Busy on Brews Hill
November 30, 2009With Sean Kelly and Sean Barry at the helm for the second year hopes were high that an 18th SFC title could be annexed.
However, that quest was partly derailed by injuries to key players including two county men, Kevin Reilly and 2007 All-Star Stephen Bray.
O'Mahonys looked to be heading for the a fourth consecutive SFC final when leading in the latter stages of extra time of the drawn semi-final on Sunday, October 11 before Cian Ward's accuracy from placed balls rescued Wolfe Tones and it finished 0-14 each.
Stephen Corrigan's red-carding near the end of the additional 20 minutes sparked controversy as a loophole in the rules freed him for the replay the following Sunday.
The Brews Hill side fulfilled the subsequent fixture under protest but after a below par performance, in part due to the defensive capabilities of Cathal O'Bric's men, saw O'Mahonys go under by 0-8 to 0-11.
O'Mahonys found themselves five points in arrears going into the latter stages before scores from substitute David Murtagh and Gary O'Brien left just a goal between the sides.
When a David Bray free broke to him, substitute Jake Regan's goal attempt was blocked away to another replacement Shane Gillespie whose effort to find the net was swatted by the 'Tones rearguard.
Niall McKeigue's display at full-back, limiting the championship's top scorer Cian Ward to one point from play, was one of the few highlights from an O'Mahonys' perspective in the replay.
The Navan O'Mahonys team that lost to Wolfe Tones was - Mark Brennan, Cormac Reilly, Niall McKeigue, Stephen O'Toole; Gary O'Brien (0-1), Shane Crosby (0-1), Cormac McGuinness (0-1); Barry Regan, Mark Ward; Lee Russell, Ross Geraghty, Henry Finnegan (0-1); David Bray (0-2, 1 f), Shane McKeigue, Paddy Smyth (0-1). Subs - Darragh Maguire for Russell (40), David Murtagh (0-1) for Geraghty (44), Shane Gillespie for Smyth (55), Jake Regan for S. McKeigue (57), Damien Moran for Finnegan (60).
When the draw was made for the 2009 Commons Hardware SFC, O'Mahonys were billeted in the six-team Group A along with St Patrick's, Donaghmore/Ashbourne, Duleek/Bellewstown, Seneschalstown and local rivals Simonstown Gaels.
Their opening round fixture against Seneschalstown on at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday, April 19 ended in an 0-11 to 0-9 win for the Yellow Furze side that was marred by chaotic post-match scenes.
O'Mahonys' tally of nine points was their lowest in championship action since they put up the same score in losing to Seneschalstown in the 2007 SFC final replay.
Things didn't look good for O'Mahonys when they reached half-time on level terms, 0-6 each, with their opponents having played with the elements in the opening half.
Making a welcome return form injury, Shane McKeigue passed up an early goal chance for O'Mahonys. However, the town side were still in contention until the concession of two points in the latter stages sealed the outcome.
The chaotic post-match scenes were the main talking point and resulted in suspensions fpr for players and officials from both sides including O'Mahonys' Kevin Reilly (who was sent-off near the end of the game), Lee Russell and Cormac Reilly.
Donaghmore/Ashbourne - who were enduring their own injury problems - provided the opposition in round two on the May Bank Holiday weekend.
Despite the collateral damage endured after the Seneschalstown fixture, O'Mahonys won by 0-14 to 0-7 at Skryne were Stephen Bray contributed five points from play. Just two of the O'Mahonys' scores came from placed balls while Cormac McGuinness, Shane Crosby and Stephen O'Toole showed up well in defence.
There was a six-week gap to the third round fixture against Duleek/Bellewstown on Sunday, June 14 at Seneschalstown where Ross Geraghty's second-half goal (O'Mahonys first of the campaign) boosted the Brews Hill outfit to a 1-12 to 0-8 success.
O'Mahonys led by 0-4 to 0-2 after a forgetable opening half. Duleek/Bellewstown gained parity at 0-5 each, before the holders kicked on with 1-4 without reply in a six-minute spell to effectively secure their second win from three starts in the campaign. In the absence of older brother Stephen through injury, David Bray took the scoring plaudits with five points (four from play).
Senior inter-county considerations neccessiated another break in the local SFC and 13 weeks elapsed before their fourth round fixture, a local derby against Simonstown Gaels on Sunday, September 13.
A 2-12 to 0-8 success left O'Mahonys doubly pleased. Apart from putting one over their town rivals, more importantly the outcome secured a quarter-final appearance with a game to spare and it was achieved without the injured county players Stephen Bray and Kevin Reilly.
Paddy Smyth's goal left it 1-6 to 0-3 at the break. However, the gap was down to two points within seven minutes of the resumption. O'Mahonys outscored Simonstown by 1-6 to 0-1 in the time remanining with Shane McKeigue getting the second goal.
Barry Regan was the most impressive midfielder on view and sent over a brace of points for good measure. David Bray and the energetic Henry Finnegan caught the eye in attack sharing six points between them from play.
A 0-10-all draw with St Patrick's in their final Group A game at Donore saw O'Mahonys finish atop the six-team section.
Dunshaughlin provided the opposition in the quarter-final which was the curtain-raiser to the SHC final on the first Sunday of October.
Barry Regan joined Kevin Reilly and Stephen Bray on the injury list and O'Mahonys found themselves 0-2 to 1-4 in arrears early on. A Paddy Smyth goal revived the team in blue and white hoops and by half-time they led by 1-5 to 1-4.
Lee Russell got the second goal as O'Mahonys hit 1-6 without reply in the third quarter to eventually prevail by 2-12 by 2-6.
O'Mahonys have had a yo-yo existence in the All-County Leagues in recent years. Last term they were promoted to the top flight (along with Donaghmore/Ashbourne who beat them in the 2008 Division 2 FL decider).
Never able to field their strongest team due to county commitments and injuries, O'Mahonys won just two of their first ten games in the Division 1 FL and were consequently relegated for the second time in three campaigns.
The club enjoyed better fortune in the Feis Cup. In the opening round they dethroned Seneschalstown (winners in the previous two years) on their own ground winning by 1-11 to 0-9 on the last Thursday in June.
Intermediates Dunderry were unable to fulfil the round two fixture, while Skryne were dismissed by 3-7 to 0-8 in a quarter-final clash at Simonstown five days after O'Mahonys' SFC exit.
At the time of writing, Trim await them in the semi-final. Navan O'Mahonys last won the Feis Cup in 1990 when winning the knockout competition for senior and intermediate sides for the tenth time.
Sean Kelly and Sean Barry also took charge of the club's second string football side. The team didn't make it past the round robin stage where they win two games from four starts in Group C.
The club's second league team are motoring well in the B FL Division 1 are well placed to make the final. Defeat by the narrowest margin to Skryne, 2-5 to 1-9, was O'Mahonys lot in an Under 21 FC quarter-final on a very wet Wednesday night in November at Dunganny. Donal Finnegan's charges defeated Dunboyne by 1-11 to 3-2 in the opening round.
Navan O'Mahonys hurlers exited the SHC at the quarter-final stage to eventual winners Kildalkey. With John Gorry at the helm they finished third in Group B with two wins from five outings.
O'Mahonys led Kildalkey by 1-11 to 0-8 with 50 minutes gone of their quarter-final meeting at Pairc Taileann. Young county senior panelist Mikey Kelly was their goalscorer.
In a prolonged period of stoppage time, Kildalkey levelled matters and finished winners by 1-18 to 1-14 after extra time.
O'Mahonys needed a late point from Padraig Coone - in his first championship outing with his home club since his stint with Dunboyne - to draw with Rathmolyon in the opening round.
In the second round, O'Mahonys prospered on the wide open spaces of Pairc Tailteann beating Trim by 0-19 to 0-10.
When the championship resumed in mid-July following Meath's Rackard Cup success, O'Mahonys were overwhelmed by SHC favourites Kilmessan by 1-16 to 0-5 at Pairc Tailteann.
Ciaran Dunphy's scoring prowess was again to the fore, when registering 1-9, as O'Mahonys re-ignited their bid for a place at the business end of the championship with a 1-13 to 0-8 win over Gaeil Colmcille at Athboy in round four.
In the final group game, O'Mahonys slipped to a minimum margin, 0-9 to 1-7, defeat to Clann na nGael at Kilmessan. However, both sides progressed to the quarter-finals after Trim and Rathmolyon drew.
O'Mahonys' second string hurling side reached the semi-final of the JHC where they lost to Ratoath.
The club's female football team won the intermediate shield beating Moylagh by 4-12 to 2-10 in the decider at Ashbourne where Jacinta Maher scored 2-4 for the winners.
Injuries and county squads hit O'Mahonys hard
It gives an indication of the strength in depth in the Navan O'Mahonys' panel that they were within a whisker of reaching a fourth successive SFC final this year. Only a touch of Cian Ward magic at the end of the semi-final against Wolfe Tones prevented them from advancing to meet Seneschalstown, the team which beat them in a replayed decider in 2007.
To put it mildly, O'Mahonys were crucified with injuries to key players this year and when the likes of Kevin Reilly, Stephen Bray and Barry Regan are confined to spectator roles it's always going to put your resources to the test. In some ways the Navan men are victims of their own success because having so many players on the county panel undoubtedly hinders preparations and also adds to the possibility of picking up injuries.
When captain Paddy Smyth got his hands on the Keegan Cup on the second Sunday of October last year it signalled the end of a hugely frustrating few years for the most successful club in the history of the SFC. The final victory over Summerhill gave O'Mahonys their 17th success in the competition and it also made up for the bitter disappointments of losing deciders to Wolfe Tones in 2006 and Seneschalstown a little over 12 months later.
They won well against Summerhill, playing with a fluency and belief which suggested that they could emulate past O'Mahonys' teams by winning a number of titles in successive years. The 2009 championship started with a narrow defeat to Seneschalstown, but they ended up topping their group following victories over Donaghmore/Ashbourne, Duleek/Bellewstown and town rivals Simonstown Gaels and a draw with St Patrick's in the last divisional assignment.
In the absence of Stephen Bray, Reilly and Regan they eased past Dunshaughlin in the quarter-final and were through to a fifth consecutive semi-final. And there to meet them were Wolfe Tones who had dashed their hopes of a first senior title in nine years by defeating them in the 2006 final.
By that stage the Brews Hill men had become all to used to fielding without key players. Reilly and Bray were still absent for the showdown with Tones and the trend continued in the game itself when Niall McKeigue retired injured six minutes into the second half and Regan joined him on the bench at the start of extra-time.
Yet O'Mahonys were so close to reaching yet another final. Paddy Smyth rescued them with a point at the end of normal time and it's highly unlikely that any player in the county other than Cian Ward would have prevented them from progressing when they were the minimum margin ahead in injury time at the end of extra-time.
Ward fired over a free from the stand side of Pairc Tailteann to force a replay which Tones won by three points after O'Mahonys had made a valiant attempt to battle back in the closing stages. Stephen Corrigan had been sent off at the end of the drawn match, but his red card was subsequently rescinded, freeing him to play in the replay.
There was much anticipation that O'Mahonys would appeal, but the players didn't want that. Instead, they accepted that they had been beaten on the field of play. It had been a difficult year for O'Mahonys who also surrendered their A League Division 1 status which they earned last year.
O'Mahonys' goalkeeper Marcus Brennan has been playing first team football for the club since 2003 when he helped them return to the top flight with an Intermediate Championship final win over Carnaross. He was between the posts when they lost to Wolfe Tones in the 2006 senior final, but sustained an injury during the 2007 campaign and didn't figure in the finals against Seneschalstown that year.
However, he experienced the thrill of winning the senior title last year when O'Mahonys completed an impressive campaign with a final victory over Summerhill. Marcus was a member of the Meath minor team which reached the All-Ireland final in 2002 where they suffered the disappointment of losing to Derry.
As he reflected on the 2009 Senior Championship campaign did he feel having so many players involved with the Meath senior panel posed a major problem?
"We had eight players on the Meath panel," Marcus said. "It's a huge factor. In one sense it can be a good thing because they come back stronger and better. But in another sense it's a problem because you are without them for two or three months.
"It can be hard for them to get back into the swing of things with the club, to get used to what we are doing. We were playing in the league without seven or eight lads. That can be hard. If one or two of them were released to play it would be a help. It can be a huge hindrance to have that many missing.
"It was a scrappy sort of year for us with injuries and with so many players on the county panel. We got very few injuries the year before, but this year we had so many. The panel deserves great credit. Any other club would really struggle if they were without the sort of players we were missing.
"A county team would struggle without them. But on the positive side it brought lads on. Lads came in and played well, like Ross Geraghty, so I suppose there are positives to be taken from this year."
After making up for previous disappointments by winning the championship last year, did Marcus feel that the same level of hunger was evident in the team as they attempted to retain the title this year?
"When you are defending champions and you don't win it people will always ask was the hunger there?" he added. "We had lost finals in 2006 and 2007, so there was tremendous hunger there last year to win it. I suppose it was always going to be hard to replicate that in 2009, but you certainly wouldn't question anybody's motivation."
O'Mahonys' group campaign included a fourth round victory over Simonstown in the absence of players like Kevin Reilly and Stephen Bray. It was a success which Marcus described as "a huge win for us" and once they negotiated the qualification stage O'Mahonys scored an easy quarter-final victory over Dunshaughlin.
They were just one step away from yet another final appearance, but Cian Ward foiled them in the semi-final with a typically brilliant score at the end of extra-time.
"That was a great point from Cian," he acknowledged. "But when we gave the free away I remember thinking to myself 'this is going over'. He is an incredible footballer. I know he missed frees in the replayed final, but that doesn't happen too often. It was a fantastic kick; give him credit. The man can do things like that on the day."
That kick earned Wolfe Tones a second chance which they took in the replay when Stephen Corrigan played after his red card from the drawn match had been rescinded. But was all the talk about the controversy a distraction for the O'Mahonys' players before they took the field for the second game?
"We didn't really hear of any protest or anything like that," Marcus said. "It never got through to the players really. We didn't have time to process what was going on. The talk was coming from outside the wall. But before and during the game we were focused on playing, nothing else. Stephen playing wasn't a factor in us losing the replay. We went out and lost on the field."
It's now a matter of putting 2009 to one side and concentrating on next year for O'Mahonys. They clearly have a strong panel of players and with a bit of luck on the injury front they will be on all short lists for outright success.
"With six or seven players on the Meath panel we will need to bring two or three more through," Marcus added. "Hopefully, with young lads coming through there will be strong competition for places which is a good thing. Stephen MacGabhann will hopefully be back from New Zealand by then.
"We are among the top three or four teams in the championship and I would like to think that we will give it a good shot next year. The two Seans (Kelly and Barry) are good with drills and things like that. They keep freshening things up. This year was our first semi-final loss in four or five years. Losing that game should be a big motivational factor for us." Tweet
