FEW sports teams can boast the dominance that Newtonmore have achieved in the shinty world in the last seven trophy-laden years. But in 2017, chinks have finally emerged in armour that had so recently seemed impenetrable.
It may be strange to suggest this season could be considered a disappointment for the reigning league champions. After all, they have the chance to lift their second trophy of the season - in their third cup final appearance - when they face Lovat at Bught Park on Saturday in the sport's showcase event, the Camanachd Cup final.
But triumph after triumph for 'More, who have won the last seven Marine Harvest Premiership titles and three of the last six Camanachd Cups, means anything less than perfection is open to criticism.
This season’s league campaign has been anything but faultless since the club suffered their first league defeat in two years against Oban Camanachd in March. They have gone on to lose three more games since, most vitally against Kyles Athletic last weekend in a result that ended any hopes of retaining the league crown.
On paper, the match-up with Lovat makes for a mouth-watering contest. It is a meeting between the last two winners of the competition, but furthermore it will be a battle between two sides that have gone toe-to-toe for the last six months.
Going into this weekend, Newtonmore and Lovat were level on points in the table, fourth and fifth respectively, having recorded a home victory each in their Premiership meetings.
The two sides have already met in cup action too, with Newtonmore running out 3-0 winners in July’s Macaulay Cup semi-final. A comfortable winning margin that day should inspire confidence in Inverness next weekend, but conversely the events of the final that followed provided a warning.
It was an opportunity for Newtonmore to pick up their second trophy of the season after securing the MacTavish Cup back in June, but in a thrilling encounter they shipped seven goals to fall to a 7-4 defeat against Kyles.
If a leaky defence was the problem on that occasion, there will be concerns that a free-scoring Lovat side could cause similar issues at Bught Park, particularly with Steven Macdonald suspended and Andy Mackintosh injured. In contrast, the Kiltarlity outfit have a fully fit squad to choose from.
As manager PJ Mackintosh said following the recent league defeat to Kyles, the problems Newtonmore are facing at the back are more than simply a bump in the road on the way to another title.
“We’re at the bare bones,” he said. “We’ve lost our whole defence apart from Ackie Macrae, so it’s not going to be easy, in fact it will be almost impossible. But we’ll re-jig and we’ll have to turn forwards into defenders or centres into defenders and just juggle it.”
Victory would mark a significant achievement for both sides. Lovat are looking to win the esteemed piece of silverware for the second time in three years, having previously only managed the feat once before in 1953.
For Newtonmore, the question of whether their powers are waning is up for debate and a discussion they will be looking to silence. One achievement that has eluded this all-conquering side has been completing a "Grand Slam" season of winning all four trophies, and while nothing can be done now about conceding the league title, finishing the campaign with two trophies in the cabinet is a result most teams would bite your hand off for. But then again, as history has shown, Newtonmore standards are different to most teams.
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