Pearle backs Rathmolyon to recover from double disappointment
November 27, 2011Rathmolyon's hopes of making an instant return to the senior ranks, where they had plied their trade from 1976 until last year, were dashed when they succumbed to Boardsmill by three points in the IHC final.
Further disappointment followed six days later when they were forced to give second best to three-in-a-row senior kingpins Kildalkey in the Division 1 league decider. While it won't be much consolation to them, Rathmolyon's appearance in two major finals so soon after the heartbreak of their relegation from the top flight by a John Gorry-managed Navan O'Mahony's proves they are made of tough stuff and won't be happy until they are competing for the Jubilee Cup again.
"Our aim was to bounce straight back," explains club stalwart Terry Pearle, who is still going strong between the posts for the Rathmolyon juniors at the age of 55.
"We won all our games up the final, but lost to a stronger Boardsmill team on the day. We weren't at the races in the first half when they built up a 10-point lead, and left ourselves with too much to do in the second half. You couldn't begrudge Boardsmill after they lost last year's final to a last-minute Drumree goal and maybe for us it's a case of having to lose one but we can win one.
"We have a good young team with lots of potential and hopefully we'll be able to make amends next year. We gave a full-strength Kildalkey team a hell of a game in the league final, having beaten both Trim and Kilmessan along the way, so we feel we are good enough to compete at senior level. But we have to win an intermediate first and that's no easy task."
For a club that won the senior championship just four years earlier, relegation at the end of 2010 was a huge blow and one that many in the south Meath hurling stronghold struggled to come to terms with. Under a new management team consisting of Kilmessan man Martin Curran (manager), Paul Gunning and Fergie Fagan (selectors), Rathmolyon regrouped for this year's campaign and comfortably qualified for the last four of the IHC on the back of five straight Group A wins over Blackhall Gaels (2-12 to 0-15), Dunderry (3-9 to 2-9), Boardsmill (4-10 to 1-16), Kilmessan (5-15 to 0-9) and Wolfe Tones (2-9 to 2-8).
Whereas Boardsmill had dominated the opening half of the county final, it was the exact opposite when the rivals met in the third round at Longwood. Goals from veteran Mickey Cole (two), Johnny Farrell and Tom Henderson inside the first 20 minutes helped Rathmolyon to a commanding 4-5 to 0-10 interval lead. And just as the green and whites would do in their later meeting, Boardsmill mounted a second half comeback which left them just three points adrift at the final whistle.
A one-sided county semi-final against Kilskyre was hardly ideally preparation for Rathmolyon's big rematch with Boardsmill. Mickey Cole scored seven points, while his brother Gary chipped in with four in a 1-16 to 0-5 victory. Martin Curran's charges led by 0-9 to 0-2 at the break and substitute Stephen Mulligan's second half goal made it very comfortable for the south county outfit, who took the opportunity to use their full quota of substitutes.
A fired-up Boardsmill team proved to be a totally different proposition for Rathmolyon in the county decider at Pairc Tailteann. Cruelly denied by a late Drumree goal in last year's final, they atoned for that disappointment with a 1-16 to 1-13 victory. Outplayed in the first half and over-reliant on Mickey Cole for scores (the former county star accounted for all but two points of their tally), Rathmolyon could have no complaints.
The sides were level three times in the early stages, but Rathmolyon didn't score again in the first half after Cole converted a free to leave them trailing by the minimum in the 10th minute. Boardsmill hit a purple patch coming up to half-time when they reeled off a quick 1-4. Cathal Flattery, Thomas Reilly and Thomas Leonard raised white flags before Thomas Pratt pounced for a 29th minute goal. And if that wasn't bad enough for Rathmolyon, there was still time for Martin Conway to tag on another point to leave them trailing by 0-4 to 1-11 at the break.
Despite facing a 10-point deficit, Rathmolyon refused to throw in the towel and were given hope when Cole soloed in along the left end-line before beating Stephen Masterson with a low drive. With Cole leading their fightback, Rathmolyon had halved their interval deficit by the end of the third quarter. But underdogs Boardsmill lifted the siege with three successive points from Reilly, Stephen Gibbons and Pratt to surge into a 1-15 to 1-7 lead.
Rathmolyon battled to the end, with Cole tagging on a further six points, but Boardsmill weren't to be denied as they claimed the title they last held in 2000.
Martin Curran's men had to pick themselves up quickly for a Division 1 league final showdown with Kildalkey the following Saturday in Trim. Fears that a Kildalkey team - basking in the warm afterglow of their third successive Jubilee Cup triumph - would prove much too strong for Rathmolyon were totally unfounded as the beaten intermediate finalists gave as good as they got for 45 minutes before fading in the closing stages.
A major upset looked to be on the cards after 41 minutes when two quick points from Gary Cole and Jon Farrell gave Rathmolyon a 1-7 to 0-9 lead. But a missed goal chance following a goal-mouth scramble moments later proved costly as Kildalkey outscored Rathmolyon by 0-8 to 0-1 in the time remaining to run out flattering 0-17 to 1-8 winners.
Kildalkey had been the better team in the early stages and led by 0-5 to 0-2 after 23 minutes. Indeed, their lead would have been greater had Stephen Ennis not saved a penalty from Noel Kirby. When Mickey Cole was presented with a similar opportunity in the 27th minute, he made no mistake to send Rathmolyon into the break on level terms, 1-4 to 0-7.
Within seconds of the restart, Patrick Conneely restored Kildalkey's lead, and while Rathmolyon regained parity on a couple of occasions before briefly taking the lead, Kildalkey's strong finish was enough to secure them the Growney Cup.
Rathmolyon's second team also gave the JHC a right go with eventual winners Navan O'Mahony's knocking them out at the penultimate stage. Keeping goal for the juniors was the evergreen Pearle, who has no intention of hanging up his hurl just yet.
"I'm saying every year I'll give it up, but I'll probably be there again next year. I keep myself fit and don't drink or smoke, so what else would I be at?" he jokingly asks.
"It's got to the stage now where I'm playing with the sons of fellas I hurled with 30 years ago."
Terry had been the heart and soul of the Rathmolyon club for the best part of four decades, working away quietly in the backroom for most of that time. Apart from keeping goal for the juniors, he fulfils the roles of vice-chairman and groundsman. He also had spells as chairman and secretary in the past and managed the green and whites to their last JHC success in 1988. A native of Summerhill, he was a latecomer to the hurling and didn't play his first game until he was 18.
"My brother-in-law Pascal Kelly - whose family have had a long association with Rathmolyon - got me involved. I played my first game for them in 1974 and the rest, as they say, is history," he explains.
Within a year of joining Rathmolyon, Terry helped them to an IHC final victory over Donaghmore /Ashbourne. He subsequently won SHC medals in 1993, '96 and 2006, while he also won the Jubilee Cup twice with Kiltale (1982 and '83) during a brief spell he had with them.
"I've enjoyed every minute of my involvement with Rathmolyon, whether it's been as a player, administrator, groundsman, selector or manager. And hopefully I'll get many more years of enjoyment from this club," he concludes.
Rathmolyon lined out as follows in the IHC final: S Ennis; G Whelan, J Gantley, J Farrell; M Lynch (0-1), A Fagan, T Cosgrove; A Smith, D Colgan; G Cole (0-1), T Lynch, N Cole,; J Farrell, T Henderson, M Cole (1-11, 0-5 frees). Subs used: D Whelan, E Regan, D Morgan and S Mulligan. Tweet
