Gurranes girls ready to make their mark in the Aviva

This Wednesday will be a red-letter day in the history of Gurrane NS as their girls’ soccer team will grace the Aviva Stadium turf.

The Innishannon school has reached the national final of the FAI Schools Primary 5s, competing in the ‘A’ section for small schools along with St Leonard’s from Dunnamaggin in Kilkenny, Scoil Mhuire from Lacken, Co. Cavan and Galway’s Tierneevin.

Following a good debut showing last year, Gurranes have built on that progress, to the delight of school principal and team coach Colm O’Sullivan.

“Last year, we did very well,” he says, “we lost the Cork final but we went forward to Munster and made the Munster final. Seven of that team were eligible again this year.

“The first section this year was a regional qualifier in Lakewood, we won that and the county then was in April in Musgrave Park.

“We won that too and then came out on top in the Munster final at Cahir Park. I think something like two and a half thousand schools enter, so to reach the Munster final in the first two years is remarkable.

“There’s great work going on in the local club Innishvilla and a lot of the girls play with them, which again is rare to have in a smaller school.”

In the Munster finals, Gurranes beat St Senan’s of Limerick and O’Callaghan’s Mills from Clare before overcoming Waterford’s Coolnasmear in the semi-finals.

In the final against Cloughjordan of Tipperary, Gurranes conceded an equaliser to send the game to extra time and, while they twice fell behind there, Róise Walsh levelled on each occasion. Then, after captain Shaune Cullinane and Ruby Kelleher scored their penalties in the shootout, Walsh netted the winning spot-kick.

It ensured their presence at the Aviva and Cork will be well-represented – there was a clean sweep in the girls’ sections as Burnfort, near Mallow, won the B section for medium schools and Ballincollig’s Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin triumphed in C (large schools). On the boys’ side, Gaelscoil Chionn tSáile won in B with Beaumont NS triumphing in the C competition.

Now, having made it to the biggest stage, Gurranes are keen to make the most of it.

“Winning Munster, the reward was going to the Aviva and that’s once-in-a-lifetime stuff,” O’Sullivan says.

“The whole experience – being where the international players go and walking out on to the pitch and standing for the national anthem – is all amazing but, now that you’ve got there to the final four and it’s been such a journey, we’re hoping to take the last step.

“The girls are really focused on it. They’re excited to get this far but the attitude is, ‘We’re down to the final four, let’s give the best account of ourselves.’”