a hat-trick of upsets on Sunday.

Definitely an occasion not to be missed!