The year 2000 was a special one for Rathmolyon. The Royal County caught up with the man who was mostly responsible for that. The first year of the new millennium turned out to be a joyful and historic one for Rathmolyon. While the senior hurlers performed admirably, reaching the championship semi-finals where they succumbed most narrowly to Trim, the Rathmolyon's U13 outfit won the club's first ever 'A' underage title - a wonderful achievement for a club of such limited resources. The victory delighted everybody involved with Rathmolyon, committee members, senior players et al. It was a big occasion, the final against Kilmessan. The nerves of players and management jangled. "It was already a great achievement for us to get to the final," says Rathmolyon U13 manager Seamus Murray. "But the final itself was special. There was a huge crowd from both sides at the game and our lads wouldn't be used to that at all. They were very very nervous. I was very nervous for them. Fergie Fagan [assistant manager] was nervous too, with his two lads playing on the team. But thankfully we beat the nerves in the end." And more importantly they beat Kilmessan which was a glorious pinnacle for Seamus Murray's nine-year involvement with Rathmolyon's underage section. Gaelic games are about heroes on the field and heroes off the field. Murray is one of the latter. By his own admission he wasn't really a hurler but through his own young fellas getting involved with Rathmolyon in the early nineties and through the encouragement of the late Michael Cole, he decided to become involved in coaching. So he did a coaching course and gained a certificate of qualification. He's been at it ever since - looking after Rathmolyon's U11, U13, U14, U16 and minor teams. It sounds like a herculean task. "It's not as difficult as it would seem," he says, however, "mainly because of the small numbers we have. A lot of our U13s and U14s would play U16 for example, and so on. So while most teams with five underage teams would draw from around 90 players, we draw from a group of around 45." When he began with the U11s in 1991, Seamus Murray made it his managerial objective to win a trophy every year. It wasn't going to be easy - the club had only ever won a single underage title prior to that, an U16 'B' championship. But it was going to be necessary. "We knew that if we didn't have a strong, vibrant underage set-up it would be difficult for us to maintain our senior status which we've had since 1975," says Murray. He has succeeded in his objective, sometimes winning two trophies in a season. That first U11 'C' championship he holds very close to his heart. In '96 and '97, the club won back-to-back Minor 'B' championships. "We've had to wait a very long time for an 'A' championship. So you can imagine how special it was when it finally arrived." The 'A' victory is a culmination of years of hard work and determination. If they wanted to give hurling a go, children attending school in Summerhill and Coole were encouraged to join Rathmolyon where they would be looked after and coached well. That brought the club a few extra young fellas. The U13 championship involved six teams: O'Mahonys, Kilmessan, Killyon, Kells, Trim and Rathmolyon. All teams played each other, with the top two then meeting in the championship final. Rathmolyon won all their games in the league section and had a walk-over against Trim. "All the games were tough, especially the one against O'Mahonys," says the manager. But it was Kilmessan who they were to meet in the final. What reasons did they have to be confident? A number, in fact. They had already beaten Kilmessan and this team, two years previously, had already tasted county success, winning the U11 'B' championship. "That same year," recalls Seamus, "Kilmessan won the U11 'A' championship. We played them in a challenge and beat them. We knew we were as good as them. Having said that, there is a big difference, in terms of strength and skill, between U11 and U13 level." They were confident so, but as said before, very nervous also. One of the great bonuses for Seamus Murray during the year was the help and assistance provided by John Gorry, who looked after the Meath minors last year. "Before the game John came into the dressing room to have a word with the lads and that made them feel very special. They felt very excited and nervous that a number of the club's senior hurlers had come to support them on the day." The final was a tight one. As is their wont Rathmolyon solely played ground hurling for the opening period of the match, until things settled down and opened up. Right through there was very little in it, until the last ten minutes when Rathmolyon netted two goals. One of those was a gem, centre forward Michael Gorman doubling on a high ball into the net. Another goal sealed victory for Rathmolyon 2-4 to 0-4. "I was talking to Paddy Kelly and Enda Smith afterwards," says Seamus, "and they said it was one of the finest juvenile games they had seen in a very long time." On the final whistle delight enveloped the Rathmolyon contingent. "The boys put in great effort during the year and deserved everything they got. Also the parents of the players played an exceptional part in our success, always providing transport and helping out. "Also men like Fergie Fagan and Oliver Smith were always on hand to help out. It's men like that that keep the club going well." Men like Seamus Murray too, but with an increasing interests in politics and other areas, he is finding the time to manage Rathmolyon's underage teams more and more difficult to come by. Efforts are being made to introduce new underage coaches but Michael could never countenance giving it up. "With the commitment those young lads give, I'd find it very difficult to opt out. I started out when my young lads Jonathan and Kenneth joined the club. Now they're playing senior hurling. And it's a great satisfaction to me that the majority of the current Rathmolyon senior team has passed through my hands. I can't let it go when these young players have the ambition of playing senior hurling." The Rathmolyon team which beat Kilmessan in the U13 'A' championship final was: Colin McNally, Stephen Husband, Stephen Lynch, Cathal Byrne, Gerard O'Neill, Thomas Walsh, William Milner, Kevin Fagan, Cathal O'Malley, Robert Smith, Michael Gorman, Justin Ennis, Eoin Noone, Michael Byrne, Noel Fagan. Tweet

Most Read Stories