'Tones enjoy their best ever year
December 31, 2001
Wolfe Tones came agonisingly close to winning the 2001 Meath JFC. The Oristown/Kilberry/Gibbstown combination went all the way to the county final, only to suffer the disappointment of defeat at the hands of Curraha after a replay. But make no mistake: the Tones will be back. Intermediate football is just around the corner.
Quite simply put, Wolfe Tones enjoyed a splendid season. Tony Kearney's charges were decidedly unfortunate not to win the county junior football championship and were superb all year in Division Three of the league. One can't help but get the distinct impression that there's a lot more still to come from this exceptional young team.
The Tones are knocking loudly on the door of intermediate football. Certainly, they possess all the ability and young blood necessary to make such a transition - not to mention the raw tradition.
This is an area of the Royal County crying out for a higher grade of football and fervent followers of the Tones know they have a group of players on their hands who are more than equipped to deliver.
Conceived in the mid-seventies as a marriage of former Garryowen-Kilberry outfit St John's (intermediate champions in 1974) and Gibbstown (junior finalists of '73), Wolfe Tones started life as a senior club in 1975 (defeating defending champions Summerhill in their very first championship match - the first round of the 1975 SFC) and it is to this level that they aspire to one day return. With the calibre of player they have on their hands at the moment, this is much more than a pipe dream.
Wolfe Tones are a progressive outfit, moving in the right direction with considerable momentum.
They came within a kick of the ball of attaining intermediate status in 2001. However, despite the obvious disappointment of being pipped in the junior final, they have no reason to be overly despondent . . . they still possess the ingredients required to move onwards and upwards.
This could be evinced from the massive following they attracted for the county final(s). The Tones have a support system in place that could easily sustain an intermediate or senior club. The fervent following they attract in an area rich in GAA tradition is the envy of every other club in the county.
They also have all the required resources on the field of play. Crucially, they have youth on their side, with an accomplished batch of young players, many of whom have already garnered intercounty experience. They are renowned for the high skill content of their game and for playing an aesthetic and attractive brand of football. Surely it's only a matter of time before they escape the claustrophobic confines of junior fare.
In the build-up to the replay, there was a sneaking suspicion doing the rounds that Curraha might prevail at the second attempt, the general opinion being that the Tones had left it behind them the first day.
They were the dominant team throughout the drawn game but didn't capitalise on their abundance of possession, letting an off-form Curraha steal a draw they barely deserved, 0-10 to 2-4, the concession of those two goals proving ultimately fatal.
Failing to win that game came as a bitter blow to the Tones, who were served brilliantly by Alan Fox in the first half but still couldn't find their way across the winning line.
The drawn junior final took place at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday October 14th. It always promised to be a closely-contested match: Wolfe Tones were tipped as prospective champions from the year's beginning, while Curraha showed what they were made of with some spectacular performances en route to the final . . . most notably in emerging from a 'Group of Death' also containing St Michael's, Bective and Dunderry.
The Tones knew they'd have to improve their shooting if they were to take the crown - they'd racked up an unbelievable total of 19 wides during their two-point semi-final victory over Meath Hill.
They got out of jail that day, after having trailed by three points with four minutes to go. But they dug deep and displayed remarkable tenacity to complete a good recovery which was kick-started by Niall McLoughlin's deflected goal.
With forwards of the calibre of Alan Fox, Darren McGrath, Terry McGarry and McLoughlin at their disposal, there was no doubting that the Tones had the firepower needed to finish the job. But there was always that nagging worry that they'd developed a habit of wastefulness as the season wore on.
The big question was whether or not they'd be able to shake it in the final. As it transpired, the answer was 'no'.
The first encounter was a thriller but Wolfe Tones should certainly have had the Matthew Ginnity Cup in their possession as the evening's dustiness rolled in across the sleepy Navan setting.
They'd appeared to be on course for victory on two separate occasions but were undone both times by sweeping Curraha moves that carved their defence open and resulted in two superb goals.
The Tones could've had goals themselves but found opposition 'keeper Liam Carroll to be in unbeatable form as he pulled off three truly spectacular saves.
Wolfe Tones enjoyed long periods of dominance and their defence was on top form, Darragh Browne's curtailing of Curraha dangerman Eoin Carroll having a major bearing on the result.
Indeed, the Wolfe Tones defence in general was watertight, with Stephen Corrigan, Colm Reilly, Ciaran McLoughlin and John Tiernan all very much to the fore.
The Oristown/Kilberry/Gibbstown combination were quickest out of the blocks and raced into a 0-2 to 0-0 lead after only three minutes thanks to Alan Fox and Sean Power (free). Another free from Power and an excellent Aidan McKeever point soon made it 0-4 to 0-1. Right at the end of the first quarter, Power was on target again to give the Tones a useful lead.
It looked at this stage as though a one-sided final might develop but Curraha knocked any such notions on the head with an unanswered run of 1-2 to take the lead for the first time with 22 minutes played.
Power then grabbed the point that ensured parity at the break, 0-6 to 1-3.
Power and Fox both found the range again shortly after the resumption, those two points dissected by the latter's decent goal attempt which was magnificently saved by the Curraha netminder.
Another sudden spurt from Brian Stafford's team - this one yielding a return of a goal and a point - saw Curraha take a 2-4 to 0-8 lead.
Wolfe Tones refused to give up and fought their way back into it with final-quarter points from substitute Kevin McKeever and Power. There were still eleven minutes remaining when that final score sailed over and, even though both sides had good chances of clinching it late on, there was no more scoring and the teams had to settle for a draw.
Having been outplayed at times, Curraha were happiest with this outcome. They knew they were perhaps a little fortunate to have a second chance and this realisation spurred them on in the replay.
As the sides lined up for the rematch at the same venue a fortnight later, there was a lot at stake. It had been a long year, with Wolfe Tones having already played a total of eight matches in the competition (in addition to their busy league schedule).
They beat Drumbaragh 2-13 to 1-12 in the first round and reached the quarter-finals by virtue of successes over St Brigid's (1-14 to 1-11), Nobber (2-10 to 1-4), Ratoath (1-16 to 1-8) and Gaeil Colmcille (3-15 to 1-8).
Ballinabrackey provided quarter-final opposition and were accounted for on a scoreline of 1-11 to 0-9 while Meath Hill proved difficult to put away in the penultimate round (1-9 to 1-7).
Curraha had been equally impressive on their way to the decider, although they required a replay to dispose of a vastly-improved Nobber in the semi-final.
Curraha embraced their second opportunity with both hands, leaving Wolfe Tones to rue their first-day squandermania. They were undone by opposition captain Gerry Butler who scored 1-3 in a magical 12-minute spell to send his side on the way to a 1-13 to 1-6 victory.
Arriving in the 42nd minute, Butler's goal was the game's first major and was a decisive score in every manner of speaking as it gave Curraha a four-point cushion and knocked the stuffing out of Wolfe Tones.
Tones led by three points (0-4 to 0-1) at the end of the first quarter but only managed to go in on level terms at the break, 0-5 apiece. Butler's spurt was decisive and Niall McLoughlin's goal was too little too late.
But the Tones will undoubtedly be back. They have the bones of an excellent side with a smattering of players with recent intercounty experience in the likes of wing back Stephen Corrigan (Meath minor this year), 25-year-old midfielder Keith McLoughlin (a former Meath minor and under 21), centre forward Alan Fox (an ex-county minor who starred for the U21s this year) and corner forward Niall McLoughlin (a Royal County minor in '01).
If they keep their heads up, the breakthrough should arrive as a matter of course. This side is too good to stay junior for much longer.
Celebrating good times
Evidence suggests that Wolfe Tones are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in Meath GAA circles. Their Juniors may have failed in their bid to win the championship but their recent record at underage level is second to none and promises a bright landscape on the horizon. Chairman Peter Fox, like all Wolfe Tones gaels, is rubbing his hands at the prospect.
The Wolfe Tones GFC Dinner Dance was held in the Headfort Arms Hotel in mid-November this year and an extra large top table had to be organised to cater for the amount of silverware on view.
2001 will be fondly remembered by Tones' players, officals and supporters as one of their best ever, certainly their best in modern times.
The disappointment at losing out to Curraha in this year's Junior FC final was eased somewhat when they captured the Special U 21 'A' title at the expense of neighbours St. Ultan's a week prior to the celebratory function.
The success capped off a memorable year for the Tones who enjoyed a fair degree of success at practically all levels. Their minors, for instance, reached the semi-final of the MFC before losing out to eventual champions Navan O'Mahony's. A noteworthy achievement for a club which normally wouldn't compete in the top flight.
St. Ultan's qualified for the final in impressive fashion, clocking up cricket-scores en route, but the Tones, still smarting for their replayed Junior final defeat at the hands of Curraha, were by far the more determined side and while their win didn't come as too much of a surprise, the margin of it certainly did.
Fielding seven of the team which featured in the Junior final, they led by 1-5 to 0-6 at the break with Aidan McKeever netting the first half goal. Incidentally, the number10 finished as his team's top scorer with a personal tally of 2-1.
Rossa McDonnell also scored a three-pointer as the Kilberry/Gibbstown outfit pulled away in the second half. All the opposition could muster was a late consolation goal.
After referee Noel Martin's final whistle, victorious captain Alan Fox received the cup from father Peter who is the County Board's development officer as well as being the club's chairman. The well known referee wouldn't mind making a habit of presenting silverware to the winning Wolfe Tones teams!
"Alan is over 21 next year so I won't have the opportunity to present him with the cup again but once the winning captain is wearing a Wolfe Tones jersey I won't mind," laughed the popular official.
Of the team's final win he added: "It was a great achievement for the club, particularly as it came so soon after the junior final. It was a great team display against St. Ultan's who would have fancied their chances."
On the way to the final, the Tones defeated Syddan, a very good Ballivor side and Cortown in the semi-final. They enjoyed less luck in the Minor semi-final against O'Mahony's.
"Despite losing it was a great achievement for the club, the first time we reached the semi-final of a Division 1 competition on our own. We were beaten by five points but our lads put it up to O'Mahonys and, with a little bit of luck on their side, could have sneaked the win."
The one black mark on the report sheet was the previously mentioned Junior final. "I felt we left it behind us the first day," opined Peter. "We played very well and had every chance to win it but just couldn't shake Curraha off.
"In fairness, they were the better team the second day and deserved to win on that occasion. We practically owned the ball for a ten-minute spell in the second half but didn't take our chances. Curraha then went up the field and got a point which was followed shortly afterwards by a goal. That was basically the difference between the two teams on the day.
"Overall, however, we were delighted with the performance of the team this year. In last year's championship we only had one point to show for our championship campaign so it was a marvellous turnaround. Hopefully, we can go one step better inside the next year or so."
Judging by the amount of underage talent at the Tones' disposal, it would be a foolish man who would bet against them achieving intermediate status soon.
The U-21s and minors were not the only ones to do the club proud in 2001 as the U-14s and U-16s also got in on the winning act. They defeated Seneschalstown and Skryne in their respective finals.
Not to be overshadowed by their footballing counterparts, the underage hurlers also delivered by capturing U-11 and U-13 titles. The U-13s, incidentally, were amalgamated with neighbouring Simonstown.
"In total, we won five competitions this year and, perhaps, if we had have won the junior we would have been in the running for the 'Club of the Year'," remarked Peter.
Intercounty recognition, meanwhile, was bestowed on Alan Fox for the second year running with the U-21s and Stephen Corrigan and Niall McLoughlin with the Royal minor side. Eoin Harrington celebrated an All-Ireland U-16 'Special' hurling triumph.
"We have a bunch of fantastic young lads coming through at the moment and the great thing is that most of them are based locally so we wouldn't expect to lose too many of them," the club chairman said. "They're a very committed lot and you would have to say that the future looks very bright."
The Wolfe Tones team which was on duty in the U-21 final was: M.D. Power; J McKeown, R Brady (0-1); P Reilly, D Cassidy, C Reilly; S Corrigan, J Tiernan (0-2); A McKeever (2-1), A Fox (0-4), D McGrath (0-1); R McDonnell (1-1), N McLoughlin.
Subs - E Harrington for P Relly, B McGinn for McDonnell.
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