JUVENILE CLUB NOTES
FAOI 6: (i) The Rock Under 6 footballers will be in action at 11am in Caherslee on Sunday.
(ii) Our evening football sessions for the Under 6s will continue ag 5.45pm on Thursday i bPáirc Uí Chonghaile.
FAOI 8: (i) We’ll be in Caherslee again on Sunday ag 11am. (ii) The County Board’s round-robin Under 8 Go Games Blitz will be held ag 5.45pm on Thursday in our own Connolly Park.
FAOI 10: (i) 11am football on Sunday next. (ii) Go Games at 6.15pm this Wednesday in Connolly Park.…we are the hosts.
PEIL FAOI 12: (i) The 2nd phase of the County League will commence this Sunday. (ii) Training continues at 5.30pm in Caherslee on Tuesday and on Thursday.
OÍCHE NA gCON: Next Friday night sees the club’s annual Rockie Doggie night at the Greyhound Stadium. Given the development that is going on, the night is a vital fundraiser for the club.
We would ask that all families make an effort to sell the buster tickets that our young players have brought home and to return the stubs (and funds!) during the week.
Mórbhuíochas for your great support. It’s expected to be a super night with fun (and races!) for all the family!
FAOI 14: (i) Training for all Under 14s will take place on Monday in Connolly Park from 5.30pm to 6.45pm.
(ii) On Tuesday 12th we played in the division 2 final at Killarney Legion Club. This was our third consecutive county final at this age group and, even though we were in division 2, we were aware that this one would be as hard as the others with the powerful Rathmore boys awaiting us. In round 1 of the league they defeated us (3-14 to 0-6) and, so, we were aware that we needed to produce a spectacular performance!
Having witnessed the heroics of our seniors v Crócaigh on the previous Saturday, our young Rockies drove at the Sliabh Luachra defenders from the ‘off’. Leon Shalemba pointed first before the ‘on fire’ Conor Myers rattled the net for the first of his ‘hat trick’.
Another Leon raspar rattled Rathmore’s ropes and we were 0-7 up after ten minutes. Our midfield pairing of Seán Quilter and Pádraic Linnane were mopping up everything and with Daniel O’Rourke spraying passes all over the pitch their back six were forced to drop deeper in defence.
Two more Conor Myers points and a Daniel O’Rourke beauty in between had us well in charge before the boys in red registered a gcéad chúilín. The ball winning of Liam Nolan was creating chance after chance but some wayward kicking and a little bad luck, including a Seán Quilter thunderbolt off the butt of the post, kept us from being further ahead!
Then Liam Nolan pointed and Conor netted for the second time. We were twelve points to the good within four minutes of the short whistle when the boys in red pointed and goaled and lessened the gap.
It would have been worse but for a herculean David Oba save which prevented a certain goal. We were disappointed to have conceded but were still in control of the game. Bhí an lámh in uachtar again go fóill!
Whatever the Rathmore coaches had in the water worked wonders and they came out of the traps like boys possessed. A point that was followed by two quick goals had us on the rack!
The game was now completely turned on its head; our backs had little to do in the first thirty minutes but were now under constant pressure from the physically stronger East Kerry warriors.
Three more unanswered points had us behind by three and we were unable to feed our inside forward line. The defending was now bodies-on-the line-stuff! Luke Chester’s mid-air flick away stopped a certain goal; Danny Draghici somehow kept himself between the full forward and the goal and turned him away time and again; David Burke, Eoghan Carroll, Craig Teahan and Dara Barry-Walsh made last gasp blocks and great credit is due to Dara who, despite being unwell all week, was superb in dealing with the opposition’s main man, David Dineen.
However, we weathered the Ráth Mhór storm and a 30m free from the boot of Seán Quilter, ten minutes from time, followed by a Conor Myers free steadied the ship and the nerves for the final minutes.
Once again, the game changed and the Rockies were again gaining momentum. Two points from the accurate boot of Conor Myers had us behind by the smallest of margins. Our determined black’n’amber braves put constant pressure on our rivals’ goal. Our boys’ persistence eventually paid off and, after two or three unlucky misses, a lovely move involving Daniel, Pádraic and Leon saw Conor Myers shimmy past two defenders and scoring the goal that put us back in the lead for the final two minutes.
Rathmore threw the’ kitchen sink’ at us but determined defending kept them scoreless in the final moments…go dtí séideadh fada deireanach fheadóg an réiteora. That final whistle tweet sparked wild celebrations i measc imreoirí agus tuismitheoirí araon! Lá dár saol a bhí ann! An Charraig: 4-9; An Ráth Mhór: 3-10.
Foireann ghlórmhar bhuacach na Carraige: David Oba; Craig Teahan, Dara Barry-Walsh, David Burke; Danny Draghici, Pádraic Linnane, Eoghan Carroll; Leon Shalemba, Seán Quilter (captaen); Cian Purcell, Daniel O’Rourke, Adam Curran; Conor Myers, Liam Nolan, Luke Chester. Joe Bastible, Tom O’Farrell, Jordan Barry, James Fernane, Greg Scanlon.
(iii) Thanks to our fundraising committee and to all who helped with the bag packing in Tesco in prerparation for our Dunlavin (Dún Luáin) trip. Buíochas mór le muintir Tesco. And mórbhuíochas mór to Barry’s Bakery and Terry Healy Butchers, our major sponsors.
CÉAD CHOMAOINEACH: Congratulations to all our members who have recently received First Holy Communion. Dia libh!
FAOI 16/18: Good wishes to all our club players who’re slaving at the books in preparation for their state and school examinations. Is fiú an dua (the effort is worthwhile)! Treoir ón Spiorad Naomh chugaibh!
AN CAMPA PEILE ‘CÚL’: The 2015 Kerry GAA Cúl Camp will take place at Austin Stack Club, Connolly Park, from July 6th to July 10th. Parents can register on line athttp://www.gaa.ie/kelloggsculcamps or by posting application forms to Páirc Aibhistín de Staic.