Tones hurlers claim junior honours
November 27, 2010The club's second JHC title arrived 21 years after the first in 1989, with the juvenile hurling section being formed 13 years earlier in 1976. The first adult championship gained in the small ball game was the in the junior 2 grade in 1985 and there have been a few ups and downs since then.
The first junior success was followed by the IHC triumph in 1992 and in Tones' first year in senior hurling ranks, they made remarkable progress to the final against Rathmolyon in Trim. The newcomers came tantalisingly close to lifting the Jubilee Cup when losing by the minimum margin with Mickey Cole striking the winning point in the last seconds.
The Oristown parish club remained in hurling's premier grade until 2000 but did not manage to get to the SHC final again. They won the IHC for the second time in 2002 with a final victory over Kilskyre in Athboy but after having a short stay following their return to senior ranks, they eventually dropped down another rung of the ladder. This year Wolfe Tones had three players were involved with the Meath senior football team. County selector Donal Curtis had also proved his prowess as a hurler, having been part of two IHC successes before enjoying a second JHC victory on the second Sunday of October last.
Two members of Meath's Leinster SFC winning side in the summer went on to claim autumn glory in hurling. The Royals' rugged midfielder, Brian Meade, was at left half-back on the hurling team with Eoghan Harrington playing a key role at centrefield.
Donal Curtis was a member of Meath's All-Ireland Senior Hurling B Championship winning panel back in 1993 when London were defeated at Ruislip. Later in that decade the dual player went on to be part of the Royal County's All-Ireland SFC triumphs in 1996 and '99 and this year the junior hurling success was some consolation for missing out on senior football glory with Rathkenny.
There were three Wolfe Tones players on the Meath hurling team in 1993 with Donal Curtis joined by brother John Curtis and Tom McKeown, who, 17 years later at the age of 40, was the 'daddy' of the latest Meath JHC winning team, filling the full-back position.
There were just nine starters in the 2010 Meath JHC, sponsored by David Grey Catering, and Wolfe Tones were with eventual final opponents Kilskyre in Group A along with Boardsmill's second side and two more firsts, Moylagh and Ratoath.
The campaign opened with an eight-point success over Boardsmill at Kiltale, 5-6 to 2-7 being the final score. Moylagh provided the opposition in the second round at Kilskyre and the team from the north-west was outscored by 3-9 to 0-6.
The next round saw Tones come up against Kilskyre and the June 29th clash in Athboy resulted in a 1-9 to 1-8 win for the side in black and amber. It was 0-5 to 0-2 in Kilskyre's favour at the break and county footballer Peadar Byrne scored 1-2.
Wolfe Tones were in arrears of seven points at one stage in the second half and with their opponents being reduced to 14 players, they got the deficit down to the minimum but went down to their only defeat of the championship.
Following a 0-17 to 3-6 win over Ratoath at Kilmessan, they finished in second place in the group to earn a semi-final against Kiltale. That game was played as the Pairc Tailteann curtain-raiser to the two SHC semi-finals.
Wolfe Tones packed two much scoring power for Kiltale who were going down to their first of two defeats on the day, the board reading 3-13 to 1-4 at the end. Elsewhere Kilskyre advanced with a 2-5 to 1-5 success over Dunboyne to set up a 'replay' of the third round tussle.
The 2010 JHC decider was the aperitif to the SHC final and what a tasty opening course it was for the Wolfe Tones contingent. With 13 minutes of the second half gone, it looked as if it might not be their day when trailing by seven points but then they hit 2-5 without reply to carve out a dramatic 2-12 to 2-8 victory.
Tones led by four points (0-5 to 0-1) at one stage during a generally drab first period. Scores were scarce in the early stages during which Eoghan Harrington gave his side the lead before Kilskyre levelled with a Derek Muldoon effort in the 11th minute.
Points from Eanna Harrington (two frees), Donal Curtis and Rory Glennon gave the side in purple and yellow a bit of breathing space but they were reeled in to be on level terms (0-5 to 1-2) at the break.
Derek Muldoon got Kilskyre back into the game, first putting a free over the bar and then taking full advantage of a similar award from 20 metres in front of the posts when firing to the net.
Wolfe Tones could have been ahead at the halfway stage but team captain Sheppard finished wide twice when he could have found the net at the pavilion end. After a dull opening 30 minutes, the second half provided a higher level of entertainment.
It appeared as if Kilskyre would repeat the earlier victory over their final opponents when going into a 2-8 to 0-7 lead with Ronan McGuinness finishing past Stephen Tiernan on 37 minutes to leave the board reading 2-5 to 0-7.
It was to get worse for Wolfe Tones before they gave their supporters something to shout about in the concluding quarter. The revival began with a brace of pointed frees by Eanna Harrington and when the same player found the net on 49 minutes the deficit was down to 1-10 to 2-8.
Donal Curtis had earlier been switched out around midfield and the introduction of Bernard McKeown to the full-forward line gave the attack extra strength. The lead was regained on 52 minutes when a long delivery from Andrew Hayes fell to Stephen Sheppard who booted the ball to the net to atone for the earlier misses and give his side an advantage of two points.
The lead was doubled with a brilliant long-range effort from Eanna Harrington to bring his total to 1-5 before Mark Coleman completed the winning total to become Tones' sixth scorer on the day.
After receiving the Royal Meath Association Cup, victorious captain Stephen Sheppard dedicated the triumph to the late Tom McKeown, who passed away earlier in the year and had done Trojan work for hurling in the club.
The deceased, father of Tom junior and Bernard, had been Wolfe Tones' hurling chairman for 25 years and Sheppard said that none of the team would be playing hurling but for his influence.
It was a double success for Wolfe Tones defender Andrew Hayes, who was on the winning Nobber team in the IFC final seven days earlier. Another Tones hurler who has enjoyed football success in recent times is Gerard Farrelly from Castletown, who was on Meath's Leinster MFC winning team in 2007.
The Wolfe Tones in the 2010 JHC final: Stephen Tiernan; Robbie Colwell, Tom McKeown, Andrew Hayes; Stephen Jordan, David Coleman, Brian Meade; Eoghan Harrington, Gerard Farrelly; Eanna Harrington, Mark Coleman, Stephen Sheppard; Killian O'Brien, Donal Curtis, Rory Glennon. Subs: Bernard McKeown for Colwell, Michael Burke, Alan Browne, Eddie O'Callaghan, Kieran O'Brien, John Lee, Barry Sheridan, Kieran Carney, Daire Smyth.
Offaly-native Frank Foy, who steered Wolfe Tones to their latest hurling success, has been involved on and off with the club since arriving in the area via London to the area in 1982.
Married to local woman, the former Louise McKeever, Foy was captain of the Tones team which won the Junior 2 HC in 1985 and then was the skipper in two losing JHC finals. He had returned to London, where he helped Brian Boru to win three SHC, before the Oristown club annexed the JHC title in 1989.
Frank returned to the Royal County around the time of Offaly's last All-Ireland SHC triumph in 1997 and coached Tones before their departure from the senior ranks. The club's hurlers have had ups and downs over the years but the game was at a low ebb when Aidan Jordan asked him to get involved before the 2008 season.
"A few lads were keeping it going and then a few more came back. We didn't figure that year but winning the Division 3 League last year was a big boost. That success increased the enthusiasm for hurling and the hopes were high from the start this year," said Foy.
"All the players on this year's team had played underage hurling with the club and there was great enthusiasm for the game among the players. Indeed some lads were so keen that they would stay on practising skills after training had ended and there were times when I had to tell them to go home.
"Last year Kilkenny star James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick visited the club and gave a talk to the players as well as taking a training session. The lads showed him great respect and learned a bit from him.
"A good number of the lads play both football and hurling but that did not cause any problems this year. I had a good working arrangement with Cathal O Bric, the hurling training usually took place on Wednesday evenings and we trained on some Mondays too.
"I had two very good selectors with me in James Connolly and Michael Burke. Michael is from Cork, an ex St Finbarr's player who was also the sub goalkeeper," said the hurling boss.
Frank Foy admitted to being worried when his side fell into arrears of seven points in the final against Kilskyre. "I'd be telling a lie if I said I wasn't worried. But bringing on Bernard McKeown and making some other changes was plan B and thankfully it worked out well."
Now Wolfe Tones can look forward to returning to intermediate hurling in 2011. "It will be a big step up and the main aim should be to be as competitive as possible. It will be difficult with Rathmolyon and Boardsmill, both with recent senior experience, involved," concluded Foy.
Tired affects Tones season
After going so close to lifting the Meath SFC title for the second time in 2009, Wolfe Tones again fell to Seneschalstown in 2010 when well beaten by the title holders in a quarter-final clash. By Noel Coogan.
Having taken the Yellow Furze side to a Thursday night replay in last year's Keegan Cup decider, they set out on the next campaign as 10/3 third favourites below Seneschalstown and Navan O'Mahonys. While suggesting that there was plenty of talent in the squad, some felt that the players had a lot of miles on the clock and that could tell against them. But the one thing with Wolfe Tones is that you write them off at your peril.
Former Navan O'Mahonys player Cathal O Bric was at the helm for the second term and last April he was quoted as saying that the squad had an extended break after being in training up to the previous December when they contested the Division 1 League final.
The Tones manager said that pre-championship training had given indications that they were keen to add a second SFC title with the players feeling there was another one in them.
Influential midfielder Stephen Corrigan missed the first two games while reliable corner-back Ciaran Martin had emigrated. Tones surprisingly lost in their opening outing to Dunboyne but they recovered from that setback to top Group B.
'Wolfe Tones dampen down suggestions of their demise' was the headline in one paper following the impressive 1-13 to 1-6 win over Skryne and the quarter-final place was secure before St Patrick's drew with them in the last round of the group stages. However, the Oristown parish side bowed out tamely when going down by seven points to the defending champions.
Tones' 1-8 to 1-10 defeat to Dunboyne in a Saturday evening clash at Skryne was surprising considering that they had 12 points to spare over them in a quarter-final last year. An unusual aspect of that game was the fact that all of the losers' scores came from open play with Dunboyne's defence not giving Cian Ward many opportunities to convert from placed balls - he just sent over two points from play.
The 2006 winners were also without Ciaran McLoughlin and had former Summerhill clubman Martin McNally in attack. It was 1-5 each at the break with Darren McGrath netting the goal for Tones and Nigel Crawford, who was a roving full-forward for Dunboyne, also raising the green flag.
The concession of three successive points at the start of the second period left Tones playing catch-up and despite gaining a numerical advancing when Craig Berrigan was dismissed with nine minutes left, they were unable to get back on terms.
Although defeating Trim by 0-11 to 1-3 in the second round at Pairc Tailteann, they failed to impress and it was suggested that they failed to come up with compelling evidence that rumours of their demise had been greatly exaggerated.
They had Ciaran McLoughlin back at full-forward but Alan Fox was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Tones got off to a good start to lead by 0-3 to 0-0 but had a couple of let-offs at the back before conceding the goal. They led by 0-8 to 1-3 at the break and both sides added three points in the second half.
With Stephen Corrigan back at centrefield, Ciaran McLoughlin returning to his familiar full-back berth and Alan Fox in attack, Wolfe Tones improved and showed real promise in the 1-13 to 1-6 win over Skryne, who were without the injured Trevor Giles, at Pairc Tailteann.
In that game Cathal O Bric's charges had more on the board at the break than at the end of each of the two previous games, leading by 1-10 to 0-3. Over the hour Cian Ward got 1-6, the goal coming from a penalty kick and five points off frees.
Ciaran McLoughlin had to leave the action when picking up a second yellow within five minutes of the restart but their lead was only slightly reduced at the end with the losers' goal also being netted from a penalty.
In their fourth round clash with neighbours Simonstown Gaels, Wolfe Tones recovered from arrears of eight points to score an unlikely 1-10 to 2-5 victory on a wet Sunday afternoon at the county ground. They were 0-1 to 2-3 to the bad near the break before reducing the deficit to six points when the teams went in.
Tones outscored the Navan side by 1-7 to 0-2 in the second half, their goal arriving on 40 minutes when a Niall McLoughlin point attempt was not cleared by 'keeper Gary Lynch and Stephen Sheppard flicked to the net. That score reduced the deficit to the minimum and points from Alan Fox, Darren McGrath and two Cian Ward frees as a quarter-final place was clinched.
A 2-10 each draw with St Patrick's in their last group game enabled Wolfe Tones to top the group on score difference from Skryne as the Stamullen side just about escaped the relegation play-offs.
Two points from Cian Ward inside the last 10 minutes denied Pat's the win after the sides had also been level (1-5 each) at the break. Ward finished up with 2-4, one of the goals being netted from a free in the first half and the three points being kicked from frees.
Finishing on top of their group earned Tones the 'reward' of renewing rivalry with Seneschalstown and despite getting off to a flying start with an early Ward goal and finding the net against after 10 minutes to lead by six points, they subsequently lost the initiative and the match by 2-7 to 2-12.
The county forward's green flag effort inside two minutes was a very fortunate score with netminder David Lyons letting a free kick slip through his fingers and it was 2-1 to 0-1 when Stephen Sheppard put in the second goal from close range.
Tones had corner-forward Paddy Caffrey operating as an extra defender, obviously conscious of the big threat that Joe Sheridan posed.
The sides were on level terms (2-2 to 1-5) at the break And apart from Sheppard's goal, Tones only managed three points from play, two by the latter and the other from substitute Paul Byrne.
Seneschalstown forged into a three-point advantage early in the second half before a Stephen Finnegan goal on 38 minutes extended the lead to the finishing margin of five points. After that Tones worked hard but did not look like getting close to the holders on the scoreboard and made a disappointing exit.
"Things were not going well for us all year. We were playing into December in 2009 when we won the Division 1 League title with a final victory over Duleek/Bellewstown. After losing the championship final, it was a big thing for us to win the league," said long-serving forward Alan Fox.
However, Fox feels that the long season in '09 and all the exertions of the previous few years may be taking its toll. "A few of us have been 'on the go' since 2001 when we reached the JFC final only to lose to Curraha.
"This year we did not go back training until shortly before the start of the leagues and then we lost five games in succession, four in the league and then to Dunboyne in the first round of the championship.
"We were without Stephen Corrigan and Ciaran McLoughlin and we can't afford to be without players like them. The best football that we played all year was in the first half of the game against Skryne when building up a lead of 10 points and even though Ciaran (McLoughlin) was sent off early in the second half, we were not going to be caught that day, finishing up ahead by seven.
"In the next round we scraped through against Simonstown but played well in the second half that day, having earlier been behind by eight points. That win put us through to the quarter-finals and the next game, against St Patrick's, didn't mean a lot to us although the draw meant that we finished top of the group," added Alan.
Fox was obviously disappointed to again lose to Seneschalstown, who had an easier ride than in the two clashes in last year's final. "We had a lot of tired bodies and even the good start with the two early goals was not enough to enable us to kick on and keep ahead. We did not score enough from play that evening
"Ciaran and Niall McLoughlin went into that game carrying niggling injuries. I don't want to be making excuses but we had a few injuries during the year that we could have done without. But overall we seldom hit the form of the previous year."
After winning the SFC title in 2006 should Wolfe Tones have gone on to win one or two more? "It's disappointing that we didn't go and take another one. We thought we would have repeated the '06 success but it's hard to repeat successes and we have no divine right to win it every year," replied Fox.
And what about 2011? "We'll sit down and see what way we're fixed. Hope all of the lads can come back refreshed and give it another serious go," he concluded.
On the first Sunday of December 2009, Wolfe Tones captured the Division 1 FL title with a slender 1-6 to 0-8 final win over Duleek/Bellewstown at Pairc Tailteann, having been ahead by 1-4 to 0-3 at half-time.
The Tones team that day was : S Power; R Brady, C McLoughlin, C Martin; B McGinn (0-1), E Harrington, S Sheppard; S Corrigan, A Callaghan; D McGrath (1-0), N McLoughlin, M Coleman; A Fox, C Ward (0-5), G Beggy. Subs: P Byrne for Callaghan, R McDonnell for Coleman. Tweet
