Simonstown back on track
November 27, 2011
Having survived a relegation scare in 2010, Simonstown Gaels looked more like their old selves this year when they qualified for the last eight of the SFC. Secretary Barry Gorman was delighted with their change in fortunes and insists there is a lot more to come from Sean Barry's young team.
What a difference 12 months makes! Last year, Simonstown Gaels were struggling badly and came perilously close to surrendering their senior status after 15 years in the top-flight. This year, after a disastrous first round defeat to Blackhall Gaels, they recovered impressively to reach the quarter-finals of the Keegan Cup where they were unlucky to lose to Dunshaughlin after extra-time.
While disappointed not to earn another day out against Dunshaughlin, Simonstown secretary Barry Gorman took much encouragement from the performances of Sean Barry's new-look side, pointing out that their achievement in reaching the last eight surpassed all expectations.
"Our main aim at the start of the year was to stay up and not to get dragged into another relegation battle," says Barry, whose father Dessie served two terms as Simonstown chairman between 1976 and '80 and 2000 and '04.
"Last year, we barely got over St. Ultan's in a relegation playoff and were lucky to stay up. It would have been a disaster if we have gone down, but in fairness to the lads they turned it around this year. It was a bonus to reach the quarter-finals because this is a very young team. If you take the likes of Seamus Kenny, Shane O'Rourke and Wayne McCarthy out of it, you're basically left with a bunch of kids.
"It definitely suited us that we were in a group of six because the more football these young lads get, the better. Sean Barry and his selectors Gerry Heaney, Dermot McMahon and Hank Traynor are building a new team and, on this year's evidence, they are heading in the right direction."
No one could have envisaged Simonstown ending up in a SFC quarter-final after they suffered a humiliating defeat to Blackhall Gaels in their Group A opener at Dunsany. Leo Turley's charges cruised to a 20-point victory, 3-18 to 1-4, on a day when their Navan opponents finished the game with just 12 players following the dismissals of Meath captain Seamus Kenny, his county colleague Shane O'Rourke and corner back Ciaran Kenny.
Simonstown couldn't use their numerical disadvantage as an excuse for the defeat as Blackhall Gaels had already built up an unassailable 3-15 to 1-3 lead when O'Rourke became the first player in navy and sky blue to see red in the 43rd minute. Simonstown had actually got off to a great start when Mark McCabe fisted Wayne McCarthy's free-kick to the net in the second minute, but it was all downhill after that as Sean Whelan - who finished with a personal tally of 1-13 - led the Kilcloon/Batterstown men to the easiest of wins.
Simonstown put that dismal display behind them when Mark McCabe's injury-time goal earned them a 2-7 to 1-10 draw with local rivals Wolfe Tones at Pairc Tailteann. Sean Barry's charges led by 0-6 to 0-3 after playing with a strong wind in the opening half, and they looked set for victory when Sean Tobin's speculative effort ended up in the net to extend their lead to 1-7 to 0-6 with 14 minutes remaining.
However, Wolfe Tones responded by reeling off an unanswered 1-4 - the goal coming from a Cian Ward penalty - before McCabe came to Simonstown's rescue after an excellent build-up involving Niall McMahon and Shane O'Rourke.
"The players had a meeting after the Blackhall game at which they sorted a few things out. As a result of that, you saw a great response against the Tones," Gorman remembers.
It was a case of third time lucky for the Navan men when a turbo-charged finish gave them a 1-17 to 2-11 victory over Trim in Skryne. With four minutes remaining, the sides were level on 1-14 to 2-11, but late points from ex-Dublin star Wayne McCarthy, Shane O'Rourke and Shane Barry tipped the balance in Simonstown's favour.
Seamus Kenny struck the winners' goal in the sixth minute, but Trim recovered to lead by 1-7 to 1-6 at the break. A Neil Heffernan goal within 20 seconds of the restart had Trim four points ahead, but Simonstown replied with five points on the trot to regain the lead and finished the stronger to claim the spoils.
The Gaels chalked up their second win when they ended Summerhill's 100 per cent record at Pairc Tailteann. The Simonstown defence was superb and held their much-vaunted opponents scoreless for 29 minutes of the first half, at the end of which they led by 0-6 to 0-2.
The expected Summerhill comeback never materialised in the second half as Sean Barry's men pulled clear for a 0-13 to 0-7 victory thanks to scores from Shane Kieran, Stephen Moran and Shane O'Rourke.
A 1-8 to 0-11 draw with Oldcastle in their final Group A outing was enough to secure Simonstown's place in the knockout stages. An 18th minute Seamus Kenny goal - following a mistake by Oldcastle 'keeper Paddy Coakley - handed the wearers of navy and sky blue a 1-6 to 0-6 interval lead, but they only managed two further points in the second half as Oldcastle fought back to earn a draw which saw them avoid a relegation playoff on score difference.
Simonstown's 2011 championship campaign came to a heartbreaking end when a last-gasp point from half back Fergus Toolan gave Dunshaughlin a 0-16 to 1-12 victory after extra-time. After centre back Shane Carr's late goal had forced extra-time, Simonstown looked to have put themselves in a winning position when two points from Shane O'Rourke and another from Mark McCabe had them three ahead in the first period of extra-time.
But Dunshaughlin gained the upperhand in the second period and squeezed through to a semi-final meeting with Donaghamore/Ashbourne by the narrowest of margins.
"I thought we'd hold on for the draw and get a replay out of it, but it wasn't to be," the Simonstown secretary of the past two years ruefully reflects.
"When you get into a quarter-final, you want to win it so it was very disappointing to lose in those circumstances. Having said that, we would gladly have settled for a quarter-final appearance at the start of the year. Dunshaughlin's greater experience was probably the difference in the end, but our lads will have learned an awful lot from being involved in a knockout game like that and will be all the better for it."
The Gaels also showed some good form in the league which saw them finish in the top half of Division 2, while a first round loss to Summerhill made for a short-lived Feis Cup campaign. The club's second team, meanwhile, didn't enjoy the best of JFC campaigns, losing their first four games in Group C before edging out Summerhill by 2-12 to 1-14 in the last round.
The Navan club continues to be a forced to be reckoned with at underage level. Their minors captured the Division 1 league title following a 0-12 to 1-6 victory over Donaghmore/Ashbourne in the final, their under 16s defeated St. Colmcille's by 4-14 to 3-11 in the Division 2 league decider, their under 14s contested a county final, while the club's under 12s completed a Division 1 and Summer League double by beating Dunboyne and Navan O'Mahony's respectively.
"Our underage is holding up very well," Barry enthuses.
"We fielded two under 10, two under 12, two under 14 teams as well as under 16 and minor teams this year. The minors, under 16s and under 12s had successful years and that all bodes well for the future."
Barry, whose cousin Martin Gorman won JFC and IFC medals with the club in 1990 and '95 respectively, insists that Simonstown won't feel contented until the Keegan Cup finally returns to their impressive clubhouse.
"We haven't been disheartened by our past failures," he defiantly says.
"While we were bitterly disappointed to lose the 2003 and 2004 county finals to Blackhall and Skryne, we haven't lost hope. We're coming again with a new team that showed this year they have plenty of potential. We know that underage success doesn't guarantee senior success, but it's still the best way to get there.
"It hasn't happened for us yet in terms of winning a senior championship, but we'll keep working away with the youngsters and hope that it leads to a Keegan Cup in the not too distant future."
Simonstown lined out as follows against Dunshaughlin in the SFC quarter-final: R Duffy; S McGivney, E Donoghue, S O'Reilly; N McMahon, S Carr, M O'Rourke; S O'Rourke, S Barry; M McCabe, S Kenny, S Tobin; W McCarthy, P McKeever, S Moran. Subs used: A Kearney, S Kieran, C Wickham, P Meade, S O'Neill, C Kenny and J Lyons.
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