Thomas O'Connor is an exciting young player who made his senior debut in both codes with Dunboyne in 2001. Brendan Boylan talks to the teenager who also represented Ireland in Australia during the course of the season. One of the great drawing attractions of the GAA is that it is largely community based and can be the life and soul of a community, a focal point where folks met friends, spun stories and did things for each other, played for each other and their togetherness made our games and our organisation the great symbol of Irish society it is today. Such was the thinking in times past that nothing needed to be changed, everything was fine. Things are different now however and, despite a few hard line opinions that refuse to accept change, the GAA as a whole has had to move on to remain attractive in an era when the widespread introduction of cable television has meant that other sports such as soccer and rugby have been able to put on display what they have to offer. The Croke Park authorities have had to spread their wings to make their product marketable world wide. In recent years we have become used to seeing London and New York competing in our championship in both codes, but with little degree of success, there has been a trend also in recent years of our top GAA stars going across the water to show off their talents, but here Brendan Boyle looks at possibly the best marketing tool of the lot, the Compromise Rules series and relieves with Thomas O'Connor what has been an unforgettable twelve months for the Dunboyne lad. The links between Australian Rules Football and GAA stretch back a long way and the Royal County has always been to the forefront of this. In 1968 Meath travelled to Australia as All-Ireland champions with such great names as Quinn, McDermott, Darby and Kerrigan in their ranks. Indeed, in 1981, it was East Meath club St Colmcille's who proposed the motion that sowed the seeds for the inception of the series. Many of Meath's finest exponents of the game featured in the series in the eighties and nineties, men like Colm O'Rourke, Liam Hayes, Mick Lyons, Robbie O'Malley and Bernard Flynn represented the nation with distinction before the series was unfortunately discontinued as attendance's began to drop and interest faded. In 1998 however, the wise step was taken to re-introduce the international games, it was a gamble which turned out to be a resounding success. This time however, there was an added bonus of an U17 series which gave the country's best minors a chance to show off their wears and experience sport at a more professional level. Once again, the Royal County was well represented, O'Rourke took charge of the side, John McDermott captained the team on which he was joined by Darren Fay while Dr. Jack Finn and Martin Regan were part of the back up staff, the sole green and gold star on the U17 squad was current senior panel member Christy Reynolds of Walterstown. It was fitting in 1999 the Meath representation was provided by St Colmcille's Brian Kelly while in Millennium year the Walterstown club was again honoured as Brian McCormack made the trip Down Under. In 2001 Meath folk had every reason to feel chuffed as three young Royals spent Easter down under which dispelled any fears over the future of Meath football, as Thomas points out. "Last year we were told at a conference that there was no talent in the county, but I think the fact that myself, Joe (Sheridan) and David (Murtagh) were selected for the final panel while Sean Stephens and John Crimmons were called for trials puts talk like that into perspective." It was after Dunboyne's success in the U16 FC that Thomas and David were selected. "To win the U16 was a great achievement for the club and it is something which you would hope we could build on in the future." Incidentally, the two lads were direct opponents at midfield in the three game saga and he says "It is an indication of how closely matched the two teams were that the two of us got selected." The final squad who travelled was finalised by mentors Eugene Lavin (Mayo), Declan Rowley (Longford), Dave Loughman (Cork) and PJ McGowan (Donegal) after several months hard training and weekend get-togethers. "The training was very specialised so that we would be able to adapt to the more physical type of game" notes Thomas who has represented the county in both codes. Saturday, April 7th was the day that marked the culmination of months of hard training, commitment and dedication as the three talented young sportsmen jetted off with the rest of the Irish squad. "It was a great experience seeing sport at a more professional level than we are used to in Ireland although the heat did take a lot of getting used to, so fluid intake was essential." Two of the test matches were played at the world famous M.C.G with the third one taking place in Perth. The first game was close enough with the hosts only pulling away in the last quarter. "We are not used to the extra twenty minutes and it was then that they were at their strongest" according to Thomas, who, we are led to believe, was the only Irish player not to visit the treatment room on the trip. The home side inflicted heavy defeats on their guests in the final two tests but the Royal trio acquitted themselves with distinction with the Dunboyne youngster gaining the ultimate recognition of being named "Man of the Match" in the 1st test. Thomas was quoted in a local newspaper before the trip as saying that he would rather stay in Dunboyne than play Aussie Rules full time and it is clear listening to him the pride this young man has in his club and county. Success visited him at a young age, he has already garnered honours in both codes and has U14 FC, U15 FL, U16FC, U14 BHC, U16 BHC and MHC B as well as the Dunboyne "Young Footballer of the Year" accolade for 2000 in an ever growing trophy collection. However, he is also quick to point out that he has had his fair share of disappointments in his fledgling career. "Reaching the All-Ireland MHC B final last year was a great and much needed boost for Meath hurling but losing to Kerry was a big disappointment as was losing the Div 2 HC decider to Dunderry in what was the club's third consecutive final reverse." When he returned from Australia, his schedule didn't become any lighter because of involvement with club and county minors in both codes as well the senior teams in both codes at club level. "The Leinster Minor Football campaign was very disappointing, we probably missed the boat in Navan the first night and you don't get second chances at that level." On the club front fortunes have been mixed, on the Tuesday night after he returned from Down Under, Thomas was part of the St Peter's senior panel that tackled O'Mahonys in the opening round of SFC and although a comfortable victory was recorded, a draw against Cortown and defeat against Dunderry coupled with a draw between Cortown and Dunderry ruled Gerry Cooney's troops out of contention. He made his senior debut in the Cortown game before being handed the unthankful job of policing Barry Callaghan in the third round crunch tie. "We didn't perform anything like we are capable of against Cortown, Nigel Crawford missed out through exam commitments and had he been there it may have swung it our way, in contrast, we played really well against Dunderry even though we were without Simon (Crawford), we probably deserved something out of that game but it wasn't to be, we are a young team and I have no doubt we will bounce back." On the hurling scene things have fared a lot better for John Gorry's charges, Thomas watched the first two SHC matches against O'Mahonys and Kildalkey from the sideline before being elevated to the Dublin-border club's premier XV - after scoring 0-6 in a Div 2 HC tie against Kilmessan - for their second victory over Trim in the third round. "That was titanic struggle, we started well and built up a bit of a lead but Trim being Trim they came back at us and we just hung on in the end." It was actually Thomas's brother Johnny who sealed the victory with a late, late sideline cut while he himself played a crucial role in curtailing the opposition's ace marksman Joey Toole. There was further drama in the fourth round as Dunboyne came from seven points adrift twice to snatch an unlikely victory from Boardsmill and leave themselves in a prime position for a knock out spot with one game remaining at the time of going to print. After capturing the U16 FC last year St Peter's were always going to be MFC contenders, they qualified for a knock out spot without undue hassle suffering one defeat, to O'Mahonys while Thomas and David Murtagh were on International Rules duty. Yellow Furze stood between the Black & Ambers and a final berth, and boy what a test they provided. The Dunboyne outfit found themselves five points down ten minutes into the second half after being three up at the interval and it took all the guile and experience which saw them take the Benny Caffrey Cup and the aid of a deflected goal to edge them through to the showpiece. A close encounter was expected but favourites O'Mahonys were in no mood for hanging around and blew their opponents out of the water with a superb display which has been well chronicled. They led by 1-12 to 0-02 half way to a 3-20 to 0-04 win. It was a massive disappointment to Thomas and his colleagues but as he points out "You have to hand it to them, they are a great team. There are a lot of our lads eligible again next year so we'll give it a hell of a shot, but I suppose that's the future, but it's an exciting thought." With the likes of him about it's going to be an exciting future! Dunboyne Watters The angst generated by a solitary county final defeat is painful enough. But after three such successive setbacks, we're talking excruciating pain. No wonder then that the Dunboyne second string hurlers were totally focussed on halting the slide in 2001 as team-selector Jim Watters confirms to Kevin Carney. Dunboyne's achievement in winning the Division Two Junior Hurling Championship title may have been overdue but team-selector Jim Watters is convinced the club's belated success was all the sweeter for it. In atoning for three successive final defeats in the competition, Dunboyne's second string avenged their defeat to Boardsmill in the 1998 decider. The relief of it all can still be detected in Jim Watters' voice months on: "Expectations within the club at the start of the year were high. Most people in Dunboyne and elsewhere around the county would have expected us to finally win the division two title this year but I personally wasn't taking anything for granted. "Having been pipped at the post for the last three years, there was a great determination among the players to go one better in 2001 but nothing was guaranteed and the lads had to dig deep on a few occasions to make things happen for them. The fact that we won it out this year is terrific though - a great boost to the club and to the players involved in particular." Beaten to the post by Boardsmill, Ratoath and Dunderry respectively over the course of the last three years, the hurlers of Dunboyne finally got their due reward at the tail end of October at the well-appointed Kilmessan ground. The character and spirit which Jim likes to talk about in relation to Dunboyne's latest title-winning hurling team was very much in evidence though in the team's hard-fought 1-9 to 1-8 victory. Indeed, it took a Stephen Mulvey injury-time free at the end of the second half to secure the spoils for the south Meath side. "You very seldom get anything easy in a final and our match with Boardsmill was no exception. But it was always going to go to the wire even though we probably played better during the year than we did in the final itself." Promotion into the top-flight of junior hurling in Meath is a fair achievement. And Jim believes that having teams competing in senior and junior hurling ranks is something which the club can be rightly proud of. After all, it's been some ten years since the two competed simultaneously at those levels. Significantly, Jim doesn't begin to underestimate the importance of the victory over Boardsmill for morale within Dunboyne's hurling fraternity. The hurt suffered by the self-same contingent on losing out to a last minute free, for instance, against Ratoath in the final two years ago is still fairly fresh in the minds of all those closest to the coalface in Dunboyne hurling circles. "It's important for hurling in Dunboyne that we have a good squad of players who can spur one another on. It's good to have a winning junior team 'cause you need those players to keep the senior lads on their toes. "I imagine that at least five or six of the team that won the division two title in 2001 will be pressing hard for places on the club's senior team and the competition for places that comes from that can only be a positive thing. "The players will be looking forward to playing at junior level next year because the hurling there is of a much higher standard - it's as good as intermediate in my opinion." Certainly the team showed excellent potential on the way to winning the JHC Division Two title. It was a well-deserved, if hard-fought, success. Wins over Dunsany, O'Mahony's, Kiltale and Moylagh preceded the team's victory over Boardsmill in the county decider. In many ways, Dunboyne's second string came of age in 2001. And with eight of the panel under 21, four under 18 and one under 16, it's fair to say that age is on their side. Indeed apart from seasoned campaigners such as Matt Dwyer, Stephen Mulvey and Ned Dowdall, the Dunboyne junior side is a very young outfit. It's a squad which Jim has delighted in working with: "I thoroughly enjoyed working with the team-manager John Gorry, fellow selectors George Hutton and Bernard Smith and all the players. And being involved as a selector has proven to be the next best thing to being a player. "I'd say I did nearly as much training with the lads this year as I did last year," adds Jim, a corner-back on the Dunboyne team which won the intermediate title in 1999 by beating Kilskyre. Father of ace midfielder Brian and livewire half-forward Gary, 43-year old Jim was born and reared in Dunboyne. His passion for hurling however wasn't inherited. He tells us that he's a bit of a hurling maverick as far as the Watters family is concerned as nobody belonging to him boasted any great hurling pedigree although his sisters were avid camogie players. Jim is a long time playing, watching and coaching in the hurling arena. He first played the game, competitively, at intermediate level at the age of 15. Soon after he linked up with a certain Sean Boylan on the playing fields. In time, the Watters medal haul was added to with a hat-trick of intermediate championship medals and a junior souvenir also. Reflecting back on the club's successful junior campaign in 2001, Jim - brother of Dunboyne senior selector John Watters - says that the Dunboyne players deserved their reward because of the commitment they showed at training since last March. "I remember upwards of 40 lads turning out for training, be they senior, junior or minor players. Attendance were generally very good, even if we had to train with just the aid of a couple of car lights at times!" Mention of lights and the prospect of Dunboyne's hurlers and footballers being able to benefit from much more salubrious facilities is mentioned. The erection of five new floodlights on either side of the club's pitch should help all concerned to fulfil their potential in the coming years. "I know from working with the players that they have plenty of ability and plenty of potential. There's not a lot of difference between the top junior teams and the senior teams that might be struggling in the county. Even our junior team would give our seniors a good game of it." So the game of hurling is in a healthy state right now? "Definitely. Hurling is far better organised now in Dunboyne than it was when I was starting off playing. There's better structures in place and the coaching is far superior. "Our juniors have shown just how comfortable they are on the ball and how stylish they can become when the training during the year centres on ball work all the time and improving the players' skills." A good degree of optimism prevails then for the future of hurling in Dunboyne? "Definitely." Enough said. For the record, the following is the Dunboyne team, scorers, and sub, which beat Boardsmill by 1-9 to 1-8 to capture the JHC 2 title: Paul Brady; Mark Watters, Matthew Dwyer, Ned Dowdall; Declan Brady, Billy Hanbury, Paul Reilly; Michael Reilly (0-1), Brian Watters (0-2); Paul Fagan (0-3), Kevin Fagan (0-1), Gary Watters; Raymond Mitchell, Stephen Mulvey (1-2), Damien Sweeney. Sub; David Watters for Dowdall. Tweet

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