1998 will not hold many fond memories for the gaels of Moynalvey - with the exception of their 2nd round, championship defeat of Simonstown. The beauty of Gaelic games is their unpredictability, their propensity to throw up the unexpected. For proof you needn't have looked further than this year's BCR Press sponsored Meath senior football championship. Once again it proved to be as unpredictable as the summer weather during which it was played. South Meath club Moynalvey present the perfect case study. Drawn in Section B along with Simonstown, Skryne, Ballinlough, Kells and Dunshaughlin, they created the biggest shock of the competition when defeating pre-championship favourites Simonstown, while in their very next game they were at the receiving end of a 31 point hammering from Skryne. In his assessment of Moynalvey's prospects at the start of the campaign, Carlo Divito of the Meath Chronicle wrote: "Moynalvey shouldn't threaten Simonstown or Skryne, but they're capable of a shock or two and should finish the season with a couple of wins". That view conformed to general consensus. Many felt they hadn't the werewithall to trouble the 'big two', but could salvage some pride from their clashes with the remaining three. As events transpired, the only points they bagged were the two earned at Simonstown's expense. Summerhill was the scene for their giant killing exploits when they overwhelmed the north Navan outfit on a scoreline of 1-9 to 1-8. Teenager Robert Quinlan's last minute goal secured maximum points for the winners. The 16 year old didn't feature in the opening round defeat at the hands of Ballinlough, but was the toast of Moynalvey following his late winning goal against Simonstown. He had already clocked up six points prior to the last minute punched effort. A rare prodigious talent, young Quinlan has the ability to initiate panic in opposing defences. His strength and speed bely his tender age, and these combined with his knack for scoring separates him from the mediocre. He finished the campaign as the club's top scorer with 1-10 and looks to have a bright future in the game. Twelve months earlier Simonstown had dished out a 13 point defeat to the men in maroon and white, and Moynalvey had achieved nothing in the interim to suggest that this year would be any different. The Navan side were hotly fancied to win the group, never mind the game - but Aidan Devlin's players didn't read the script and Moynalvey were well worth their splendid one point win. In the early stages of the game the signs looked ominous for the eventual winners. Simonstown had a goalbound shot cleared off the line in the first minute, while the resulting '45 slipped through the fingers of the normally reliable Derek Bannon's hands to gift the favourites the lead. Moynalvey made several changes from the team which succumbed to Ballinlough in their opening game and replied with points from Quinlan (two) and Willie Byrne. Simonstown regained the initiative at the end of the first quarter, but Moynalvey took control for the remainder of the half. Quinlan fired over a further four points to Simonstown's one which gave the Miley Byrne captained side a 0-7 to 1-2 lead at the interval. It should have been more, but Tossie Byrne spurned a glorious goal chance from five yards after good work from Alan Ashe and Damian Dixon on the stroke of half-time. Unperturbed, Moynalvey continued to exert their control on the resumption. Willie Byrne got them off to the best possible start when he fielded the throw-in and soloed up the field for a fine score. Another point from Dixon stretched the gap to four, 0-9 to 1-2. At this stage Tossie Byrne was sent off following an altercation with 1996 All-Ireland medal winner Colm Brady. Simonstown, who were managed by Meath U21 coach Paul Kenny, reshuffled their troops and it looked to have had the desired effect with six unanswered points giving them an undeserving lead. Moynalvey appeared dead and buried. The large contingent at the tie were expecting an avalanche of scores to come from Simonstown, but from somewhere the south Meath outfit found a second wind. The mounted a late rally which developed into a bout of sustained pressure on their opponents goals. The chance to salvage something looked to have escaped them when Alan Ashe's point attempt hit the upright, but the Simonstown defence failed to clear the danger. When Dixon lobbed a speculative ball into the box Quinlan rose highest and fisted into the back of the net. There were other turn ups for the books in the second round of the championship that weekend, most notably Oldcastle getting the better of Dunboyne, Ballinlough's defeat of Skryne and Walterstown inflicting a second loss on holders Navan O'Mahony's - but Moynalvey's achievement surpassed them all. However, it was all to turn sour in the next round. The scenes of jubilation which greeted referee Jimmy Henry's final whistle in Summerhill was in stark contrast to the emotions felt by the Moynalvey faithful in the aftermath of their encounter with Skryne. The optimism and hope which stemmed from the Simonstown clash completely evaporated as Skryne inflicted a 6-19 to 1-3 humiliation on Moynalvey. No words would be sufficient to describe Moynalvey's performance on that forgettable Friday evening in Dunshaughlin. The scoreline says it all. It certainly cast a shadow over the Simonstown victory. Despite finishing the game with only thirteen men Moynalvey can have no excuses. Skryne were 4-8 to 0-2 ahead when Tossie Byrne was sent for an early shower, while the Tara men had the game long sown up before Jeremy Ennis joined him thirteen minutes from the end. Simonstown and Skryne met later on in the competition. Who won? Simonstown of course, sure dosen't it make perfect sense!!! The Moynalvey team which beat Simonstown was as follows; D. Bannon; B. Sheridan, B. Conneely, J. Byrne; D. O'Shea, R. Maughan, O. Gilsenan; M. Byrne, W. Byrne (0-2); T. Byrne, D. Dixon (0-1), Jeremy Ennis; O. Regan, A. Ashe, R. Quinlan (1-6). Subs: Jackie Ennis, M. Knightly Player Focus Robert Quinlan Name:Robert Quinlan Date of Birth:9-12-81 Height: 5ft 10ins Weight: 10st 7lbs Club: Moynalvey Honours: (Gaelic): Kildare Schools Championship U16 (Other) Soccer: Man of the Match in charity shield final, Athletics: several crosscountry individual silver and Meath gold medals Favourite Grounds: Summerhill Hobbies: Football, soccer, golf and pool Favourite Position: Corner forward Favourite Players: Maurice Fitzgerald, Trevor Giles, Tommy Dowd, Mick Lyons and Colm O'Rourke Influences on Your career: Enda McManus, Liam Harnan, Padraig Dunne, John Byrne, Peter Collins and Aidan Devlin. The high point of your career to date: The day Moynalvey beat Simonstown in the championship in Summerhill (1998) Biggest Disappointment: Meath losing to Kildare (Leinster final 1998) Favourite Music: Rock Favourite Film: Brave Heart Person least welcome at your home: Cathal Sheridan! Ideal Date: Sharon Stone Tweet

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