By Damian Lawlor

St. Gerald’s DLS College is a school synonymous with Gaelic Football in a county absolutely obsessed with the game.

“Obsessed is right,” says the school’s junior football manager Tom Naughton. “It’s just a way of life up here. In the school we have so many lads striving to have their pictures up on the corridor walls like other great teams that have passed through the building over the years.

“But all over Mayo in general football is the main topic of conversation.

“We have a huge history of promoting the game at St Gerald’s, but we look around at all the feeder clubs too, the development squads and they are working very well. We have a lot of students on those development squads and county minor panels. They go on then to play under-20 and senior and we are proud of them.”

Last Saturday night a crowd of over 10,000 gathered on a horrible evening for football as the Mayo senior team played Galway in MacHale Park in the Allianz League.

So bad was the weather that, in other counties, the attendance wouldn’t have risen above 2,000, but not in Mayo where the diehards came out en masse.

But Naughton isn’t surprised. He says that young players in the county have to be almost held back and managed properly such is the appetite in general for the game.

“Lad are being pulled in every direction,” Naughton says, “but that’s down to the massive interest here.

“Traditionally, the school has been successful across all grades although I suppose in the last few years we are not contesting for the Hogan Cup as often as we would like.”

St Gerald’s, though, have won numerous Connacht Leagues and Championships and in recent years has seen a surge in the number of students represent Mayo at various age levels, with a sizeable proportion moving to the senior ranks.

“Aidan O’Shea, Seamus O’Shea, Cillian O’Connor, Paddy Durcan, James Durcan and Robert Hennelly, to name but a few,” Naughton says.

In the recent Connacht Post Primary Schools Junior A Championship Final they enjoyed an outstanding 4-21 – 0-13 win over St Jarlath's College Tuam.

This sets them up for a Masita GAA McGirr Cup semi-final date with St Colman’s Newry at Clonguish this Saturday.

“It’s been a fine year so far,” Naughton adds.

“There has been a huge amount of hard work, we have played lots of local derbies and have learned a lot about the lads. I guess what we appreciate most is how they have learned to lead on the field and take ownership of that aspect of things. They work so hard and train so hard but it’s the fact that they almost regulate themselves that makes us so proud.”

They have played games thus far including seven League games which saw them earn the title in that competition. A Connacht crown ensued recently and now they face Ulster opposition in the prestigious McGirr Cup.

“Unchartered territory and we don’t know much about St Colman’s but they have a great pedigree and getting out of Ulster is a huge achievement too," said Naughton.

“I guess we’ll focus on ourselves, we work hard, we stay humble and we try to facilitate as much space in attack as we can and they are the hallmarks of our game.”

St Gerald’s are backboned by 12 players who are on Mayo under-16 and under-17 development squads.

Their team is made up of students who are currently studying for their junior cert or in Transition Year.

“A good few of them are in TY so it hopefully gives them a bit more freedom academically,” Naughton says.

“But we have standards here – we expect our players to stay on top of all their academic work, not to get into trouble in that regard and we work well with the teachers in ensuring that.

“The fact that more teachers have come on board to help coach teams is a great help also and it means that the burden does not fall on the same shoulders.

“We have had huge help from school management in that regard and it’s a big boost.”