The life of Reilly
November 27, 2010When Eamonn O'Brien revealed his starting line-up for Meath's Leinster opener against Offaly last May, the inclusion of Graham Reilly raised a few eyebrows.
More established performers like Peadar Byrne, Brian Farrell and Jamie Queeney were left sitting in the dugout to facilitate the St Colmcille's rookie.
But Reilly repaid the former Meath manager's faith by firing over two points during an impressive championship debut against Offaly at Portlaoise.
It the first steps on a steep ladder to stardom.
Next time out Reilly stole the show. Evidently soaring in confidence from his Offaly outing, he terrorised a fragile Laois defensive unit at Croke Park and finished proceedings with 1-4 to his name. His display was the key ingredient in ensuring that the Royals came away with a share of the spoils.
He performed to a similar level in the replay at Tullamore, popping over four points from play and he exploited Dublin's defensive frailties in that memorable Leinster semi-final back in June.
When the majority of Meath's attacking aces underperformed in that notorious Leinster decider against Louth, Reilly stood up and was counted. He kept them in contention during a first half dominated by the Wee County men, chipping in with his customary points. Four to be exact. It was becoming a common trend of Reilly's displays.
When the dust finally settled on the Royals tainted provincial success, they met Kildare in the All-Ireland quarter-final and although they succumbed to their first defeat of the championship, Reilly was again one of the bright sparks.
He split the posts with two trademark points from distance. They weren't enough to stop Meath from crashing out of the All-Ireland race but they completed a fairytale season for the St Colmcille's star.
Indeed Reilly still pinches himself when he reflects on the season.
"There wasn't much expected of me at the beginning of the year and nobody really knew who I was. I was still trying to break into the team and being honest about it, my main aim before the league started was to try and be in the starting fifteen. That was all I was concentrating on," Reilly explained.
Reilly is a big fan of Sean Kelly and has played under the Dunderry clubman since his schooling days in Drogheda. The pair continued their alliance through the underage ranks in Meath, including a successful minor campaign and then at Under 21 level and Reilly revealed that it was Kelly who gave him the phone call at the beginning of the year.
"I worked with Sean since I was a kid and I couldn't speak highly enough of him. He gave me the call at the start of the year to come in and start training and having him there was a huge help to me. I knew that he has always had faith in me and when you know somebody has faith in you it gives you great confidence and that's exactly what I had all year."
Reilly commenced the year at wing-back and stayed there for much of the league, but he felt that the management team played him there with a view to improving his defensive skills.
"I always preferred playing in the forwards but the lads wanted me to work on my tackling and I really needed improve my defending so playing at wing-back helped me to that."
Being part of an attacking sextet that is widely regarded as the best in the country is no mean feat and Reilly is well aware of the forward talent that currently exits in the county.
"There are some fantastic forwards in Meath. Even this year I found it hard to believe that I was on the team and yet there were players of the calibre of Brian Farrell, Peadar Byrne and Jamie Queeney on the bench."
"Those three lads would get on any team in the country and we're privileged to have such competition up front."
"Next year David Bray will be back too and he'll be another big addition so there will be plenty of competition for places."
Reilly knows that next year will pose a different challenge for him though. He recognises the fact that he will no longer be an unknown quantity and managers will be aware of the damage he can cause.
"It'll be different alright. I suppose the managers out there will know my form from this year but that's a great challenge to have. I have to prove that this year wasn't just a flash in the pan and I'm already looking forward to it."
But Reilly will be performing for a new commander next term. The shock sacking of Eamonn O'Brien has left a vacancy at the helm and the new Meath star, like most people in the county, was shocked to here the news from the county board meeting.
"I couldn't believe it. I had great time for Eamonn and he gave me my chance. I thought the whole set-up was excellent and I took it for granted that he would be staying on for at least another year."
"I know people are saying that none of the players came out in support of Eamonn but we were never asked for our opinions. If we had have been asked I'm sure every player would have supported him."
Reilly's performances this term earned him an All-Star nomination as well as being short-listed for the 'young player of the year'. Neither went his way but it was an indication of the influence he had on the biggest stage of all this summer.
"It was a dream come through to get an All-Star nomination. To go from trying to just get on the team to getting nominated for an All-Star is just incredible. I never expected it. Now I'll have to go on and prove that I deserved it."
Switching his attention to his club St Colmcille's, Reilly was reeling in the 'what might have been' after the seaside outfit failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Intermediate Football Championship.
Drawn in the group from which the two finalists emerged, St Colmcille's missed out on qualification missed out on qualification by virtue of their loss to Carnaross, after finishing on the same number of points as Alan Stephen's surprise packets. Indeed, in other years St Colmcille's would have progressed as they had a better score difference.
A 4-15 to 3-6 hammering of Moynalvey in the opening round issued an early statement of intent but they fluffed their lines next time out against Carnaross when losing out comprehensively 1-8 to 2-14. It proved fatal.
Despite recording a draw with eventual winners Nobber and seeing off the previous year's finalists Kilmainhamwood in their final two outing in the group, it wasn't enough to secure their passage through to the knockout stages.
Reilly felt that the Carnaross loss was the architect of their downfall but also suggested that their stalemate with IFC champions was a clear indication that St Colmcille's are well equipped to launch a serious bid for the Mattie McDonnell Cup in 2011.
"We had an off day against Carnaross where nothing went right for us and to see both Nobber, who we drew with, and Carnaross getting to the final shows that we are not that far away.
"I couldn't believe that Carnaross made it that far as I thought they mightn't quite be good enough for that level but they proved themselves to be and I'd like to think that we are a more talented side than Carnaross.
"Even against Nobber, we had chances to win that game and it showed that we can mix it with the best in the intermediate championship.
"We have to hang in there and take our chance when it comes. We have a young team coming through. We won the Under 21 'B' Championship last year and this year we are in the 'A' grade and hope to do well in it. If those players can progress as expected, it certainly bodes well for the future.
"St Colmcille's are a team on the up and hopefully we can really make a name for ourselves in 2011."
U21FC 'A' final: Convincing
win for Cilles
St Colmcilles and Walterstown met in this keenly contested U21 A final in Donore in dry but freezing conditions with the seasiders winning 4-10 to 1-12.
Walterstown opened the scoring and were unlucky not to be 1-1 up following a fine save from Donal Sullivan which he managed to knock over the bar. Niall Smith opened the scoring for the Cilles followed by a point from Ben Brennan to leave the sides with two points each 10 minutes in. Graham Reilly pointed two frees for the Cilles, who did not take all their chances with wides from Cathal Hilliard and Reilly. Walterstown continued to add to their total and were five points ahead when the Cilles found the back of the net, with substitute Jack Reynolds taking his chance for a goal. This was followed within a minute by another goal, this time set up by Reynolds again and Ben Brennan finishing brilliantly. Cathal Hilliard added to the Cilles total with a further point before half time leaving the sides 2-5 to 0-6 points at the break.
Walterstown came out strong and were determined not to lie down but did not take their chances with two early wides, while the Cilles added another point from John Levins. Walterstown then added two more points to narrow the margin only for the Cilles to find the back of the net again, Cathal Hilliard kicked in a side line ball which dropped short and Ben Brennan took his chance again to add to the Seasiders total. Graham Reilly converted another free and Jack Reynolds added a point to his total. The score was now 3-9 to 0-9 and the Cilles looked home and dry. Reilly added another point and was looking to add one more, which the Walterstown goalie almost got to, only for it to slip through his fingers and find the back of the net again. Walterstown added a goal in the last minute of play but the Cilles won convincingly 4-10 to 1-12 to lift the Cup and bring home the Silverware for a second year in a row at U21 level.
St Colmcilles - Donal Sullivan, Eoin Woods, Robert Madden, Niall Smith 0-1, Neil Dunne, Karl Mullen, Graham Reilly 1-4, Frankie McCloskey, Cathal Hilliard 0-1, Ben Brennan 2-2, Mark Eagleton, John Levins 0-1, Kevin Towell. Subs: Jack Reynolds 1-1, Donal Meagher, Davind Levins, Lorcan Sullivan, Cathal Hilliard, Karl Mullen.
St Colmcille's - Schools Coaching
'Club and School, Gaelic Football is Cool was the theme for the recently launched primary schools coaching programme in the St Colmcille's, based in East Meath. This is the fourth year of the Seasider's club-school link and it continues to grow impressively every year.
This year's Club-School link is the biggest yet. The primary school programme will encompass 1st to 6th classes, whilst 2010 will also involve 1st-to 3rd years at Colasite na hInse, Laytown. St Colmcille's has a proud tradition of producing some of the county's best underage and country's best known footballers. As well has the club's "legends" of Robbie O'Malley and Bernard Flynn, 2010 has seen the emergence of Graham Reilly has a real star for the Royals and a possible contender for Young Footballer of the Year. However, the supply line doesn't end there as players like Hugh Carolan, Ronan Kelly, Caimin Hall, Brian Kelly, Mark Whearty, Ciaran Kelly and Eoin Woods have all donned the Royal's colours with distinction
The vision from with the progressive Piltown club is a very ambitious one. As the Primary School's Committee chairman and Tyrone native, Jude McNabb put it: "Our goal is quite simple really. In the short to medium term we want to make Gaelic football the number one sport in our local primary schools, have multiple teams playing at Underage in St Colmcilles and build a much stronger and diverse GAA community throughout our Community.
"Longer term, the goal would be to have the club established in the senior ranks of Meath football and to field a number of teams playing in the junior divisions. We currently reside in the Intermediate ranks of Meath Senior football and we believe with hard work and focused coaching in our schools we can get to the very top of senior football and compete regularly for Keegan Cups in the longer term. Maintaining strong links with all the schools in our Community is key to that vision," he said.
The Seasider's programme is one of a number of "Club School Links" that is happening across the country under the guidance of local Games Promotions Officers but is arguably the biggest in the country. The programme caters for about 600 first and second class pupils across five local primary schools. A similar number of 3rd-6th classes will participate in the Go-Games Programme in the Spring time while there are over 100 enthusiastic teenagers currently participating in the secondary school programme.
The Junior Class programme runs each Wednesday from September 8th to December 15th during school hours (9:45 to 2:30) with 300 pupils catered for on a weekly basis. Coaching alternates between first and second class every week and in all 30 club coaches are involved. Central to the programme's success is the involvement of so many of the club's coaches and the active involvement of all the schools in the community. To give an idea of the commitment involved, all coaches give up a day of their holidays to come out and coach in the programme and indeed a number give up more than one day to. The schools meanwhile transport the kids based on a club coaching calendar to the club were four qualified GAA coaches, coach 60 kids in forty five minute sessions from 9:45 to 2:30. In all the junior programme caters for the coaching of 600 kids across first and second classes
The Juvenile club chairman Keith Loughman is keen to stress the support and great working relationship with the Meath Coaching and Games.
"The Club-school link programme was first launched in 2008 under the guidance of Meath Coaching and games and we are particularly grateful to Dudley Farrell and Brian Carberry who supply a coaching resource each week to support the Cille's coaches.
"It's a team effort from club coaches sacrificing a day of their working lives to coach in the club/school coaching initiative, county coaches coming over to coach in our programme, the schools committee for organizing the entire initiative and finally schools actively participating, especially in transporting the kids down to our club to be coached the skills of Gaelic football," said Keith Loughman.
Time will tell, if this ambitious schools coaching plan will bear fruit. But as Jude McNabb said: "After last year's coaching across first class from September to December, the club saw 165 kids attending coaching at Under 7 at St Colmcille's with an average of 130, six and seven year olds attending each Sunday at the Under 7 age group' whilst at the older age groups, it was no coincidence that the Seasiders fielded three U12 teams and their U14 first and reserve teams s won the "Double Double " of Championship and Summer League."
With commitment shown as that by the schools and coaches in the East Meath club, St Colmcilles seem well on their way to meeting their short term goals and if they meet these, who would dare argue that Keegan Cups would not be heading down the Piltown road in the not to distant future.
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