Three In A Row For Minor Hurling Champions The stakes were high last Saturday when the Minor Hurlers ran onto the pitch at Parnell Park as a possible 3 in a row in the County Championship was up for grabs. They knew they had the ability to do it, and they did so with a respectable final score of 1-20 to 1-15 against their Northside Dublin neighbours St Vincents. The starting 15 and scorers were Ciaran McHugh, Darragh Bergin, Donal Ryan, Conor Kelly, Darragh McHugh, Peter Feeney, Craig Berrigan, Seafra Fitzgerald,0-2 Donal Burke 0-3 Neil Loftus,0-1 John Tierney 0-1, David Lacey, Sean Currie,0-2 Cathal Caverly 1-0 and Colin Currie 0-10. Subs Michael Murphy for David Lacey (47), Eoin O Dea 0-1 for Cathal Caverly (47). The overall panel of 30 have put a huge amount of effort into bringing success at this level to the Club and with one exception, won every match on the road to Parnell Park for the Championship Final. The Club can be rightly proud of this 3 in a row achievement and it demonstrates how Hurling is going from strength to strength here. Declan Feeney and his selectors would like to especially thank Daire and Odhran Meleady for their expertise in coaching this panel to such a high standard and also all the parents 1
who kindly volunteered to give lifts to and from matches, (even when the match was in Co.Tipp or Galway) and all who helped in catering for visiting teams. A special thanks to all the team supporters who cheered so loudly for the Team at all their matches. Declan Feeney, proud Minor Hurling manager Juvenile Coaching Programme A Dual Foundation Award Coaching Course will start next Wednesday 9 th November in the club and will run over the following two Wednesdays, 16th and 23rd. This course is for both Hurling and Football and will be held between 7.15pm and 9.30pm. On Wed 30th a Code of Best Practice workshop will be held from 7.15-9.30. This has to be done in order to complete the Foundation Award. The topics covered are... Role of the Coach The "How to coach" Skills Physical Literacy (Movement in Gaelic Games) Coaching Children, Youths and Adults GAA Skill Development Introduction to Games Based Coaching Anybody interested should text Club GPO Mark McManus (0860752644). 2
All-Stars Awards Pictured above at Friday night s GAA/GPA All-Stars Awards in the Convention Centre were two proud Na Fianna men. Congrats to Jonny Cooper on his award and best of luck to Dessie Farrell in his endeavours as he presided over his last awards ceremony as CE of Gaelic Players Association. U16 A Hurlers Finish Season On A High. The U16 hurlers finished their Juvenile hurling careers on a high note on Saturday 22nd October. Having lost out to Ballyboden by a last minute point in the Championship quarter final, a disappointed group of players resolved to not end the season on a low point. Team goals were re-set and winning the Shield became a new target. 3
An under-strength Ballinteer St. John were comfortably overcome in the semi final and St. Vincents would be the opposition in the Final. (A match up mirroring the Minor A final). In what was a tough and physical battle, the Na Fianna lads were steady in the first half scoring 1-5 (0-3f) to St Vincents 0-3 (0-3f). Mentors agreed that the Na Fianna lads executed as many hooks and blocks as ever seen in a game, especially by the forwards and midfield. St. Vincents upped the intensity in the second half, but Na Fianna weathered the storm and added a further 13 points to their first half tally to finish up the game with a score of 1-18 to 1-4, holding St. Vincents to a single score from play. On a lighter note, one of the mentors thought he needed an interpreter during the second half when one of the Na Fianna players needed some attention because he bih hid dung! It s worth adding that the eventual U16 A Championship winners (Kilmacud Crokes) were only beaten once this year, and it was by this hard working bunch of Na Fianna U16s. This Shield adds to the U15 A shield this team won last year, and the shield that the U16 B team won the previous week. For the 'A's, the season ended with the A shield and a third place finish in a highly competitive division 1 league. Parents and mentors returned to the club later that evening for pizza, refreshments and presentations. Special thanks to Shane Barrett for presenting the medals to both A & B squads. Thanks also to Alva Baxter and all the parents who organised the "parents get 4
together" - a great night was had by all. The mentors wish the lads all the best at minor grade next year, and also wish to acknowledge everyone who helped with this team over the years, from linesmen and umpires, to net and flag installers to carpool drivers and jersey washers. Thanks to all - it was a team effort. Full House at Helix For Na Fianna s Strictly What a night we had at last Friday s Strictly at The Helix. On the night, fourteen couples made up of a cross section of the Club s membership took to the stage in what was a fantastic club atmosphere. An unforgettable Club night that will go down in Na Fianna history and folklore as one of the great nights, this saw Na Fianna at its very best. All ages, all groups, all codes were represented in an evening of fun, friendship and camaraderie. Above is a small sample of some of the night s action and we hope to feature a more substantial report on this hugely successful evening very soon. Sincere thanks to all who supported. 5
Weekend Fixtures Championship action continues next Sunday with Minor A footballers hosting Thomas Davis in Mobhi Road. Both Minor Camogie teams play in Championship in Collinstown at 11, A s play Good Council and B s play Whitehall. Junior B hurlers away against Thomas Davis in league at 2.30pm. U-15A footballers play Sylvesters in Shield Final in Mobhi Road at 12 noon. Good luck to all teams, support welcome, full fixture list on website. Club Lotto This week s Na Fianna Club Lotto winning numbers were; 3 6 22 25 No winner of this week s jackpot of 20,000 but congrats to this weeks three Match 3 winners; Mary Davis, Mary Clarke c/o Vinny, Siobhan Reynolds who each won 45. Congrats also to our five Lucky Pick winners who won 15 each, Austin O Carroll, James Nyhan, Eyelin Thompson,, Mary O Sullivan, Robert Daly c/o Vinny. See Club website www.clgnafianna.ie for application forms and direct debit mandates. Next week s Club Lotto Jackpot is 20,000, get your envelopes in members bar or around Club over the weekend. Club Shops Open Tomorrow The Club Hurley shop, located near the outdoor ball alley is open for business every Saturday morning. All your hurling needs and plenty of advice available here from Seosamh Breathnach. Na Fianna Club Shop, located in the Clubhouse foyer, will also be open tomorrow, Saturday 5th from 9am to 1pm. Coffee with a smile available, as always, at the Coffee Shack from our hard working team. 6
Na Fianna Gym Winter Schedule Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 6am - 7am 7am - 8am CLOSED 8am - 9am 9am - 10am 10am - 11am 11am - 12pm 12pm - 1pm 1pm - 2pm 2pm - 3pm 3pm - 4pm 4pm - 5pm 5pm - 6pm 6pm - 7pm GNS GNS GNS GNS GNS Senior Hurling Senior & Inter 7pm - 8pm ROSCOMMON Inter Football ROSCOMMON Senior Football Camogie 8pm - 9pm ROSCOMMON Ladies Football ROSCOMMON Inter Football Senior Hurling 9pm - 10pm Senior Hurling 10pm - 10:30pm GNS GYM RULES - MUST BE OBEYED 1 Members gym only 2 Gym door not to be propped open 3 Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult 4 Re-rack all weights after use and return all other equipment to proper locations 5 Wipe down all equipment after use 6 Please be courteous and respectful of others 7 Last out, turn out lights and ensure windows closed 8 Please report faulty or damaged equipment immediately 9 Management assumes no responsibility for any injury that may occur CCTV cameras in operation and any unacceptable behaviour will be acted upon accordingly. Under 14 B Camogie Championship Success The Na Fianna Under 14 B team are Division 5 championship winners after a fantastic victory over Beann Éadair on Saturday 22nd October. The final took place in Trinity Gaels in Balgrifin on an excellent playing surface and great credit must go to the Dublin Camogie County Board (Brendan Cooper, Sandra Tarr, and Rachel Rogers) for making the day such a memorable experience for all concerned. The girls have worked very hard this year at improving their skills and understanding of the game and on the day they produced a wonderful team performance to defeat Beann Éadair convincingly on a score line of Na Fianna 9-0 to Beann Éadair 0-0. There were scenes of 7
great joy and happiness at the final whistle and it was fitting that the Cup was presented to Captain Aoife Grace by Na Fianna Mentor and Camogie player Rachel Rogers. A special mention must go To Tara Macken who missed the game and also to Sophia L Estange from the Under 13 Camogie team. Sophia has been a very loyal member of the squad throughout the season however unfortunately she was unable to play for us in the Final. A big Thank You also to the large number of girls from the Under 14 A team who came out to support the team on their big day. A Final word of Thanks to all the parents for their unwavering support of the Team and Mentors over the last 2 years. Ar Scáth a Chéile a Mhairimid Grass Pitches Notice It is that time of the year where there is little or no growth and changeable weather conditions. This means that all Na Fianna grass pitches will be closed from Monday November 14 till the end of January 2017. There will be no training or challenge matches during this period, if you are organising a challenge it will have to be in the opposition venue. There are still a number of outstanding official county board championship and league games to be played, these are the only games permitted on the pitches. 8
The All Weathers continue to be in use and winter training schedule still applies to them. The Fixtures Committee thanks all for your continued support. Child Vision Garden Centre Club member Philip McElwee is now helping to rejuvenate Child Vision Garden Centre, on Gracepark Road, Drumcondra. It now has a range of lovely winter bedding plants, perennials and heathers. They also have winter hanging baskets and window boxes ready for sale. Anyone wishing to refill their window box or hanging basket is welcome to leave them in the centre to be refilled. With Christmas fast approaching, the centre will be stocking suitable garden accessories as well as seasonal plants. ChildVision provides educational opportunities for Ireland s visually impaired children and young adults in a safe environment. Open Hours: 10:00-16:00 Every Day, for more info see website; https://childvision.ie/site/whats-on/garden-centre/ Honours For Mickey Prince RIP The family of the late Mickey Prince have advised that a plaque dedication ceremony for Mickey will take place in the UN Veterans Memorial Gardens in Arbour Hill on Sunday. Mickey (pictured left) who gave a lot of his time to the creation and ongoing maintenance of this garden will be remembered fondly by older Club members as a pioneering force in adult football. Sunday s ceremony will be preceded by 10am mass in the Garrison Church Arbour Hill and all are welcome to attend. 9
and finally Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Minor ladies footballer and Camogie player Ciara Byrne following surgery today on her ACL. Comhbhrón Sincere sympathies are extended to the Short and Coleman families on the passing this week in Dundalk of Oonagh, sister of 2002 boys football mentor Shane Coleman, Aunt of Cuan (2002 boys), Donagh and Aoibhinn and sister in law of Ev. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam. Fógra Tabachtach The objective of Na Fianna Nuacht is to communicate as much club activity as possible however it is important to note that all items for inclusion in either Club Notes or Na Fianna Nuacht are reported to pro.nafianna.dublin@gaa.ie or texted to 087 9250697 by Sunday evening. With a membership of 2700 and approx 100 teams now competing it is difficult to ensure all club activity is reported upon Do not assume that your team s activity is already known to Na Fianna Nuacht or that someone else has reported it. When errors or omissions occur it is the policy of Na Fianna Nuacht to correct these in subsequent issues when they are reported to pro.nafianna.dublin@gaa.ie 10