Rathmolyon ready for a real go
November 30, 2009final have met with disappointment and frustration.
The last final to be played at Trim three years ago was marked by a dramatic conclusion when Gary Cole shattered luckless Dunboyne with a late winning goal and then watched as his brother Mike lifted the Jubilee Cup. It was a close thing and if the St Peter's men had triumphed there would have been no complaints, but Rathmolyon were rewarded for a never say die attitude which delivered a third senior title to go with those annexed in 1993 and 1996.
James Heffernan was coach for the 2006 triumph and Rathmolyon gave the defence of their title a decent rattle in 2007 when Mike Cole acted as player/manager, but they were blown away by Kilmessan in the first half of their semi-final and there was no way back. John Gorry was at the helm last year when they got as far as the quarter-finals, but this time Dunboyne earned some sort of consolation for the happenings of two years earlier when winning with ease.
The Rathmolyon players are certainly getting used to working with a variety of managers and there was another man in charge this year, with Frank Aughey taking over from former county player Gorry who took charge of Navan O'Mahonys. And the Brews Hill side came out of the draw in group B along with Rathmolyon, as well as champions Kilmessan, Clann na nGael, last year's intermediate victors Gaeil Colmcille and Trim.
Gorry was already familiar with preparing teams for battle against the club he served with such distinction as a player, having managed Dunboyne for a spell. Indeed, he was in charge when Rathmolyon beat the St Peter's men in the final in 2006.
But this time he was attempting to guide O'Mahonys to a first Senior Championship success since they completed back to back wins in 1986 and it was against injury-hit Rathmolyon at Athboy that he had his first taste of championship action with his latest managerial acquisition. It looked like being a winning start nearing the final whistle, but the town team pounced late to earn a draw, 2-10 each.
O'Mahonys led by 2-5 to 1-4 at the interval, but appeared to be in trouble when Sean Kane was sent off early in the second half. Kevin Fagan scored what looked like being a decisive goal for Rathmolyon late in the game to edge them to the front, but Padraig Coone got an even later point for the Navan side deep into injury time to secure a share of the spoils.
A victory in that match would have been an ideal tonic ahead of a second round meeting with county and provincial champions Kilmessan which took place on a Monday evening at Pairc Tailteann. Rathmolyon amassed a tally that would win plenty of games, but they were still beaten comprehensively.
This was an outstanding game in which keeping track of the score would have been nearly impossible without the aid of the scoreboard. Kevin Fagan notched two first half goals, but Rathmolyon trailed by 2-3 to 0-12 at the break. He completed his hat-trick in the second half, but it took some superb goalkeeping from Stephen Elliott to prevent Kilmessan from inflicting serious damage.
Rathmolyon battled with great determination against a Kilmessan side that scored freely and the champions eased away in the last 10 minutes to win by 3-19 to 3-11. The Village had tallied 5-21 in their first two championship matches, yet they still only had a solitary point to show for their efforts.
After the lengthy break while Meath set about winning the Nicky Rackard Cup, Rathmolyon earned their first win of the championship when they defeated Gaeil Colmcille by 3-13 to 0-6 at Kildalkey. But the success came at a price as Mike Cole was forced out of the action when he aggravated a knee injury.
He scored the goal which helped his team lead by 1-6 to 0-4 at the interval and further green flags were raised by Kevin Fagan and Gary Cole in the second period as Rathmolyon pushed clear. They registered 2-5 in the last 12 minutes, but it wasn't an overly impressive performance which was blighted by 13 wides.
By that stage of the championship Rathmolyon had secured three points from a possible six and needed a victory over Clann na nGael in the fourth round at Boardsmill to really ignite their qualification bid. However, the concession of far too many frees derailed their efforts and the Athboy/An Ghaeltacht combination won by 3-11 to 1-12.
Rathmolyon, who conceded 1-10 from placed balls, made a dreadful start when slack defending enabled Daithi Geraghty to goal for Clann na nGael and his second goal from a penalty helped them lead by 2-2 to 0-5. John Farrell netted in the first half for Rathmolyon, but they trailed by 1-8 to 2-6 at the interval.
Mike Cole's accuracy from 65s helped Rathmolyon edge ahead early in the second half, but Clann na nGael found most when it was required and their third goal late in the match from Barry Doherty sealed a win that blew the section wide open.
Conditions were extremely difficult when Rathmolyon and Trim shaped up to each other in the last round of group games at Kiltale and a draw (3-5 each) meant both teams exited the title race. This time a tally of 11 wides proved very costly for Rathmolyon in a match which saw tempers frayed on a few occasions.
Daniel Whelan goaled for Rathmolyon in the first half and they led by 1-3 to 1-2 at half-time and a second goal from Gary Cole four minutes into the second period provided a timely boost. Trim restored parity, but when Whelan found the net again the 2006 champions appeared to be on their way to an invaluable victory.
They were three points ahead and praying for the final whistle when Niall Murray pounced with a late equalising goal for Trim, but the point gained was of no use to either team. Rathmolyon's Eamon Regan and Gary Cole and Trim's Alan Douglas were sent off in the second half which merely added to the sense of frustration.
When all was said and done in group B, Rathmolyon were down in fifth place on four points, with only Gaeil Colmcille below them. It was disappointing, to say the least.
Graham Whelan, who is a brother of ever-helpful club secretary Niamh Regan, has been playing senior hurling with Rathmolyon for approximately 10 years and was a member of their last SHC-winning team in 2006.
The 27 year-old was on the sidelines in 2008 after undergoing surgery on a dislocated shoulder, but was back to captain the team this year when injuries seriously hampered Rathmolyon's prospects.
"Not qualifying was a big disappointment," Graham said. "But we had a lot of injuries this year. We got a lot of the lads back for the last couple of games and got a couple of good weeks of training in with a full panel of players."
However, it all ended in despair when Trim scored that late goal to deprive them of victory and a place in the knockout stages.
"Conceding the late goal against Trim in the last game was a real sickener," he added. "We thought we were home and hosed, even with only 13 players. The two draws we had against Trim and O'Mahonys were a killer.
"We came back well in our first game against O'Mahonys. We were behind at half-time, but we battled back to go ahead. They got a late equaliser. Our best performance of the year came against Kilmessan. We scored 3-11 in that game and they still won by eight points. We were with them for a long way, but they are a class team and pulled away at the end."
Rathmolyon achieved their only win of the championship in the third round against Gaeil Colmcille, but then faltered when losing to Clann na nGael.
"The Clann na nGael game was one of our worst performances in years," Graham said. "They had more hunger than us and deserved to win. With all respects to them, we should be able to beat them. We won the Senior Championship in 2006, while they are a coming team."
Graham, like many other people, is concerned about the impact competitions like the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard Cups is having on club hurling.
"It's a problem for every club," he said. "It's very difficult to keep players motivated for eight weeks. Do you play challenge matches and risk picking up injuries? The situation is making a mess of the championship."
But Graham and Rathmolyon will soldier on in search of another senior title.
"We will always be there or thereabouts," he added. "We are a skilful team and I have full confidence in the players who are there. It's a matter of getting it all together from the start of the year. If we have everybody fit and well we'll give it a real go." Tweet
