By Matthew Wilson
Setanta manager Mark Marley is anticipating a closely contested affair this Saturday evening when his side meet St Eunan’s in the Senior Hurling Championship Final.
Setanta had a mixed league campaign before the championship, but since then, they’ve moved nicely through the gears to reach this point.
They went unbeaten throughout the group phase to top the table before recording a convincing victory over Sean MacCumhaills to book their place in the decider.
Speaking at the official launch of the Donegal Club Hurling Championship Finals, Setanta manager Marley expressed his delight with how things have gone for his side.
“We set out to try to win every game. We got the draw in O’Donnell Park against St Eunan’s in the last group game which left us top of the table.
“We’d a good win over Sean MacCumhaills in the semi-final. We came through that game with no injuries or cards and that’s what you want, to have a full panel and be at full strength for this Saturday.”
The men from the Cross will have been gearing towards this weekend’s final since their victory over the Twin Towns club just shy of two weeks ago.
This Saturday’s contest will be Setanta’s 35th appearance in the Senior Hurling Championship final, so many of the players will be well accustomed to the preparations required for such a big occasion.
The Setanta boss insists that each year presents a fresh challenge but stated that the hunger for success is still firmly within his group.
“They are yeah, but every game is different and every year is different. The hunger is still there with a lot of boys, the likes of Danny (Cullen) and Declan (Coulter) who’ve been around a long time.
“They’ve been to numerous county finals but the hunger is there. It’s a new year, a new challenge and that’s the way they have to go.
“We’ll look forward to the challenge now on Saturday, everyone is buzzing and that’s where you want to be.”
There’s a huge amount of talent across the field in this Setanta side but two men who display the hunger and drive they possess are Danny Cullen and Declan Coulter.
The experienced pair continue to impress in their late 30s, producing top-level performances while playing an important leadership role within the Setanta team.
Their qualities are a huge asset to the side, and speaking ahead of the final, the Setanta boss was full of praise for the duo.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Danny (Cullen) and Declan (Coulter). They really look after themselves and they’re a massive presence on the pitch, off the pitch and in the changing room.
“You keep thinking Danny and Declan are coming to an end but they keep producing time and time again.
“They’re like wine, they just keep getting better all of the time. The two boys are brilliant and we’re lucky to have them.”
The Cross residents will take to the field at O’Donnell Park this Saturday evening for a meeting with St Eunan’s in the Senior Hurling Championship Final.
The pair are very familiar with each other, having faced-off in six out of the last nine senior hurling deciders.
Setanta prevailed on five of these occasions, with St Eunans’ sole success coming in 2021.
They met in the group phase of the competition where the pair shared the spoils after an entertaining encounter in Letterkenny.
This should be another closely contested affair and Marley is anticipating a stern test from Chris McAuley’s charges.
“This is the seventh time now in ten years that we’ve played them, they’re a good team and we know what’s coming.
“I don’t know Chris (McAuley) personally but I know he’s come in there last year and has done a brilliant job.
“He’s going to have St Eunan’s ready and he’s going to leave no stone left unturned, they’ll be coming all guns blazing.
“We just about managed to get over the line last year so we’ll be expecting a titanic battle and it’ll go down to the wire but we’re looking forward to it.”
Setanta will be aiming to land their 20th Munster Cup when they go to battle in Saturday’s showpiece at O’Donnell Park.
Marley has experienced both the highs of victory and the heartbreak of defeat in county final dressing rooms, and he’ll be hoping his outfit can avoid the pain of losing this weekend.
They’ll be aiming to seal the silverware on Saturday evening and reclaim the crown they secured 12 months ago.
“I was there in 2021 with Garry McGettigan when St Eunan’s beat Setanta. I wasn’t there in 2024 when we were defeated by Burt but nobody wants to lose finals.
“This is what you set out for at the start of the year, to win your county title. The changing room isn’t a nice place to be after losing a county final and hopefully we won’t have that on Saturday.”