Reigning champion Killian Phelan of Kilkenny during the launch of the M. Donnelly MyClubShop.ie Poc Fada at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
Killian Phelan is determined to successfully defend his senior men’s title at the 2023 M Donnelly All-Ireland Poc Fada Final in the Cooley mountains tomorrow.
The Kilkenny man was something of a surprise winner last year, mainly because he won the title at the very first attempt.
Normally competitors need to have learned from playing the course at least once previously before fulfilling their potential, but the Clara club-man proved to be a natural last year.
“I think I'd put it down to beginners luck!”, says Phelan. “I suppose I'll find out on Bank Holiday Monday whether it was or not.
“I'm really looking forward to it and hoping to give it a good go. From whenever I started doing the long puck I said I always wanted to get to the Cooley mountains.
“Winning it wasn't a concern the first time. I just said I'd always like to get to that weekend. Then when you win it you want to defend it. You don't want to give it up easily. You want to go well in it up there. So I'm hoping to defend it.”
Phelan will face stiff competition from a field that includes 2021 winner, Colin Ryan of Limerick, who finished a close second in 2022.
Phelan and Ryan both reached reached Carnavaddy with 34 pocs last year, at which point Phelan led by just 16.5 metres, which is a miniscule advantage in the Poc Fada.
Killian Phelan of Kilkenny after winning the 2022 M. Donnelly GAA All-Ireland Poc Fada Finals at Cooley Mountains in Louth. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile.
He managed to stretch his lead to 125 metres by the time he reached An Gábhlan, and held on from there to win, completing the course in 49 pocs and 37 metres, with Ryan second on 50 pocs and 65 metres, and 2018 and 2019 champion, Cillian Kiely, third on 50 pocs and 30.5 metres.
“It was unbelievable,” says Phelan of last year’s competition. “You can't get over it when you get there, it's just a completely different setting. And it was so close last year, there was nothing between anyone, it was so close.
“You see Colin Ryan coming down behind you and you know you're under pressure. I've never felt pressure like what I felt near the end of it last year.
“There was just 20 metres between us after 34 or 35 shots, it was just neck and neck the whole way.
“You couldn't get too excited because you were waiting on Colin Ryan to finish. He was 12th coming in whereas I was fourth home so I was waiting for him to come in.
“When you hear then he's a bit behind as he's coming in, the feeling was just unbelievable. I couldn't believe it.”
A very familiar face will be vying to stop Phelan making it back to back titles. His own Clara club-mate, Matt Kenny, won the Leinster Poc Fada title this year and will one of the leading contenders.
“It will be very unusual, there could be a split camp!”, says Phelan. “I won't be telling Matt a whole lot about it now! He can figure it out for himself. Ah no, I'll help him if I can.
“Matt will be a danger in it too. He's won Leinster and won it fairly comfortably too. We've pucked against each other once or twice and I've come out on top once or twice but it could be third time lucky for him.”
Molly Lynch of Cork on her way to winning the 2022 M. Donnelly GAA All-Ireland Poc Fada Finals at Cooley Mountains in Louth. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile.
Cork’s Molly Lynch will be warm favourite to retain her All-Ireland senior women’s title. Last year she completed the course in four pucks less than second-placed Chloe Morey, which testified to her dominance of the event.
Former Galway goalkeeper, Susan Earner, who was Poc Fada champion in 2017 and 2018, will be in the running too, while Leister champion Hazel Austin is a dark-horse looking forward to her first experience competing in the event.
“It'll be exciting, something different,” says Austin. “I've never been up there before so I'm really looking forward to it. I don't really know what to expect so we'll see how it goes.
“I'm getting great support from my club, St. Maur's, the community have really come together to support me and it's brilliant seeing how much it means to them as well.”
The Poc Fada continues to be sponsored by Martin Donnelly who has been sponsoring the GAA Poc Fada for more than 25 years through his MD myclubshop.ie brand – a significant contribution that has given the competition great support.
A total of 26 players (senior men, senior women, U-16 boys, U-16 girls) will return to the Annaverna mountain on tomorrow, Bank Holiday Monday, August 7, starting at 11.30am, for what should be another keenly contested event.
2023 M. Donnelly GAA All-Ireland Poc Fada playing order
Senior Hurling
1: Liam Watson (Ulster runner up)
2: Mark Fahy (Connacht winner)
3: Sponsors pick
4: Sponsors pick
5: Fionán Mackessy (Munster runner up)
6: Ronan Byrne (Louth)
7: Conor Woods (Ulster champion)
8: Matt Kenny (Leinster champion)
9: Pat Burke (Leinster runner up)
10: Brendan Quinn (Connacht runner up)
11: Colin Ryan (Munster winner)
12: Killian Phelan (Reigning champion, Kilkenny)
U-16 Hurling
1: Sean Og McLaren (Ulster champion)
2: Sean Kelly (Connacht champion)
3: Callum Lawlor (Leinster champion)
4: Rian Mulcahy (Munster champion)
Senior Camogie
1: All-Star selection
2: Katie McCormack (Munster champion)
3: Hazel Austin (Leinster champion)
4: Susan Earner (Connacht winner)
5: Emma Mulvaney (Ulster champion)
6: Molly Lynch (Reigning champion, Cork)
U-16 camogie
1: Grace Fox (Leinster champion)
2: Alannah Farrell (Connacht champion)
3: Tiarna Kelly (Ulster champion)
4: Maryellen Holmes (Munster champion)
