Antoin
McFadden St. Michael,s GAA.
Antoin McFadden is a brother
of the former St. Eunan’s College great and current Donegal marksman and
winner of the Millennium MacLarnon man of the match award Colm Anthony
McFadden who scored 1-09 of the Letterkenny College’s 1-11 in the final.
When Antoin arrived in the
Letterkenny college the exploits of the 2000 macLarnon team were
everywhere to be seen and he immersed himself in gaelic games in the
school. While still a first year student he claimed a place on the Loch an
Iuir team which won the final in Dungiven. His ability to win ball and
recycle possession was a vital ingredient in the teams success that day
and every one present saw the reason why this little first year was
keeping 2nd and 3rd years off the team.
In his second year he
captained the side to success in the Corn Colmcille, this was only the
second time that St. Eunan’s captured the title. Smarting from a heavy
defeat in the Loch an Iuir Semi-final he drove on his team mates in
training ensuring everyone was at training all the time and his dedication
and fanaticism with gaelic games inspired everyone around him.
In his third year greater
success was to come his way:
Herald Cup 2004 (November)
Loch an Iuir 2005 (March)
Treanor Cup 2005 (May)
Antoin Captained the Loch an
Iuir team from midfield and played in the middle on the Treanor cup team.
His ability to soar skywards and field a high ball, along with his
penetrating runs provided the platform for every success that the college
has experienced in the last year. When on the attack he is very strong in
possession, difficult to stop and very accurate chipping in with vital
scores. This was evident in the semi-final win in the loch an Iuir against
St. Mary’s when he could be seen catching under his own bar and then
surging forward to counter attack, in this game he contributed 2 points in
the 0-6 to 0-5 victory. In the Herald cup he played at centre half forward
where his footballing instinct invariably found him picking up broken
ball. Unlike many other players he is not afraid of tracking back and he
acts as a roadblock thwarting the advances of the opposition.
In the Treanor Cup his inspirational qualities came to the fore as he
hauled the College back into the preliminary round when things looked
bleak in the first half, again in the semi- final win his dominance in the
air and tough tackling and no nonsense attitude allowed the college to eek
out a single point victory. In the training sessions before the final no
messing was tolerated and a steely intensity brought to bear by Antoin
which lead to the third cup lifted by the Letterkenny College. This
remarkable personal feat by Antoin is taken in his modest unassuming style
and great credit must go to his parents Big Colm and Marjorie who are true
gaels and always make sure Antoin has his feet on the ground.
In summation it is no surprise that the recent success of the College
teams coincides with the arrival of such a prodigious talent, Antoin has
his sights set on a MacLaron medal to add to his collection.
