Meath Yearbook 2007

Yellow Furze delight

When Cormac Quinn wrapped his powerful arms around the Keegan Cup as the light began to fade at Pairc Tailteann on the first Sunday of November, the scene illuminated the lives of so many people who had worked towards that glorious moment.

Two weeks earlier the popular opinion had been that Seneschalstown had missed their chance in a dreadfully disappointing drawn SFC final and that favourites Navan O’Mahonys would finish the job in the replay.
Seneschalstown conceded the last three points of the drawn encounter, managed only two points from Brian Clarke frees themselves in the second half and, after Stephen MacGabhann had fired over a superb equaliser for O’Mahonys, everybody in the Navan ground seemed to hold their breath as substitute Shane Clarke was wide from a free that would have earned a dramatic victory had it sailed between the posts.

After it drifted wide it was the O’Mahonys’ players and mentors who were the most relieved heading back to the dressingrooms. The Seneschalstown players didn’t exactly feel great about themselves for a spell after that game, but once a couple of days passed the confidence and self-belief that had marked their improved form in the knockout stages of the championship returned with a bang.
The result was a thoroughly deserved victory by six points in the replay and a third Senior Championship title to go with those achieved in 1972 when that brilliant defender Mickey Collins was captain and in 1994 when the very much in form Padraig Coyle accepted the Keegan Cup and the ’man of the match’ award.
When 16 teams headed out on the championship journey last April Seneschalstown weren’t being talked about as potential champions – indeed, outside their own neck of the woods they weren’t being talked about at all.

With Damien Sheridan senior acting as coach and Ian Maguire and Tommy McDonnell his fellow selectors, they got their group C campaign off to a winning start when beating neighbours Walterstown by 0-14 to 0-8 at Pairc Tailteann to maintain the good form they had been demonstrating in the league. Ten points from play suggested that they had made strides from a less that encouraging showing in 2006.

But what followed was puzzling and, as most people thought at the time, a sign that Seneschalstown were in for another struggle. A barren spell of 37 minutes without a score just about summed up their second round performance as they lost to St Patrick’s by 1-5 to 1-8 at Skryne and it didn’t get any better next time out against Trim at Dunshaughlin.
Seneschalstown led by 0-7 to 0-3 at half-time and increased the advantage to six points within three minutes of the restart. However, they didn’t score again and this time they endured a 30-minute period without hitting the target. Trim won by 2-7 to 0-9 and that was surely the lowest point of the whole year for a team that proved so consistent overall – in championship, league and Feis Cup.

But selector Maguire also saw it as a crucial day in what was to follow later in the year. That wasn’t a happy occasion for Joe Sheridan who was about to make the big decision to put his intercounty career on hold, something that was to help Seneschalstown’s rehabilitation enormously.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back for Joe was the Trim game,” Maguire recalled. “He couldn’t do anything right and after that decided he was getting out. He was playing so much football and was involved in too much. It got to him.
“I remember the players were so angry after the Trim game; it was pure anger after letting a six-point lead slip. I remember saying to a man outside the dressingroom afterwards that we were going to win the championship.

“There was such an anger there among the players. The attitude changed after that. We had lost to St Patrick’s in the previous round and the difference after both games was enormous. That was a turning point.”
And how Sheridan responded when Seneschalstown played Rathkenny in their final group assignment at Pairc Tailteann as he contributed 1-6 from play to help his team to a 1-12 to 0-9 victory which enabled them to scrape through to the last eight as runners-up on four points. That was the same total as St Patrick’s and Trim, but a superior score difference did the trick.
By this stage the Seneschalstown team that would win the championship was really taking shape. Young Andrew Collins, a son of Billy who was a member of the victorious 1972 team, was settling in at full-back and team captain Quinn was moved to centre-back where he proved highly influential for the remainder of the competition.

Robert Ruddy and Damien Sheridan started together at midfield throughout the knockout stages and that was very significant too as they possessed the physicality that was so evident in the team in general.
Summerhill were favourites when they met Seneschalstown in a quarter-final at Pairc Tailteann, but this was the day the Yellow Furze side really made people stand up and take notice as they turned in a superb performance to win by 2-11 to 0-11. An early Joe Sheridan goal helped them to lead by 1-5 to 0-3, but the advantage was down to 1-6 to 0-6 at the break.
Brian Clarke scored two brilliant points at the start of the second half, but Seneschalstown had to rely on goalkeeper David Lyons to produce a tremendous save from Rory Donnelly as Summerhill threatened. Victory was secured when Joe Sheridan turned provider for substitute Davy Byrne to net and with a 2-8 to 0-9 lead it was game, set and match.
Looming on the horizon in the semi-final were Simonstown Gaels and a brilliant start to the second half and a battling display when their lead was threatened proved decisive in a very entertaining contest.

Simonstown opened up a 0-4 to 0-0 lead early on and held Seneschalstown scoreless in the first 14 minutes, but a goal from a Joe Sheridan penalty helped turn things around and the Yellow Furze team led by 1-4 to 0-4 at the break. When Joe and Brian Sheridan goaled in the space of a minute at the start of the second half the advantage stood at eight points, but the Navan team applied enormous pressure subsequently and Seneschalstown were reliant on some brilliant goalkeeping by Lyons.
They managed only two further points as Simonstown – aided by a Shane O’Rourke goal from a penalty – reduced the gap to three, but some brilliant defending enabled them to hold out for a magnificent victory on a 3-6 to 1-9 score line. A feature of the closing stages was a brilliant catch by Joe Sheridan in his own full-back line. He contributed 2-1 overall and brother Brian got 1-3.

A metatarsal injury ruled Brian Sheridan out of the final which represented a massive blow, but the impact of Brian Clarke in the two games against O’Mahonys can’t be understated as he scored seven points the first day and nine in the replay.
The drawn encounter was very poor and Seneschalstown led by 1-6 to 0-7 at the interval after wing-back Mark Carey had goaled late in the first half. Their only scores of the second period were two Brian Clarke frees and that left the door open for O’Mahonys to fight back and eventually earn a second chance with a superb Mac Gabhann point. Seneschalstown had one last chance, but substitute Shane Clarke was wide with a free.
There was no denying Seneschalstown’s superiority in the highly entertaining replay, which they won by 0-15 to 0-9, with Brain Clarke scoring those nine points – eight frees and a ’45’ – in a display that earned him the ’man of the match’ award.

They led by 0-8 to 0-4 at the break, by which stage Clarke had pointed four times and Mark Carey had raided upfield to score twice, and there was a confidence about their play after a shaky start. Clarke increased the advantage to five points two minutes into the second half and they were four clear (0-12 to 0-8) at the three-quarter stage. Among their other third quarter points was a stunning effort from Joe Sheridan way out on the right flank.

There had been worrying signs when O’Mahonys cut the deficit to two, but Seneschalstown’s response typified their growing maturity in the latter stages of the championship as they dug deep and never panicked.
Clarke and Ciaran Macken kicked a couple of bad wides when the lead stood at four, but they finished strongly to push clear again and were six to the good when David Coldrick sounded his final whistle.
It was nice to see Brian Sheridan joining the action near the end.
The decision to bring Macken home from Australia for the replay proved very worthwhile as he played extremely well, while other stand out players were Lyons, who made a vital second half save from Gary O’Brien, 18 year-old Collins, Carey, Quinn, Ruddy, Damien and Joe Sheridan and, of course, scoring sensation Clarke.
But where did the dramatic improvement come from as the championship progressed?

“The mental approach of the team made a huge difference this year,” Ian Maguire added. “There was a very positive attitude. A lot of that came from Damien Sheridan who has a very positive attitude to life in general. We never criticised the team throughout the year. We did have one-to-one dealings with them. Things were very positive.
“Declan Coyle, who was involved with Kerry, worked with the players earlier in the year and kept in touch. We had a girl who dealt with nutrition and we got Pat McEnaney up to deal with the refereeing end of things.
“As Jack O’Connor said in his book, it’s a game of inches. All those little things made a difference.”
But did they feel the chance had passed them by when they failed to win the first day against O’Mahonys?

“On the Monday after the drawn game our emotions were all over the place,” Maguire said. “We didn’t know what we felt, whether we were dejected or what. Then Mickey Harte came down on the Tuesday night. That was a turning point. We never had any doubts after that. We were going to win the replay.
“We trained on the Wednesday night before the replay and they were flying. We had a game among ourselves and it was more bruising than on the Sunday. I knew we were going to win after seeing that.”
Seneschalstown had so many stars in the latter stages of the championship, team captain Quinn among them.

“He’s a big strong man who takes no prisoners,” added Maguire. “We had played him at midfield earlier, but centre-back is his position. Mark Carey is a wonderful footballer and his position is wing-back. He is able to express himself there and proved that in the drawn game and replay.”
Maguire was quick to acknowledge the young brigade, including Brian Clarke who “played such a huge role in the win” and Collins who he described as “a fantastic talent,” adding: “He could do anything. He’s so cool under pressure.”
Maguire, like all involved, will never forget Sunday, 4th November, 2007.

Seneschalstown – D Lyons; S Sheridan, A Collins, C Clarke; M Carey (0-2), C Quinn, C Gleeson; R Ruddy, D Sheridan (0-1); C Macken, A McCann, J Cowley; B Clarke (0-9), J Sheridan (0-2), S Clarke (0-1). Subs – D Byrne for S Clarke, B Sheridan for Cowley, J Byrne for C Clarke.

LADIES STILL DOMINANT
Seneschalstown’s remarkable consistency in the Ladies SFC continued when they won the title for the seventh time in eight years with a 0-22 to 0-5 final victory over Blackhall Gaels at Dunsany.

Managed by Seamus Byrne, Alan Stephens and Liz Halpenny, Seneschalstown were superb, with Eimear O’Carroll contributing 11 points and Fiona Mahon scoring six in a magnificent exhibition of team play. Yet, amazingly, they also tallied 19 wides.
County players Mary Sheridan and Grainne Nulty gave them a decisive edge at midfield and they led from start to finish.
That great sportswoman Dearbhla O’Carroll had the honour of captaining the team.

Seneschalstown – L Byrne; D Mangan-Dillon, P Sheridan, D O’Carroll; R Nulty, L McKeever, E McGrane; M Sheridan, G Nulty (0-1); S Byrne (0-1), O Sheridan (0-2), F Mahon (0-6); E O’Carroll (0-11), S Sheridan, A Carolan (0-1). Subs – G Mac Gabhann for R Nulty, E Harris for S Sheridan, E Sheridan for O’Carroll, A McAdam for O Sheridan, L Quinn for Carolan.

Fantastic facilities
Seneschalstown will always remember 2007 with particular fondness because they lifted the Keegan Cup for the third time in their history, but a hugely significant and proud day came a few months earlier with the official opening of their magnificent upgraded facilities last May.

With an expanding population to cater for, the club set about the huge task of meeting the challenges and demands that go with such phenomenal growth and now they are the proud possessors of a tremendous ground – and the most significant piece of silverware in Meath football as well!
When speaking to ’Royal County’ back in the autumn of 2003, then secretary Jimmy Mullen said Seneschalstown GFC wanted to “have a place to be proud of.” With a lot of money spent and a huge amount of planning, dedication and hard work they achieved just that – a place to be proud of.

The new facilities at Fr Tully Park were officially opened in early May when Armagh defeated Meath by 2-11 to 1-11 in a warm-up match ahead of the commencement of the provincial championship campaigns for both teams two weeks later.
With Meath preparing for a championship opener against Kildare at Croke Park and Armagh fine tuning their team ahead of their meeting with Donegal, the match was informative, but the occasion was really a celebration of what the Seneschalstown club had achieved with the upgrade of their facilities. It was an evening when all concerned could look proudly at their home and know it had all been very worthwhile.

Also part of the programme on that early summer day was a ladies’ football match between Meath and Armagh.
It’s hard to believe that it’s over 33 years ago that Fr Tully Park was first officially opened when Meath and Kerry played in a challenge match to mark the occasion. That was another proud day for Seneschalstown in June, 1974, a year before Meath would win the National League with a sensational final victory over Dublin, while Kerry were about to produce arguably the greatest team in the history of Gaelic football.

Much fundrasing went on in the greater Kentstown/Yellow Furze area, including dances, guest teas and even sponsored walks and it all paid off when the Kingdom arrived to help celebrate the success of the venture.
Seneschalstown had won the Senior Championship for the first time in 1972 and by the time the revamped Fr Tully Park was officially opened in 2007 they were on the verge of claiming the Keegan Cup for the third time – again with a replayed final victory over Navan O’Mahonys.

The new facilities have enhanced the club enormously and a look at what has been carried out gives a clear indication of the amount of dedicated work and planning that went into the whole project. They should be very proud of the tremendous transformation.

There’s a real pristine look to the whole place, with electronic entrance gates, a tarmac entrance, new walls and a refurbished clubhouse with four new dressingrooms and showers, toilets and a referee’s room with shower, while the playing and training facilities which have been put in place will be of enormous benefit to Seneschalstown in the years ahead as they cater for that ever-increasing population.

The pitch has been reset and a new paling was erected around it, while drainage work was also carried out. Overall, the whole project has been an enormous success and greatly enhances Seneschalstown’s home at Fr Tully Park.
Club secretary Ian Maguire spoke with great pride and satisfaction about the new facilities which are the result of a massive team effort by Seneschalstown GAA Club.
“The project is a tremendous credit to the club and an investment in the future,” he said. “It was a huge project to undertake and was a fantastic success.”