The boys Dun good
November 30, 2009
In their first year as a single entity in the Minor Football Championship, Dunshaughlin broke the stranglehold enjoyed by south Meath rivals Donaghmore/Ashbourne. TP Toolan, a member of the champions' four-strong management team, spoke to Royal County.
The year 2009 was a historic one for everyone in Dunshaughlin GAA, with the club's minors going all the way to Minor Football Championship glory in their first year on their own. Dunshaughlin had formed a successful alliance with their neighbours from Drumree for several years, but the St Martin's amalgamation was no more with the decision taken to go their separate ways.
With plenty of resolution and a smattering of luck, they advanced past the challenges of Ratoath and Dunshaughlin before putting holders Donaghmore/Ashbourne to the sword in a dazzling display of attacking football in the final in April.
Their run to the final suggested that Dunshaughlin might go into the game as underdogs against a Donaghmore/Ashbourne side seeking a stunning fourth straight title in the grade, but if that was the consensus, it was to prove a false one. Their earlier wins had required momentous efforts, but the result was never in doubt in the decider.
Leading by a point at the break, after a half in which they enjoyed almost complete dominance, the Dunshaughlin lads found their stride after the interval, hitting 1-7 to Donaghmore/Ashbourne's 0-2 to run out comfortable nine-point victors. The title looked to be safely in their keeping even before a goal from Alan O'Brien 12 minutes from the end, which finally ended all resistance from the holders.
It was a hugely satisfying occasion for all involved, particularly as it came so soon after the decision to go it alone under their own flag. Speaking to Royal County, team mentor TP Toolan said: "As St Martin's, we had some great players from Drumree down through the years, lads that really pulled us through on some occasions, so it was a big change to be going it alone. I suppose to get the better of a team like Donaghmore/Ashbourne in the final was great for us.
"They were going for a four-in-a-row of minor titles, which would be a wonderful achievement for any club. They had experience on their side as well, with the majority of their players probably previously having won minor medals. But we were confident enough in our lads. They had been a very good team through underage - many of them had played together on a St Martin's side that beat O'Mahony's in an under-14 final four years previously, so we knew it was a case of getting them to reproduce their best and they would have a good chance."
While there were fine individual performances throughout their campaign, TP is anxious to stress that the key to Dunshaughlin's success was a collective effort. "You had some excellent performances from certain fellas during the championship," he recalls. "Sean Joyce had a wonderful game against both Ratoath and Simonstown. Alistair Doyle was very good in the final. Alan O'Brien scored important goals versus Ratoath and again against Donaghmore/Ashbourne in the final. Niall Murphy and my own lad Fergus were also very good at certain stages, but I think it's fair to say that it was a real team effort that won it for us in the end. In every game we played, there were players in every line of the field who were capable of doing something that lifted the whole team and turn things around."
They certainly needed that leadership and inspiration, for more than once during the campaign Dunshaughlin looked dead, buried and prayed for. Ratoath led them by six at half-time (2-5 to 1-2) before points from Conor Devereux, Emmet Staunton and Eamonn Bowe reduced the deficit and Alan O'Brien goaled to inject momentum into the revival.
Against Simonstown, the comeback was even more pronounced. Having played against the stiff breeze, Dunshaughlin will have been feeling good about themselves as they approached half-time on level terms. However, the Navan side plundered three quickfire goals - one just before the break, two more in the early exchanges of the second half - to open up a yawning nine-point lead. However, Dunshaughlin held their nerve, outscoring Simonstown by 2-6 to 0-1 in the remainder to complete a stunning revival.
Says TP: "We had a couple of very close calls alright. In that game against Ratoath, we came back from well behind to win by two but even at that, they hit the outside of the post with the last kick of the game, when a goal would have put us out. Weather conditions were very bad that day and it was a great effort to get through but we were a bit fortunate.
"In the semi-final against Simonstown, we conceded a goal just before half-time and two more early in the second half put us nine points down. That was a particularly good victory. It showed a lot of character to come back from something like that."
TP is eager to pay tribute to the rest of the management team, including one key player who is no longer with us, as well as the wider support received from the club as a whole this year: "Stephen Claire, Donnchadh Geraghty and John O'Brien were all part of the management team and it wasn't a case of one fella calling the shots and everyone else bowing to his judgment. It was a real combined effort.
"We should also pay tribute to Tommy Clusker, who passed away last year. Tommy was a vital part of our juvenile coaching structure right up until his death and he worked with all these lads when they won the under-14 championship, so it's only right that he's remembered at this time.
"We also received plenty of support from the club and Dunshaughlin na nOg committees. Between club chairman Jim Smith, secretary Mairead Delaney, and Linda Devereux and Caroline Malone of Dunshaughlin na nOg, we got everything we needed."
With Dunshaughlin having wrested the title from Donaghmore/Ashbourne's grip, and Ratoath also making strides, the south of the county appears to hold a strong hand at minor and juvenile level. How does TP explain that phenomenon? "I suppose population growth over the last few years has definitely been a factor," he says. "There are some really exceptional young players available to the clubs at the moment. But it's fair to say that the clubs themselves are also putting in a lot of great work to nurture them along and get the most out of them. Ratoath are doing some fantastic work at underage level. Donaghmore/Ashbourne were going for a four-in-a-row in minor. Ourselves in Dunshaughlin, the lads have qualified for four Feiles in the last six years."
Next up for the Dunshaughlin youngsters will be the challenge of invigorating the senior side. Since the heady days of three successive senior titles between 2000 and 2002, the crown has slipped. TP was a member of Eamonn Barry's management team for those successes, and he is hopeful that the 2009 minor winners can make an impact in the senior grade one day. "We had a great couple of years at senior," he says, "but many of that team had played in six Intermediate semi-finals, so in many ways it was an old team after the Senior successes. The secret now is to get a few of this year's minor team through gradually to maturity, so that they can make an impact at senior in the future. Hopefully we'll manage that."
Most Read Stories