Suffering from the numbers game
November 30, 2009Life can be tough for the smaller rural clubs and Kilskyre certainly discovered that last year when a very depleted panel failed to reach the knockout stages and things got even worse this year when they failed to win any of their championship matches and gave a walkover to eventual beaten finalists Blackhall Gaels in the last round of group games, on the instructions of the County Committee.
Life hasn't exactly been overly kind to Kilskyre since they last reached the intermediate final back in 2002. Their efforts to win a first title in the grade since 1994 were frustrated that year when Wolfe Tones beat them in the decider.
They lost a semi-final to Drumree in 2003 as they went on to claim the title, but the following year they failed to reach the last four. There was further semi-final disappointment in 2005 when Na Fianna defeated them and a year later they missed out on the business end of the title race.
It was the same story in 2007, but this time they were somewhat unlucky as neighbours Gaeil Colmcille deprived them of a semi-final place on score difference. Last year was tough as they struggled with numbers and this year saw them slip out of the intermediate grade.
Kilskyre were managed by Micheal Geraghty, with Francis Tunney and Donie Geraghty acting as selectors, and there were only six teams in this year's championship, including the second string side from Kilmessan which won the junior title in 2008. Also in the mix were Kilskyre, Blackhall Gaels, Drumree, Longwood and Dunderry and when the Kilskyre men headed out on what was to prove a very difficult road they made the short trip to Kells to play last year's beaten finalists Dunderry who were again one of the main fancies for outright success.
Dunderry, whose continued efforts to get back to the senior ranks were frustrated later in the year when they lost a semi-final to Blackhall, played well in the first half against Kilskyre and were well on their way to victory when they led by seven points (1-10 to 1-3) at the change of ends. To their credit, Kilskyre kept battling away and limited the opposition to four second half points, but they were five points adrift at the final whistle as Dunderry won by 1-14 to 2-6.
Drumree, who had been beaten by Blackhall in the opening round, provided the second round opposition at Dunganny and bounced back to winning ways with a surprisingly easy victory. The team which was relegated from the senior grade last year held a commanding 2-11 to 0-4 lead at the break and there was no way back for the Kilskyre men after that.
Drumree were all of 20 points to the good when the final whistle sounded, winning by 4-18 to 1-7, and the stark reality for Kilskyre at that stage of the championship was that they were staring at a battle for survival in the middle grade.
Kilmessan's second team later went very close to reaching the final when they were edged out by champions to be Longwood by the minimum margin at the penultimate hurdle and they inflicted a third successive defeat on Kilskyre at Dunderry. Former county player Anton O'Neill turned back the clock when contributing 1-7 from the full-forward position and that helped his team to a 2-16 to 2-3 victory.
Kilskyre amassed their highest score of the championship campaign in the fourth round against Longwood at Athboy, but they were still well beaten. The concession of three goals in the first half did serious damage to their prospects of achieving a first win and the team in white and black held a 3-4 to 0-8 advantage at the interval.
Again, Kilskyre battled away against the odds and notched a brace of goals themselves in the second half, but it was all to no avail as Longwood won by 4-15 to 2-10. A walkover was granted to Blackhall in the last round of group matches and that certainly represented a sad way to conclude what was a very difficult campaign for all concerned. Things can surely only get better.
Derek Muldoon was a member of the Meath panel which won the Nicky Rackard Cup this year. He started two games in that competition and three in the National League and described it all as "a great experience which brought my game on a lot".
The 23 year-old has been playing adult hurling with Kilskyre since he was 15 and started in goal, a position occupied by his father Paddy with the club for many years. But Derek prefers playing out the field where he is in the thick of the action. His brother Paudge also plays with Kilskyre.
"We had the same problems this year as last year," Derek said. "About six or seven players went to Australia. Others didn't give a commitment due to work. The fear was that they would get injured and wouldn't be able to hold onto a job. With the way things are who could blame them?
"A few of the minors came onto the panel which was a help. Overall, we had a panel of about 22, but the most we had for any of the games was 19 or 20. That's not really enough if you are picking up injuries."
The championship of 2009 brought absolutely no joy for Kilskyre.
"We lost to Dunderry by only five points in our first championship game," Derek added. "Peadar Byrne only played in the second half of that game. We could have beaten them. If we had won things might have been different. A win at that early stage might have built confidence in the team.
"Drumree gave us a big beating in the second round. When the football is going well the hurling suffers and we have plenty of lads playing football. We stuck with Kilmessan for a fair way in the third round, but they pulled away in the end.
"I felt we had the beating of Longwood. We were three points up at half-time, but they got a couple of sloppy goals which killed us. The County Board said our game with Blackhall didn't make any difference. We were going to be relegated anyway. But we were willing to play it."
So what does he think about the prospect of playing in the lower grade?
"Junior hurling might suit the younger lads, it might help them build confidence," Derek added. "We might get some of the lads back too. We'll give it a go next year and hopefully we can get back up to intermediate soon."
Hurling clubs in the north of the county are as rare as hens teeth and the importance of having units which keep the great game alive in these areas is immense. Kilskyre are one of those clubs and it's sad to see them struggling at the moment. But that can often be the reality for small rural clubs during recessionary times and it's a matter of soldiering on in the hope that things will get better with time.
Developing the habit of winning games on a consistent basis in the junior ranks could work wonders for rebuilding confidence among the players. Of course, winning the title would help as well.
SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT
There had been much better news for Kilskyre earlier in the year when they teamed up with Moylagh to win the MHC 'B' title with a clearcut 3-8 to 0-9 final victory over Blackhall Gaels at Ashbourne in mid-February.
Moylagh/Kilskyre started in very positive fashion and scored the opening three points of the game, but Blackhall responded as if they really meant business and were ahead by double scores (0-8 to 0-4) at the break. The combined side battled well on the resumption and stayed well in contention thanks to points from Thomas Rahill (four) and William McGrath.
Goals have a habit of winning games and Moylagh/Kilskyre got all three of them in this encounter. Rahill netted in brilliant fashion for the first and another goal from McGrath gave the north Meath team a decisive edge. Rahill's second goal from a penalty put the icing on the cake and there was no way back for Blackhall once 'keeper Colm Melia saved a late penalty.
Among the stars for the winners in a good team performance were McGrath, Rahill, Patrick Briody, Darren Hawdon, Melia, Thomas Reilly and Sean Geraghty. It was a victory which gave hurling in the north of the county a nice boost.
The Moylagh/Kilskyre team in the final was: C Melia; S Tierney, E Smith; D Hawdon, P Briody, J Reilly; T Reilly, K Foley; S Geraghty, T Rahill, C McPartland; W McGrath, C Brogan. Sub - N Farrelly for Brogan. Tweet
