Familiar story for Moylagh
November 27, 2011For over a decade, Moylagh have been knocking hard on the Meath JFC door but it still hasn't opened for them.
It was a case of déjà vu for the close-knit north Meath club in 2011 when their cruised through the group phase, only to suffer a surprise defeat to Curraha in the quarter-final. It was their third quarter-final loss since 2006, while they've also lost three semi-finals in that same period.
"It's been the same story for the past 10 or 12 years," Moylagh chairman Declan Flood frustratingly points out.
"We're sick of losing quarter-finals and semi-finals to be honest with you. Last year Ballivor beat us in the semi-final and this year it was Curraha in the quarter-final. We always seem to do well in the group games, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the knockout games. The quarter-final was the worst game we played all year and I can't put my finger on why that was so.
"But I'm not going to make any excuses. Curraha were the better team on the day and we can't have any complaints."
Nor is the chairman using the loss of key players through emigration and injury as reasons for their championship demise.
"We've been hit by emigration, but so too have a lot of clubs in Meath. Our goalie Declan Traynor went to England, Barry Smyth is the US and Joe Melia was also away for some of our championship games and wasn't at his best for the quarter-final.
"In addition, Richie Corrigan had a cruciate injury and our two midfielders, Shane Nolan and Colm Fanning, picked up injuries in the game against Curraha. Shane was forced to go off at half-time and while Colm finished the game, he was struggling badly with a dead leg.
"But, as I said already, we're not making any excuses," added Declan, who continues to line out for Moylagh's junior 'D' side at the age of 43.
With Boardsmill man Dessie Hamilton back at the helm and Johnny Fox and Paddy Traynor acting as his selectors, Moylagh opened their JFC Group A campaign with a 1-13 to 1-8 victory over Skryne's second team at Kilberry. A Tomas O'Reilly goal helped the north Meath club to a 1-6 to 1-2 interval lead, and with Sean Martin, Justin O'Reilly and Joe Melia to the fore, they outscored their opponents by 0-7 to 0-6 in the second half.
The green and whites made it two wins from two when they edged out Navan O'Mahony's by 1-9 to 1-8. After an evenly contested opening period, Moylagh established a 0-6 to 0-3 lead through scores from Justin O'Reilly, Tomas O'Reilly and Eamon Boyle. However, the O'Mahony's second string replied with three unanswered points from '45s to leave the sides level on 0-6 apiece at the break.
Peter Fox nudged Moylagh back in front from a free on the restart, but that lead proved short-lived as O'Mahony's swooped for the first goal in the 40th minute. But Dessie Hamilton's charges hit back with a goal of their own when Willie McGrath set up Shane Brody for a neat finish, and further points from Peter Fox and Justin O'Reilly pushed them three clear before the town side came with a late rally to leave the minimum in it at the final whistle.
Moylagh needed a last-gasp pointed free from Justin O'Reilly to maintain their unbeaten record and earn a share of the spoils with Bective in their third championship outing. The Westmeath-border club led by two points after 10 minutes, but Bective recovered to lead by the same margin as the first half drew to a close. However, Tomas O'Reilly netted on the stroke of half-time to hand Moylagh a 1-5 to 0-7 lead.
Moylagh extended their advantage to three points early in the second half, but their Navan-parish opponents then took control and should really have been out of sight before O'Reilly came to his side's rescue with his equaliser - which left the final score 1-9 to 0-12 - in the seventh minute of stoppage-time.
The north Meath outfit chalked up their third win when they saw off Drumconrath's challenge by 2-11 to 2-5 at Kilberry. Drumconrath posted the first two points through Derek Duff before Moylagh settled to their task and a Shane Brody goal on the stroke of half-time gave them a 1-4 to 0-2 lead at the break.
Moylagh added three quick points on the resumption, but Drumconrath replied with an unanswered 1-2 to leave a goal in it. But they couldn't get any closer as Moylagh responded with a Justin O'Reilly goal after midfielder Colm Fanning put him through with an excellent pass.
Further points from Willie McGrath (two), Tomas O'Reilly and Shane Nolan put the result beyond doubt before the Drums grabbed a consolation goal in injury-time.
Moylagh assured themselves of a top spot in Group A when they played out a 0-9 to 1-6 draw with Kilmainhamwood at Ballinlough. After a slow start to the game, Dessie Hamilton's men opened the scoring through Willie McGrath in the 13th minute. The 'Wood soon replied, but four points on the trot from McGrath, Justin O'Reilly and Shane Nolan had Moylagh perched on a 0-5 to 0-1 lead at the midway stage.
Moylagh were rocked by the concession of a goal early in the second half and they found themselves a point down heading into the final quarter. Colm Fanning and McGrath restored their lead before Kilmainhamwood levelled again with five minutes remaining.
The green and whites thought they had done enough when Tomas O'Reilly put them ahead again, but a late Kilmainhamwood equaliser denied them both points.
Having qualified from Group D with only one victory and two draws, Curraha weren't expected to pose a threat to Moylagh in their quarter-final clash, but they made light of their underdogs status to record a 0-10 to 0-7 victory and end the Dromone men's championship interests for another year.
Moylagh had the lion's share of possession in the first half, but only managed to put four points on the board as two pointed frees from Meath minor Neil Shortall sent Curraha into the break trailing by just two points, 0-2 to 0-4.
The underdogs grew in confidence as the second half progressed with Noel Keogh landing three points. His midfield partner PJ Casey also got on the scoresheet, while further scores from Shortall, Sean Mallon and Alan Carroll left Moylagh crestfallen.
Moylagh's consistency was reflected in their strong showings in Division 4 of the 'A' league and in the Tailteann Cup. But they are unlikely to feel contented until they finally get their hands on the Matthew Ginnity Cup.
"We won't rest until we win the championship," declares Declan, whose father Johnny was a member of Moylagh's 1975 IFC winning side.
"We've had a lot of knocks over the years, but we'll keep fighting on. It's all about peaking at the right time and saving your best for the knockout stages."
The Moylagh junior hurlers didn't have the best of years with their solitary championship victory coming against Rathmolyon (3-9 to 1-11) in their final outing. They had earlier lost to Boardsmill, Na Fianna, Trim and Navan O'Mahony's.
Meanwhile, the Inny Gaels underage combination of Moylagh and Ballinlough continues to go from strength to strength with their latest success coming in the under 14 league final against Blackhall Gaels (who they defeated by 3-15 to 3-12 after extra-time) after local rivals Oldcastle had been accounted for in the semi-final.
Inny Gaels' under 14 league winners: C Smith; J Flynn, B O'Reilly; A Clarke, A Geraghty, C Gibney; K Gilsenan, A Kiernan; S Reilly, J Blake, D Gibney; S Barkey, D Tighe. Subs: S. Gibney, A Segarty, K O'Growney, A Moore, Turlough, C Boylan
The Moylagh team which defeated Drumconrath in this year's JFC was: N McNeilis; A Hand, P Fox, P Grall; K Foley, M Quinn, K O'Reilly; C Fanning, J Meila (0-01); T O'Reilly (0-3), S Nolan (0-1), W McGrath (0-2); J O'Reilly (1-4), S Brody (1-0), E Brody (0-1). Sub used: D Hand. Tweet
