Two weeks away from Christmas and Diarmuid Connolly’s season is still going as he prepares with his St Vincent’s teammates for their AIB Leinster Club Championship Final against Offaly Champions Rhode.
It’s been a long season for Diarmuid but what a 2016 it has been for one of the most naturally talented players to ever play the game and Connolly will be hoping that at the final whistle tomorrow it will have the perfect ending.
Connolly has already won the National Football League, Leinster and All Ireland titles with Dublin. Picked up a couple of man of the match awards along the way, won an All Star award and yesterday he won the inaugural specially commissioned Padraig Pearse medal for his outstanding performances in this years Leinster Senior Football Championship.
Since then he has added the Dublin Senior Club Championship title to his burgeoning collection of what has been a highly successful 2016 for the Vincent’s man.
Tomorrow he will be looking to make it the perfect year by adding the Leinster Club Championship title to his trophy cabinet that will need to have some more shelves built onto it.
St Vincent’s are favorites for tomorrow’s game but will find Rhode a very tough opposition. The two sides met at the same stage of the competition two years ago, that day St Vincent’s blew their Offaly opponents away inside the opening quarter of the game to lead 1-04 to 0-00 with the goal scored by Mossy Quinn. Vincent’s went on to win the game 1-13 to 0-06.
The Marino men created no fewer than six goal chances in that blistering opening half in 2014 but only managed to convert one of them. They won’t get away with missing so many goal chances tomorrow as Rhode enter tomorrow’s game in fine form and will punish Vincent’s if they lack the killer touch up front.
But Connolly will be looking to impose his influence and phenomenal skill set on proceedings and finish off 2016 on the perfect high with the Leinster Club Championship title added to a unbelievably successful year for the St Vincent’s and Dublin talisman.