County Final Preview
Galtee Gaels Path To The Final
For the past number of years late August and September were taken up with fundraising and preparing for the New Year. This year though the emphasis is on pulling out all the stops to win our second Co Intermediate football title .Our opponents Newcastle West were regraded from senior last year and I am sure feel that belong in senior grade.
When the draws were made last February the feeling was that coming out of our group would have been progress having failed to do this in the last number of years.
February 1st was set as the date for the first training session under the new management team of Paudie Gallahue as manager John Quane as trainer along with selectors Jimmy Walsh and Joe Mullins. In the first round we were pitted against our bogey team Bruree but after being surprised last years Gaels made no mistake. Leading 0-9 points to 0-1 at half time scores seem to dry up in the second half but none the less we ran out convincing winners on a score line of 1-10 to 0-4. A feature of the games in the lead into the championship was the return to the maroon and white of Davy Moriarty and Willie Roche and the emergence of two newcomers minors Conor Moriarty, Eddie O Gorman and Niall O Mahony.
A missed penalty just before half time against last years Co Finalists Askeaton/Ballysteen in the next round failed to shake the confidence of the Gaels. After falling three points behind on two occasions in the second half we rallied and won on a score line of 2-6 to 0-11
The next round against South Liberties on the night of the world cup final was a non event with Liberties refusing to play when a substitute referee turned up late. While South Liberties headed to The Green Bar to catch the second half of the soccer John Quane put the 25 players through an hour long training session sprinting from wire to wire in Kilfinane. This seemed to pay off as in the next round on a very warm day against Cappamore in Hospital Gaels put in a great second half performance to emerge winners on a score line of 1-10 to 1-6.In the prefecture against South Liberties Gaels seemed to have taken umbrage at their antics the previous week and ran out convincing winners 2-14 to 0-4.
We had now qualified for the Co Semi Final with our last game against Croom to decide places in the group. Croom needed to win to qualify and it was known that Galbally and Newcastle West were tops on the other side. Having drawn with them earlier in the year in the South Championship this was always going to be a difficult game .Maybe the knowledge that they were already qualified worked against Gaels and a number of missed opportunities when they were on top cost them the game. Final score 0-10 to 0-6 in favour of Croom. Leaving Hospital that night word had come through that even after the defeat that we were top of the group and would be playing neighbours Galbally in the Co Semi Final.
This game was fixed for the convenient venue of Ballylanders on a Sunday evening and despite Ballylanders also playing on the night a huge crowd saw us emerge winners 1-10 0-6 and qualify for our first Co final in ten years.
Sundays team is a good blend of youth and experience with a number of players having the experience of the Co Finals in 93 and 96.A recent challenge game against Dromtarrife gave a number of the panel the opportunity to show their skill and all showed up well. Attendance at training throughout the year has been very good and with an injury free squad Gaels have every chance of bringing home the cup .Newcastle West will be seasoned campaigners having reached a Co senior final in the recent past Gaels will have to be at their best to pull a victory on Sunday Selectors Jimmy Walsh, Paudie Gallahue and Joe Mullins and trainer John Quane have left no stone un turned to achieve victory on Sunday. A special thanks to all our supporters and also our sponsors who have been very good to the club during the last month.
Limerick Co Intermediate Football Championship Group 1
Round 1 Galtee Gaels 1-10 Bruree 0-4
Round 2 Galtee Gaels 2-6 Askeaton 0 -11
Round 3 Galtee Gaels 1-10 Cappamore 1-6
Round 4 Galtee Gaels 2-14 South Liberties 0-4
Round 5 Galtee Gaels 0-6 Croom 0-10
Semi Final Galtee Gaels 1-10 Galbally 0-6
Final Galtee Gaels Newcastle West
Galtee Gaels would like to thank Gallahues Car Sales Anglesboro, The Galtee View Bar Anglesboro, The Three Counties Kilbehenny, Tom & Maureen Hogan & Family Anglesboro, Liam Condon Plant Hire Gerah, and Dan Caseys Bar Kilbehenny and Kevin & Michelle Lane Anglesboro for their kind sponsorship to both our Intermediate and Minor Football teams in their respective Co finals and wish both teams along with our U 14s the best of luck.
Minor Notes
Next Saturday the clubs minor footballers face into their second Co Minor Final in a row and will be hoping to add the championship to the South League won earlier in the year. Missing only two of last years unsuccessful team this team has an amount of experience winning their first tournament in Ballyporeen in 1998 and having won a South U 12 as well as a Co U 16.While training hasnt been going as well as it should nonetheless a number of the team have been active with the Intermediate team as well as the Junior B and U 16 teams.
They opened their championship with a hard earned victory over old rivals Coislea Gaels away in early April.
In the next round a poor showing from Adare gave us an easy victory before we had a break for the Leaving Cert. Banogue didnt take part in the Co Championship but put up a great performance in the delayed South League Final. This was a tight competitive game and a victory which we fully deserved on the night. We had to be at our best also in the next round against Castletown/Ballyagran. We were thankful that night for the heroics of goalkeeper PJ Moloney. In round five we took on Caherconlish who we had beaten two years ago in the U 16 final. On the night we proved too strong with the selectors taking the opportunity to introduce Liam Roche and Keith O Mahony. A disappointment on the night was the concession of a couple of soft goals which is worrying.
On then to the semi final against Gerald Griffins who had defeated us last year in the first round .in what had been an unlucky ground for us in Feenagh where we suffered a number of club defeats last year we started of without two of our regulars Des Lane and Eddie Mulcahy. We were prominent in the early stages with our full forwards Jason O Brien and Padraig Gallahue seeing a lot of the ball. After 15 minutes disaster struck when two of our half forwards Eddie O Gorman and Conor Moriarty ended up on the ground injured. In a major reshuffle of the team runners were needed. Eamonn Moloney came on at corner back and played a stormer. Donnacha O Halloran went to wing back and carried ball after ball out of defence, John Lenihan went into the attack while Padraig Gallahue and Tommy O Dwyer went to the half forward line and these three were also our first line of defence. Eddie and Conor went the corners. On what seemed like a huge pitch for 12 a side and with two injured players this was a real team effort and they put in a gallant display. Goalkeeper P J was confident under every ball while Brendan Childs in his usual calm assured way had the thou shalt not pass sign up in the full back line. Outside him Chris Mullins as well as defending made numerous forays into their attack yielding an all important point and a wide at the end of the game which was good as a score. At midfield sixteen year old Richie Childs ran himself to a standstill interchanging with Niall to draw his breath and back out again. With their mobility curtailed the two corner men had the beating of their opponents when the ball came right and between them contributed 3 -5 to the score sheet. This was a game that seemed to be gone from us on at least two occasions but with the finishing line in sight centre back Niall O Mahony who had seen action during the year with the Intermediates and Junior B's seemed to inspire everyone around him with an exhibition of high fielding and long deliveries to the forward line. Attack after attack were thwarted and all present were glad to hear the final whistle.
Our opponents next Saturday will be Dromcollogher /Broadford a team with a good tradition of football. They have been Co-Senior Football champions for the last couple of years in Limerick . However it is their minors that we will be playing and this might be our best chance of capturing a Co title in 2006.This team has proved itself over the years with very talented footballers and if the lads that played with the intermediates last week can put that disappointment behind them and with a fully fit side they should have no fear of anybody in the grade. We wish them the best of luck along with the U 14s who play a Co-Semi Final also on Saturday.The Club would also like to thank the minor team sponsors Liam Condon Plant Hire and Larry and Mary of Dan Caseys Bar.
Sat Sept 16th Co U-14 Semi Final Galtee Gaels V Na Piarsaigh @ 1pm in South Liberties pitch.
Co Minor Final Galtee Gaels V Dromcollogher /Broadford @ 4 pm in Kilmallock.
OFFICERS FOR 2006
Chairman : Mike Kelly
Vice Chairman : John O Halloran
Secretary : Eddie Moriarty
Assistant Secretary : Aoife Gallahue
Treasurer : Angela Gallahue
PRO'S : Mike Lenihan Margaret Childs
Regristrar : Anthony Moloney
Schools Liasion Officers : Margaret Ann McGrath Willie McNamara
Committee: John McGrath ,Mike McGrath, John Moloney Ella O Mahony, Ger Moriarty Aidan Maunsell
As most people of the parish are aware of at this stage the club are about to embark on a development to refurbish and extend the changing facilities in the local GAA field. The present dressing rooms were built in the late seventies on a limited budget and have served the club very well. The club are currently catering for 130 people from 84 different families including 30 girls. There are presently only a total of four shower heads on gravity flow to cater for up to 40 players on match days, only very basic changing facilities for a referee, no changing room for girls, only two toilets ,no wheelchair accessible toilet ,no insulation or heating for meetings.
The club has received full planning permission for a development which will bring our facilities up to present day standards .The refurbished building will consist of (a) the modernisation of the two present dressing rooms with a new pumped shower system with hot water to supply 10 showers (b) rewiring of the existing building as well as a new referees room complete with a shower. (c) new toilets as well as a wheelchair accessible toilet now compulsory in most buildings (d) an additional multi purpose room which will double as a changing room for girls or for meetings on training nights.
To help us achieve this ambitious development the club will be making an application to The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism under the 2007 Sports Capital Programme funded by The National Lottery in early January. To maximise our grant application the club needs to have €35,000 on deposit by December 2006.Over the past two years through prudent management of our finances we have managed to set a side €20,000 for this project. To raise the remaining €15,000 before December we have decided to run a raffle with a target of selling 3,000 books of tickets at €2 each or a book of three for €5. Draw to take place on Nov 25th at our Annual Social.
For this project both the Adult and Underage committees 25 in total have come together and are committed to selling 1,500 books which is 60 books each which will bring in €7,500 .The remainder we would hope would be raised by present day adult players former players and families of underage players totalling 125 people selling 12 books each which would bring in a further €7500.This would mean identifying 12 friends or relations willing to give you €5 and returning €60 to the club. At present the cost of participation annually with the club is only membership of €5 for juveniles and €10 for adults.
On this Friday night Sept 15th the club would like to invite everybody to the launch the draw in The Community Hall Anglesboro at 9 pm . On the night we will outline our plans for the development and Nick Bailey of Digital Horizons will be on hand to answer any questions that may arise. Refreshments will also be served. The present committee feel it their responsibility to put in place proper facilities for the current generation of players just as the people that went before put them there for us. With a little effort, and by all the above mentioned taking responsibility for their tickets we feel that it is an achievable target and will give all participants in the club adequate facilities to help them achieve the highest honours.