FAOI 6/8/10/12/14/16: (i) Are you keeping an eye on www.gaa.ie/my-gaa/getting-involved/kids-activities? (ii) Are you working on your skills, speed, stamina? Ní fada go mbeidh geataí na páirce ar oscailt! Tá an-chuma agus an-chruth ar Pháirc an Easpaig, ar Pháirc na mBan Rialta agus ar Pháirc na gCruaghort féinig féin! Trí fhaiche fholmha chiúine! The pitches are looking great, the grass is demanding a shower or two of rain……and Connolly Park is patiently waiting for the arrival of dozens and dozens of Rock footballers! Rooks and crows and blackbirds and sparrows and even willie-wagtails are wondering about the long silence that we hope will soon cease!!!
FAOI 13/14: We are delighted to announce the addition of five new players to our U14 squad for the upcoming season: Bruno Boroway, Donncha Horgan, Eldion Topalli, Pádraig Kenny and David Lucid. They’ll certainly strengthen our panel! Welcome, boys….fáilte mhór romhaibh! As we look forward to getting into action, we take a look at some of our players…..such as the following…. Player Profiles: (i) Paddy Lane lives and breathes football and is showing all the signs of a top class player….peileadóir go smior; (ii) Ronan Carroll has a great football brain, is lightning fast and is as tough as táthfhéithleann (honeysuckle) and as tough as nails….tapúlacht aigne agus neart ina ghéaga; (iii) Mark Lynch is ‘comfortable on both feet’ and is extremely accurate with his free taking….tá sé luathchosach agus cruinn leis na saorchiceanna. The members of Under 14 Management Team are as eager as the players to get back training BUT the message is….play by the rules: social distancing, etc. They hope to see their charges soon!
FAOI 15/16 – BÓITHRÍN NA SMAOINTE: Our final 2019 endeavor took us to the Tralee Town League in which there was only one other eligible team as there were two divisions in the competition. Having been somewhat critical of our overall performances in this campaign, it was a pleasure to watch this fantastic display in the final at a sun-drenched Cahersalee. Although it took us some time to get going in the game, we dragged ourselves into contention and showed our battling Rock-like qualities. We witnessed some excellent defensive blocks and tackles, especially by Donncha Fox and Kevin Barry. It was great to see Jordan Kissane performing to near his best; he proved to be a handful for the Ballymac defence and he linked up very well with James Charles and Noah Townsend. Shane Bastible began to exert a huge influence from centre-forward and truly played a captain’s role. After a great save by Ben Quilter, we went in at the break with a seven point lead….seacht gcúilín chun tosaigh. With Ballymac playing a sweeper system, Enda Cahill was allowedthe run of the park and, oh boy, did he exploit his freedom! He did indeed and ended a great move with an exceptional finish to the top corner of the Ballymac net. Conor Horan and Armin Heinrick began to dominate in the midfield battle and John Feely and Evan Foley began plundering a lot of breaking ball. Ruairí O’Connell and Joey Nagle surged forward at every opportunity and they were ably supported by the lightning-quick Josh Lynch. We were well on top in the last quarter and showed great class with a number of well-worked scores….scóranna den scoth! The introduction of Togor Silong, Donnacha Mac an tSaoir, Cian Ó Duilleáin, Seán Ó Duagáin and Jack Ó Dúill ensured that there was no halt to our gallop; it was great to be able to bring on such great quality players….imreoirí den scoth! Jack Ó Murchú and Colm de Brún were introduced for the final ten minutes and showed why our U14 stars have had such a fantastic season; both players continued our attacking surges from the back. The final whistle blew and we were victorious. Bhí sceitimíní áthais ar gach éinne! Captain Shane Bastible gracefully received the cup on behalf of this group of hard-working Super Rockies. Players unavailable on the day: Darragh Moriarty, Dean Rusk, Cillian Litchfield, Gavin Slattery. This was our last competition before ‘an víreas coróineach damanta’! We had completed a ‘clean sweep’, having added the Town League to our Central League and County League successes. Buanna den scoth! Peileadóirí den scoth! What a success story! What a year for these Rock players! We look forward to seeing these fine footballers in action in the not-too-distant future!
