Moore the merrier
December 10, 2003
Former Clones player Paul Moore emigrated to the United States seven years ago. However, he still keeps in touch with the club and county scene back home. He reflected on a successful 12 months with John Loughran.
The appointment of former Meath star Colm Coyle, fresh from a three-year stint as selector with his native 'Royal County' was seen by many GAA pundits as a coupe for Monaghan football.
As a player he was respected for his tough, no-nonsense approach to the game, which saw him give countless commanding displays in both defence and attack on his way to gathering three All-Ireland winning medals.
After dabbling in club management, he went on to hone his inter-county coaching and management skills under the stewardship of Meath legend Sean Boylan between 2000 and 2002. He came to Monaghan with an impeccable footballing Curriculum Vitae.
When Monaghan were pitted against reigning All-Ireland Football champions Armagh, many felt Coyle's pedigree and the ability of his new charges would be put to the ultimate test.
The prospect of meeting reigning All-Ireland Senior Football champions Armagh in the preliminary round of the 2003 Ulster Senior Football Championship would send a shiver down the spine of many an Ulster team, but Coyle and company were singing from a different hymn sheet.
Monaghan opened their 2003 campaign on a high, annexing the McKenna Cup following stirring victories over Derry (2-13 to 0-12) and Tyrone in the final (1-11 to 0-12). They built on that success with a respectable run in Div 2B of the National Football League, while all the time zooming in on their encounter with Armagh in Clones on May 11.
Over in New York Paul Moore had a sneaking suspicion that his beloved Monaghan could pull off the "mother of all surprises" and knock the Orchard County out of the Ulster Championship.
"Everybody was writing Monaghan off but I felt they could cause a shock. Colm Coyle and the team had six or seven months to prepare for that game. They started brightly winning the McKenna Cup and had a steady run in the league, so I felt their might be an upset on the cards," he recalled.
Paul watched the match in a bar in New York along with former Monaghan great Martin Slowey. He felt they were well worth their four point (0-13 to 0-9) victory. "Monaghan were the better team on the day. Even after Damien Freeman was sent off I felt Monaghan would go on and win the game. The team spirit was incredible," he added.
Having accounted for the reigning All-Ireland champions Paul felt it was within the compass of Monaghan to beat a fast improving Down. He was bitterly disappointed when the Mourne men came out on top.
"I don't think it was over confidence. Monaghan just didn't perform on the day and didn't take their scoring chances. They did very well in the first half, but shot six bad wides in the second half and that was the difference between the teams," Paul commented.
Just six days later Monaghan were pitted against Westmeath, who had been bundled out of the Leinster championship by Meath after a replay. Paul wasn't sure if Monaghan could bounce back from the bitter loss at the hands of Down.
"That match was played on a Saturday and it wasn't shown live over here. I honestly didn't know how Monaghan would react to the loss against Down, but I was delighted when the news came through," he remembered.
Monaghan's 0-14 to 1-9 victory of Westmeath "earned" the Farney men a crack at Coyle's native county Meath on Sunday June 22 in Clones. Paul was hopeful Monaghan could cause another upset.
However, Meath blitzed the home team in the first half notching up an unassailable 2-8 to 0-2 lead. "It was very much a game of two halves. Monaghan didn't start to play until the second half when they out scored Meath 0-10 to 0-2. But the damage was done in the first half," he added.
Looking back on 2003, Paul believes his native county came on in leaps and bounds and thinks they are now well placed to launch a serious assault on the Ulster Senior Football Championship next year.
The appointment of Colm Coyle and the emergence of a host of young talent backbone his optimism for the future. However, he feels Monaghan could take a leaf out Tyrone's book in their search for Ulster honours.
"Monaghan can build on solid foundations in 2004 but they really need to focus on their underage structure. We need to be looking at the young guys and putting them on proper diets and introducing proper training routines. I feel Monaghan were lacking in the physical stakes this year."
He continued: "Tyrone have focused on their under age structure for more than a decade and they finally reaped their reward this year, when they lifted their first ever Senior All-Ireland. Monaghan need to adapt a similar approach."
On the club scene Paul was delighted to follow the exploits of his native Clones, who annexed the Dr Ward Cup and with it promotion to the intermediate ranks. "I have a few friends back in Clones who keep me up to date by phone every week on the club scene. I get the Northern Standard here every Friday so I'm well informed.
"I was delighted to see the club winning the Dr Ward Cup and being promoted to intermediate. Hopefully they can consolidate their position in the intermediate ranks next year and build from there," he enthused.
When Paul isn't cheering on Monaghan and Clones he finds time to help out the Monaghan club in New York, working on the committee. In 2003 the New York based club won three of their six championship matches.
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Paul Moore is the owner of Killport Contracting Inc a specialised roofing company based in New York.
Paul established the company shortly after emigrating to the United States in 1996.
Employing a fulltime staff of 16, the company specialises in industrial and commercial roofing contracts.
Paul and his team are currently involved in a roofing project for property magnet and multi-millionaire Donald Trump.
In recent years the company has undertaken roofing projects for some of the largest construction firms in the United States.
A mechanical engineer by profession, Paul receives expert assistance from another Clones man Fergal Cunningham, who runs the company's field operations.
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