Upcoming Fixtures
Minor County Championship
Fr. Caseys Vs Rathkeale, Thursday October 1st in Mick Neville Park at 8.00pm

Senior County Quarter Final
Fr. Caseys 1-10 Ballylanders 0-16

Fr. Caseys Senior Footballers travelled to the Gaelic Grounds last Friday night to face the reigning county champions Ballylanders in the County Quarter Final. Entering the game as underdogs, Fr. Caseys needed a massive 60 minute performance to overcome the odds and book a place in the last four. It was Ballylanders who settled the quickest and kicked four unanswered points in the opening 10 minutes to take a commanding early lead. Fr. Caseys were on the back foot to a very strong and fit Ballylanders outfit but then against the run of play Billy Quirke almost stole in for goal only to be denied by a brilliant close range save by the keeper. On 12 minutes Fr. Caseys were awarded a 45 and Cormac Roche stepped up to masterfully guide the ball between the posts. After that brilliant kick Cormac repeated the feat moments later, this time converting a free just inside the 45 close to the sideline. After a poor start Fr. Caseys were now back in the game and for the next quarter they battled hard to stamp their authority. A pointed free from Ballylanders was soon cancelled out by a point from midfielder David Ward before Cormac Roche converted his third free of the night to leave a single point between the sides. Both teams exchanged points in the closing 5 minutes with James Riordan on target for Fr. Caseys. The half time score was Fr. Caseys 0-05, Ballylanders 0-06. After a dismal start, Fr. Caseys had dug deep to get back into the game and entered the break as the team with momentum.

The second half began with Cormac Roche slotting his fourth point of the night and suddenly the teams were level. At this point in the game Ballylanders had a great chance for goal but Sean Scannell reacted sharply in goals to pull off a great save. From the rebound Ballylanders slotted over the bar to regain the lead. John Riordan from a placed ball leveled proceeding but then Ballylanders went through a period of dominance kicking 5 points without reply, 3 from frees. Fr. Caseys needed a lifeline and that's exactly what the newly introduced John Lane gave them when he rattled the net after being setup by Cormac Roche. Suddenly there was a game on again and although Ballylanders increased the lead to 3 points, Fr. Caseys replied with scores from David Ward and Adrian Enright to reduce the margin to 1 point. Sadly this would be as close as we would get as Ballylanders outscored Fr. Caseys by three points to one in the closing 10 minutes. Fr. Caseys final score coming from the boot of Maurice Gleeson. Trailing by a goal as the game entered injury time Fr. Caseys threw everything forward but Ballylanders by this stage had everyone behind the ball and held on for victory. The full time score was Fr. Caseys 1-10, Ballyanders 0-16.

Falling at the quarter final stage is without doubt a disappointment but we cannot fault the effort given by the players. After a slow start to the season which included a disappointing defeat to Na Piarsaigh in round 3, the team turned a corner in early August with a brilliant display against Ballysteen and then overcoming St. Kierans to claim a knockout place. Beating the county champions in the quarter final was always going to be a big asked but the team rose to the challenge and had luck been on our side the result could have been different. In a year where we lost at least seven of our strongest players to emigration, we had a mountain to climb from the start but credit to the teenagers would join our ranks and did themselves great justice. It's another hard luck story and next year it will be 10 years without a senior title. With only five of the current panel with a county senior medal it's time for another band of heroes to grace our town. I have no doubt the reward will come and all the heartache along the way will be forgotten. Many thanks to John Colbert, Thomas Cahill and Andrew Scannell for their hard work with the team all year.

Youth Activity Fun Day
Colaiste Ide Agus Iosef will hold a Youth Activity Fun Day event in the Fr. Caseys GAA grounds this coming Sunday October 4th. Starting at 1pm activities will include an obstacle course, races, tug of war,face painting, bake sale and much more. All monies collected will go towards helping two TY students Frances Broderick and Ellen Scanlon to travel to Calcutta with the Hope Foundation next March. The two girls would appreciate your support and guarantee an entertaining day for all the family.

Limerick Bord Na nOg - Strictly Come Dancing
Limerick Bord Na nOg are delighted to present "Strictly Come Dancing" on October 17th in Limerick Racecourse.  The dancers are from all across the Limerick GAA Family - Inter-County Hurlers & Footballers, Ladies Footballers & Camogie Players, Referees & Officials.

Special guests on the night include Liam Aherne & Brid McNamara who are the MC's. The Judges are Siobhan Walsh of Newcastle West GAA, Nollaig Malone who is the current Miss Limerick, County Vice Chairman Liam O'Sullivan and the Limerick Underage Hurling Coach Anthony Daly.

Tickets are €20 and available through your local club or contact Breda Hartnett Breen on 087 6227067 or Geraldine Neenan on 086 8060223. This promises to be a great night celebrating Limerick GAA. Hopefully you can support this important fundraiser.

Spin & Win Draw
The following are the results from the last Sunday nights Spin and Win Draw which was held in the Cellar Bar. Congratulations to all our winners and many thanks to everyone who purchased a ticket.

Mairead Stack €45
Mary Lane €40
Kathleen Sean O'Connor €55
Fiona Morrissey €60

The next Spin and Win Draw will be held on Sunday October 4th in O' Rourkes Bar at 9.30pm. With the jackpot not won last weekend, the prize fund increases to €1,600 for the coming draw. The four players spinning the wheel next weekend are as follows:

David O'Connor
David Ahern
Paddy Smith, Abbeyfeale
Conor Healy, The Hill

Club Website
Check out our club website at www.frcaseysgaa.ie for all the latest club news, fixtures, results and lots more. Our club website is updated regularly and is well worth a visit. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/frcaseysgaa.

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