Dromahair were crowned Junior B champions on Saturday last when they defeated neighbours Glencar Manorhamilton by the slenderest of margins (0-10 to 1-8).

This was a very entertaining final which had the large following of supporters from both clubs on the edge of their seats right up until the final whistle. Dromahair had the better of the exchanges in the first half and they led at the interval 0-5 to 0-2. They got the ideal start to the second half when they finished to the back of the net and pointed from play to leave seven points between the sides. For the remainder of the contest the Manor men dominated but their efforts to claim victory or at least force a replay just fell short. Well done to Dromahair on their fine win.

 

 

17-Oct-11 by Colette Fox – PRO

Race for the Park We are having our fair share of Opinion Polls about the race for the Park. Ultimately, the people will decide very shortly and there will be a new name on the door of the Áras. In the run up to last Sundays Preliminary Rounds of the AIB Connacht Intermediate and Senior Championship games in Pairc Sean, local GAA opinion polls would have forecast a Leitrim double. Unfortunately the Leitrim public did not have the opportunity to decide the winners, it had to be sorted on the field. Melvin Gaels did deliver and in style, with established stars like Man of the Match Emyln Mulligan blending with new kids on the block like the highly impressive Peter McGowan to do the business for Kinlough and for Leitrim. Their march to Connacht glory has certainly begun on a high note, with the added bonus of a Leitrim home venue for the Semi-final clash with the Mayo champions Davitts. Undoubtedly that will be a major hurdle to overcome, but the hunger for a Connacht title will surely spur on the Gaels, so the noses will be to the grindstone until Sunday November 6th, when the whole county will rally to the support of the men in blue and white. Achieving four county senior titles in a row is no mean feat, so it looked fairly odds on for Glencar Manorhamilton to get the better of Sligo champions Tourlestrane and earn another tilt at St. Brigids of Roscommon. But form seemed to go out the window and despite the promptings of the large home support, Manor only seemed to perform in fits and starts and we saw just flashes of the free-flowing play of many other displays. Things looked good when six points up, but Tourlestrane showed every bit as much hunger for success as the Leitrim champions did and nobody could complain about the end result. The inquests will go on around the Market Square in the coming days, but nothing can detract from what has been achieved by the players to date, so any disappointment will have to be tinged with respect and acknowledgement for the massive efforts of all concerned. The half time score relayed from Hyde Park that Leitrim Gaels Juniors were level with Creggs lifted Leitrim hearts and hopes of a possible treble on the day, but it was not to be, as Creggs held out for a three point victory. So the race for the Park – for Croke park – is now in the sole hands of Melvin Gaels. Opinion polls may fancy them, but the Gaels realise only too well that what matters is what happens the next day and the day after and the day after that again. It is a long road, with the next test on 30th October. Go n-éirí libh, Gaeil na Meilge.

 

 

17-Oct-11 by Tommy Moran

Unity of Purpose

Oh to be a fly on the wall in any of the four Pairc Sean dressing rooms on Sunday.

The Managers are pacing the floors, roaring focus, focus, focus, just in case any player is not switched on to the task in hand, or worse still, switched on to an I-Pod or pressing the send button on a last minute text to the girlfriend in the stand ‘ distractions will be a no-no. They are here to do a job, the first step to a possible Connacht title and nothing must distract from that. The county championship has been won and suitably celebrated, so it’s a whole new ball game now.

Players will all have their own rituals, each of them in their own space, heads down, teeth gritted, laces tightened and double checked, gloves on and off and on again, hamstrings stretched, another slug from the bottle. The whole GAA talk may now be on the Compromise Rule games in Australia, but this is our Australia and the jersey on my back means as much as an international one to me. It was great to win the county and now Connacht and hopefully Croke Park beckon, but we have to get over today first.

The physios are doing the last minute rubs; the selectors are having a word in every ear; the air is tense but quiet; in a few moments the pep talk will shake the four walls; the linked arms will be gripped even tighter; unity of purpose all round.

The attraction of the double Leitrim- Sligo fixture will have the fans in town early, probably before the stragglers from the Hen or Stag party of Saturday night have made it back to their hotel, the brown deer antlers and the pink bunny ears adding to the colours of Coolaney-Mullinabreena, Melvin Gaels, Tourlestrane and Glencar-Manorhamilton. All roads have led to Carrick, but the hens, the stags and the supporters are on different missions.

For the four teams, the parties are put on hold ‘ there is serious business to be done in Pairc Sean first.

Be there, to support your club and county.

 

 

14-Oct-11 by Tommy Moran

As hosts of the AIB Connacht Club Senior and Intermediate matches on Sunday next in Pairc Sean, the Glencar Manorhamilton club have produced a 40 page full colour souvenir match programme to mark the occasion. This colourful memento of the day includes photographs and articles about all the participating clubs and various articles on the GAA. It will be on sale for €3.00 at the entrance to the ground. Make sure you get your copy.

 

 

13-Oct-11 by Colette Fox – PRO