Maree/Oranmore GAA Club 2016 Review

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1 Maree/Oranmore GAA Club 2016 Review Introduction 2016 has been a successful year for Maree/Oranmore on and off the field. The tireless work that has been ongoing for the past number of years by a very dedicated and highly trained team of coaches, managers and mentors is starting to bear fruit. The GAA year started with a night of celebration in the Oranmore Lodge Hotel as the victorious Minor Hurling and Football teams were presented with their medals by Tony Keady was the toast of Oranmore after singing a ballad during the Galway hurlers Niall 2016 Club Social. Left to Right: Ollie Turner, Jamie Prendergast, Sean Burke, Gearoid Bannon & Tony Keady. Photo Credit: Paul Connaughton McInerney and Mayo footballer Robbie Hennelly at our club social on the 16 th January, Ollie Turner entertained the crowd, however it was Tony Keady and who sang a ballad that had everyone on their feet! GAA Academy by Leonard O Halloran By Alan Bannon The Hurling and Football Academies for U6 10 boys are focused around Saturday and Sunday morning training sessions with over 120 boys regularly attending each morning. To complement the regular academy sessions there were multiple events and trips for the boys over the course of the year the highlights being trips to the Leinster Hurling Final and All Ireland Football Quarter Final. A summer BBQ which was a great success with both football and hurling games versus Wolfe Tones from Shannon. Building on the outstanding work being done by the local primary Donal Donie Greene Easter Camp. Photo Credit: Leonard O Halloran schools the club are also providing

2 You won t be rounding me again Maree/Oranmore V Sixmilebridge. Photo Credit: Paul Connaughton regular coaching in the local primary schools and the 2016 school year was completed by an end of year football blitz involving the Boys National School and Maree. The summer Cúl Camps had very large numbers with over 120 boys and girls attending football Cúl Camp and 180 boys and girls attending Hurling Cúl Camp. The club also ran the Donie Green memorial Easter Camp with 100 boys enhancing their hurling and football skills over Easter week. The Under 11 footballers won the St. Mary's invitational tournament in October. The lads under the watchful eye of Derek Cullinane bet Bearna and Salthill Knocknacarra in group before losing out to Maigh Cuillin. This meant they qualified for the semi final in which they took on a strong Annaghdown team thankfully our lads came through after a good game of football. They then played Maigh Cuillin, who had previously beaten our lads in the group. Our boys came out on top to win the prestigious trophy! Under 12 The Under 12 footballers came third in the A league after being drawn in a group that included St. James', Salthill Knocknacarra, Bearna, Clarinbridge and Maigh Cuilinn they were defeated in the Championship by a strong St. James side. Congratulations to the Maree/Oranmore team of Seamus Fallon, Kian Keavey, Gavin Smyth, and Cathal Penny who were winners of the Galway Four Star U12 Football Skills Competition at Loughgeorge. The boys represented Galway in the Connacht U12 Football Skills Competition at the Connacht GAA Centre in October. The under 12 hurlers won the division 2 shield final after victory over Liam Mellows in the final in September. They were in a group that included Kilnadeema Leitrim, Loughrea, Killimordaly, Carnmore, Liam Mellows, Cappataggle, Ardrahan, and Rahoon Newcastle. Under 13 Under 13 Semi Final v Kilnadeema Leitrim. Photo Credit Joe Keane. The under 13 footballers won the A championship, which was run in a league format after defeating Salthill Knocknacarra in the final in March on a score line of 4 11 to 3 4. The lads defeated

3 Maigh Cuillin, St. James, St. Michael s and Bearna in the group. The also attended the prestigious Lee Strand tournament held by Austin Stacks in Tralee, our lads performed very well, however, they were baten by Clontarf of Dublinin the shield final. In the hurling, our boys were in the A1 division with Kilnadeema Leitrim, Cappataggle, Tynagh, Ballinasloe, Killimordaly, Ballygar and Tommy Larkins and finished third which meant they faced Kilnadeema Leitrim in the semi final. Kilnadeema Leitrim proved to be too strong for our lads in the semi final. Under 14 The under 14 hurlers had a great year winning the B Championship and defeating Kinvara in the final on a score line of Maree/Oranmore 4 5 Kinvara 1 8. They topped their group after playing Kinvara, Rahoon Newcastle, Kilnadeema Leitrim, Liam Mellows, Tynagh Abbey/Duniry, Killimordaly and Ahascragh/Fohenagh. Not content with a Championship title they set their sights on the Justin Cheevers Féile na ngael hurling competition. Maree/Oranmore were drawn against Rahoon Newcastle, Mullagh/Kiltormer and Killimordaly. Our lads drew with Killimordaly in the first game on Friday 15 th April in Oranmore, before a narrow win over Rahoon Newcastle and a comprehensive victory over hosts Mullagh/ Kiltormer saw them advance to the semi final against Salthill Knocknacarra. A win over Salthill Knocknacarra on a score line of 4 5 to 2 4 saw Maree/Oranmore qualify for the county final against Kilnadeema Leitrim in Kenny Park. There were jubilant scenes as Diarmuid Hanniffy lifted the Justin Cheevers trophy after a 11 points to 1 3 victory to Maree/Oranmore. Under 14 hurling Back Row left to right: Pat Burke, Eric Tuohy, Thomas Fitzmaurice, Keith Malone, Adam Treacy, Diarmuid Hanniffy (Captain), Liam Fahy, James Harrison, Conor McAnespie, Sam Keaveney, Peter Kennelly, Cathal Caulfield, Ruben Davitt, Michael Whelan. Front Row left to right: Evan Grealish, Anthony Keady, Jack Fitzgerald, Rory Burke, Sean Connolly, Evan O'Rourke, Declan Burke, Cian Connaughton, Sean Cotter, Oran Fahy, Oisin Holland, Conor Butler. The Management team of Richie Burke, Pat Malone, Gary Davitt, Iggy Touhy, Peirce Butler & Tony Keady prepared their troops for a trip to Tipperary and Waterford for the All Ireland Féile na ngael hurling competition in June. Our lads were drawn with St Oliver Plunkett's/Eoghan Ruadh, Killenaule and hosts Carrick Swans. The weekend started with victory over St Oliver Plunkett's/Eoghan Ruadh and Killenaule on the Friday evening. Before victory over Carrick Swans on Saturday morning which saw them advance to the Quarter Final against Tipperary side Moycarkey Borris. Our lads won on a score line of Maree/Oranmore 3 11 Moycarkey Borris 0 7. The semi final took place on the Saturday evening in Fraher Field, Dungarvan against West Tipperary side Knockavilla/Donaskeigh Kickhams, our lads prevailed after a tough game on a score line of Maree/Oranmore 3 6 Knockavilla Donaskeigh

4 Kickhams 0 4. The Division 3 final took place on Sunday the 19 th June in Leahy Park, Cashel it was to be a rematch as our lads took on St Oliver Plunkett Eoghan Ruadh of Dublin. A huge crowd from Oranmore and Maree were made the long trip however the Dublin side proved to be too strong and defeated our team by a single goal Maree/Oranmore 0 5 St Oliver Plunkett Eoghan Ruadh 1 5. Oranmore hosted the Under 14 Feile na ngael Football competition in April as Maree/Oranmore took on Bearna, Loughrea and eventual champions St. James. Our lads battled hard but did not progress to the knockout stage. In the championship our boys were paired against St. Gabriel s, Clarinbridge, Athenry, Craughwell and Ballinasloe. They quailified for the final however a strong St. Gabriel s team defeated our boys on a score line of 1 12 to 2 8. In July they beat An Cheathrú Rua to win the Division 2 Shield Final on a scoreline of Maree/Oranmore 5 12 An Cheathrú Rua 4 6. Under 15 The under 15 footballers lost the Division 1 B Final in November Maree/Oranmore 1 9 Maigh Cuilinn 3 8. The lads had previously beaten Maigh Cuillin, Bearna, Salthill Knocknacarra, Claregalway and Oughterard in the group. The hurlers were unlucky having being narrowly defeated by eventual winners Carnmore in the A Semi Final having defeated Killimordaly and Kinvara in the group. Under 16 Kevin Horgan takes a shot at the Headford goal in the Under 16 Division 2 League Final. Photo Credit: Coiste Peile na Og Ardrahan in the group stages The Under 16 footballers defeated Headford in the Division 2 League final on a score line of 5 4 to 1 7 in May having defeated Ballinasloe, Mountbellew, Tuam Stars, St Gabriel's, Oughterard, Dunmore MacHales in the group stages. The Under 16 hurlers were narrowly defeated in the 'B' Shield Final by Ballinasloe in Kenny Park, Athenry in July. The final score was Ballinasloe 1 17 Maree/Oranmore 4 6. They played Rahoon Newcastle, Tommy Larkins, Ballinasloe, Kilconieron, Michael Cusacks Padraig Pearse s and Minor The minor footballers gave a decent account of themselves in the A league, however it was the Championship that the management team were targeting. An opening round defeat to Corofin after extra time, which was acknowledged as one of greatest football games ever played saw our lads being drawn against Mountbellew Moylough in the qualifier round. A 1 11 to 0 9 win saw our lads advance to play Monivea Abbey, however the North Galway side proved to be too strong and won on a score line of Maree/Oranmore 0 5 Monivea Abbey The Minor Hurlers were competing in the A division for the first time in seven years and they found going tough being drawn in a group with Turloughmore, Athenry, Liam Mellows, Ardrahan and kingpins Clarinbridge. Under 21 The Under 21 footballers under the watchful eyes of Gerry Fahy, Tim Rabbitt, Padraig Greaney, Diarmuid O Boyle and Gerry Hyland were drawn against Headford at home in the first round. The match saw Maree/Oranmore narrowly defeated and were knocked out of the competition. The Under

5 21 hurlers who were managed by Alan Bannon, Martin Keane and John Burke were drawn in a difficult group with eventual winners Turloughmore, Kilconieron and Kilnadeema Leitrim, with only one team progressing. The first match against Kilnadeema Leitrim resulted in a narrow defeat, before victory against Kilconieron left qualification in our own hands. However, our lads were comprehensibly beaten by a very strong Turloughmore team who went onto win the competition. Adult In the football our Junior footballers started their championship campaign on the 12th of August with a win over An Fhairche Clonbur in Pearse Stadium on a score line of Maree Oranmore 2 10 An Fhairche Clonbur 2 6. The following week, Friday the 19th, the lads beat Salthill Knocknacarra in Pearse Stadium on a score line of Maree Oranmore 2 12 Salthill Knocknacarra 1 8. That win saw Maree Oranmore top their group, however due to the backdoor system our lads were drawn against Salthill Knocknacarra in the Semi Final. It was always going to be tough to beat a team twice and this proved the case, the game which was played in An Spideal on Saturday the 24th was not for the faint hearted as huge hits and lung bursting runs were evident all over the pitch. In the end, Maree Oranmore came out on top after an excellent second half performance. The west board final took place on Saturday 8th October in Pearse Stadium against Maigh Cuillin, after a shaky start Maree/Oranmore settled into their rhythm and won comprehensively on a score line of Maree/Oranmore 0 14 Maigh Cuillin 0 5. Scorers were Johnny Kelliher (0 4), Sean McInerney (0 4), Conor Tarpey (0 3), Alan Barrett (0 1), Stephen Flanagan (0 1) and Jason Costello (0 1). The Final saw Maree/Oranmore crowned County Junior Champions for the 2nd time in their history and bridged a 26 year gap after a comprehensive 4 16 to 1 7 victory over St. Gabriel s in Pearse Stadium. The match, which was played before the Senior county final between Salthill/Knocknacarra and Corofin, started in a blistering pace as Maree/Oranmore who were playing against the strong 2016 County Junior Football Champions Back Row: Eoghan Stenson, Darragh Conway, Conor Allen, Shane Geoghan, Paul Fitzmaurice (Children Edward on left and Patrick on Right), Shane Finn, Andrew O Connell, Paul Munnelly, Shane Stenson, Cathal Noone, Darragh Greaney, Paul Pender, Keith Hanley, Tom Hamilton, Cian Greaney, Eamon Whelan, Eric Neary, Diarmuid Carney, Jonathan Kelleher, Charlie Crowley, Nicholas Sheehan, Noel Qualter, David Quinn and Brendan Rudden. Front Row: Paul Stenson, Brian Tarpey, Jonathan Fearon, Niall Geoghan, Sean Mac Inerney, Alan Barrett, Enda Walsh (Captain), Stephen Flanagan, Jason Costello, Simon Dunne, David Devlin, Malachy Black, Ronan Heffernan, Conor Tarpey, Conor Reddington and Michael Farrell. breeze scored a goal through Eoghan Stenson after 2 minutes. The goal was followed by points from Johnathan Kelliher and Sean McInerney before Shane Geoghegan used his strength to blast a goal past the St. Gabriel s keeper, leaving the score Maree/Oranmore 2 2 to no score after 10 minutes. St. Gabriel s opened their account on 10 minutes with the first of five points in 10 minutes to leave the score Maree/Oranmore 2 4 St. Gabriel s 0 5 as half time approached. Malachy Black and Johnathan Kelliher were amongst the scorers to leave the halftime score Maree/Oranmore 2 7 St. Gabriel s 0 7. At half time Oranmore Maree under 12 s played two exhibition games amongst themselves to keep

6 the crowd entertained. It was great to see over 35 lads from our parish showing some excellent skills in front of a large crowd. The second half started slowly as Maree/Oranmore sought to withstand a St.Gabriel s fightback before Sean McInerney and Eoghan Stenson scored a point apiece leaving the score Maree/Oranmore 2 9 St. Gabriel s 0 7. The game was effectively over when Shane Geoghegan was first to react after a shot hit the post to bury the ball to the back of the net. St. Gabriel s to their credit never gave up and scored a penalty with 10 minutes to go, however they could not capitalise on this and Maree/Oranmore finished with a flourish. A superb goal from Man of the Match Sean McInerney in the final few minutes which was a just reward for a player who worked his socks off all day. Club legend David Iggy Eignor who made his adult football debut 17 years ago was introduced to a rapturous reception from the crowd, Iggy went onto to score three wonderful points much to the adoration of the huge Maree/Oranmore following. The team that lined out for the final was as follows; Paul Munnelly, Paul Stenson, Noel Rusty Qualter, Dáire Conway, Malachy Black (0 2), Stephen Flanagan, Eric Neary, Paul Fitzmaurice, Conor Tarpey, RonanHeffernan, Eoghan Stenson (1 2), Alan Barrett (0 1), Johnny Kelliher (0 6), ShaneGeoghegan (2 0), Sean McInerney (1 2). Subs used; Simon Dunne, Nicholas Sheehan, Enda Walsh Jason Costello, Cian Greaney & David Iggy Eignor (0 3). Captain Enda Walsh received the cup on behalf of the team and management and in a stirring speech dedicated the win to their deceased team mate and friend Donie Greene, who tragically lost his life last year. The footballers also topped the table in the league and were promoted to division 4, after a big win over Mountbellew Moylough, the lads scored and incredible 39 goals and 120 points throughout their league campaign. The Junior C team were unlucky to lose the North Board final to a very strong Padraig Pearse s side, they defeated Milltown, Mountbellew/Moylough and Caherlistrane to reach the final. Intermediate Hurling Panel 2016 Back row left to right: Seamus Furey, Eanna Burke, Liam Keavney, Marcus Quinn, Rian Maher, Liam Keane, Robert O Grady, Alan Burke, Niall Burke, Gearoid McInerney, Shane Lyons, Rory McInerney, Martin Keane, Karol Collins. Front row left to right: John Gormally, Niall Higgins, Sean Bannon, Jphn Flaherty, Rory McInerne, Padraic Keane, Alan Bannon (Captain), Sean McInerney, Simon Dunne, Damian O Reilly, Jason Costello, Stephen Flanagan, Shane Hynes.

7 In the hurling, the Intermediates were managed by Karol Collins, Shane Hynes and Seamus Furey, the Junior B s by Tom Carr and Michael McGrath and the Junior C s by Ollie Flanagan. The intermediates opened their championship account with a big win over eventual champions Ahascragh Fohenagh before disposing of Ballinderreen, Rahoon Newcastle, Kilconieron and Annaghdown in the group. An interesting side note is that the lads did not concede a single goal in the group stages but scored a staggering throughout the 5 games. In the quarter final an epic battle against Meelick Eyrecourt saw our win on a score line of Maree/Oranmore 0 18 Meelick Eyrecourt 3 8. The semi final was against Ahascragh Fohenagh in October, however our lads came up just short losing an excellent game of hurling on a score line of Maree/Oranmore 1 15 Ahascragh Fohenagh The Junior B team failed to live up to their potential and after qualifying from a group that included Ballinderreen, Pádraig Pearse s, Craughwell, Menlo Emmets and Maigh Cuillin were beaten by Mullagh in the preliminary quarter final. The Junior C hurlers had a disappointing campaign, however a lot of younger players have been blended into adult hurling, the lads were drawn in a group that included Ahascragh Fohenagh, Tommy Larkins, Tynagh, Rahoon Newcastle, An Spidéal and Ballinderreen. National School s GAA As previously stated a lot of coaching work is being done in the local national schools and the results of this are already showing. Oranmore Boys NS / Scoil Iósaif Naofa won the Cumann na mbuncscoil Roinn A 15 a side County Football Final. Gaelscoil de híde beat Roscahill in Roinn F Cumann na mbuncscoil County Football Final, Maree lost out to Cummer in Roinn B in the Cumann Na mbunscoil County Football Final and Oranmore Boys NS / Scoil Iósaif Naofa won the mini 7 s Football Final.