Kingussie manager John Gibson believes the best is still to come from his Grand Slam winners.
Gibson is the first Kingussie manager to win the four major trophies in the same season since Jimmy Gow’s side in 2003 – and the captain then was James Hutchison, remarkably still playing for The Dell side.
Kings remain the only club to win the Grand Slam in the modern era, having also won it three times in succession in the late 90s – and their 2-0 win at Oban Camanachd to clinch the Mowi Premiership made the players in Red and Blue the youngest team to sweep the boards.
Gibson believes Kingussie can stay the game’s dominant team as long as they still display the commitment shown this season.
But the Kingussie boss refused to commit to continuing in charge for a sixth year.
“We’ll see what happens once our season is over”, he said, indicating that he would discuss things with fitness coach Neil Bowman.
A first half double from Roddy Young rocked Oban and took his tally to 36 goals, pulling level with Caberfeidh’s Craig Morrison at the top of the scoring charts.
A goal in their final match at Lovat on November 12 would give the goalgrabber title to Young.
“Winning the Slam with the amount of injuries we suffered is remarkable,” said Gibson.
“Some came back quickly, to their own detriment, to help the team.
“The work the lads put in all year has brought them this achievement.
“And they can win more major honours – if they want to. It’s about sticking together and continuing to give this extraordinary commitment to the team.”
Gibson emphasises that Young, Liam Borthwick and Kieran MacPherson are still 21, Ruaridh Anderson is 22, Calum Grant is 23 while James Falconer and Robert Mabon are 24.
“That’s the core of the team, and these players are maybe three years away from their peak,” he pointed out.
Slam winning skipper Savio Genini and Rory MacEachan, both 25, still have massive contributions to make while Kings’ only over-30 players are brothers Fraser and Louis Munro, along with 43-year-old Hutchison.
Kingussie will now bid next season for their 15th Premiership title, with Newtonmore on eight while Fort William and Kinlochshiel have one apiece.
Second-placed Kinlochshiel, the only team to beat Kingussie this year, stormed to a 5-0 win at Kyles Athletic with Keith MacRae firing four and younger brother John hitting the other.
Fort William are hanging over the relegation cliff after Glasgow Mid Argyll’s 2-1 home win over Lovat.
Mid Argyll, with three games left, are now two points ahead of Fort, who travel to Glasgow next Saturday for their final match.
Given Mid Argyll’s 21-goal advantage, Allan MacRae’s men would need to lose to Fort then suffer two heavy defeats to avoid the Lochaber men dropping to the National Division.
Hamish Anderson and Calum McLay gave the home side a 2-0 interval lead but Graeme Macmillan pulled one back and Mid Argyll’s ex-Kinlochshiel man Johnny Macaskill was sent off.
Glen Urquhart’s National Division season ended with a 1-0 home defeat with Fraser Watt slamming Inveraray’s first half strike.
Col Glen edged even closer to automatic National Division promotion as Inverness dropped at point at Kinlochshiel colts, though storming back from 3-0 down, helped by Finlay Calder’s double, to make it 3-3.
Glen Mackintosh thundered five goals as Newtonmore colts, ineligible for promotion, thumped Caberfeidh 7-0. Inverness and Newtonmore are now level on points with the Bught Park side having one game left while ‘More have three.
Another five-goal marksman was former internationalist Shaun Nicolson in Glengarry’s 6-0 win at Glen Urquhart colts.
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