U 15 HURLERS: Eire Óg under 15 hurlers played Carnew at home in round four of the hurling championship on Wednesday night, in what transpired to be a thrilling encounter. If the truth be told, nothing else was expected, as there were three encounters between these two sides over the last two years, all of which were keenly contested with very little between them at full-time. Fortunately for Eire Og, they have come out the right side of these games and the same occurred again, this time around.
While Carnew took the lead early with two points, Eire Óg came back with a goal and point to regain control. Eire Og then began to establish some dominance for the remainder of the first quarter and into the next. Carnew then got a goal late in the first half and this put some wind back in their sails.
As expected, Carnew came out of the blocks firing at the beginning of the second half and threw the proverbial kitchen sink at our lads but as is always the case, they stood tall in the heat of battle, soaked up the best that Carnew could fire at them and proceeded to find another gear in the final quarter to see out the game with a well-deserved, six-point win.
It is very hard on a night like this to select anyone individual for mention. The team had to dig deep as a unit to repel the serious challenge that Carnew, one of the competition favourites, posed. However, special mention must go to our goalkeeper and our u14 contingent who manfully put their shoulders to the wheel, on a night when hurling, courage and bravery were required to repel the challenge.
The coaches are extremely proud of this squad and are very privileged to work with a group of exceptional young men and are looking forward to many more great nights to come.
Eire Og Abu!
U15 A Football: The Wicklow town lads came into this under-15 ‘A’ football championship clash holding second place in the league table. Éire Óg was three places behind them in fifth so this was a game both badly needed to win.
A blustery breeze blew across the field and probably favoured the team playing away from the clubhouse end at Dunbur Road. The home side, playing in this direction, got off to the more confident start and had three points on the board in ten minutes from Lorcan Sinnott, Alex Dunne and David Kavanagh.
The only response from the Greystones men came with a point from centre forward Ryan Ovenden. Pats were putting on a lot of pressure in these early stages being driven forward by Alex Dunne, David Kavanagh and Lorcan Sinnott at centre-forward.
However, the Éire Óg defence was well organised and refused to allow the space for comfortable shots at goal, continuously closing down the attacker in possession. When St. Pats half-back Alan O’Donoghue scored the first goal of the game as we approached the water break, it was probably a fair reflection of Pats dominance of possession at this stage.
There was an almost instant response from Éire Óg to this score. Daniel Connerty pointed and midfielder Oisin Murphy got through for a goal straight from the kick out. The score of 1-3 to 1-2 in favour of St. Pats at water break time was a little flattering to the visitors.
When the game restarted St. Patricks continued to drive on and dominated the second quarter. Further points from Alex Dunne, David Kavanagh (2), Matt Fitzpatrick and Kavanagh again left the home side ahead by 1-8 to 1-2 and looking good.
While Pats had many fine points from play in this spell, they passed up a couple of good goal scoring opportunities. This became crucial when Éire Óg rallied in the second half. The Greystones lads failed to score in the second quarter but the move of James O’Dowd to full-forward and his replacement in goal by Frederico Ascoli was to prove inspired as both players had a part to play in the later recovery of the visitors.
Lorcan Sinnott and Daniel Connerty exchanged points from frees in the opening five minutes of the second half. Oisin Murphy pointed another free for Éire Óg to leave Pats ahead by five points 1-9 to 1-4.
The home side were hardly alarmed yet, but Éire Óg were playing with great spirit and trying to make use of more direct, long kicks into the attacking area. The tall James O’Dowd proved to be a good target man up front.
In the 11th minute a long ball over the inside St. Pats defence was ran on to by O’Dowd, who turned from gamekeeper into poacher by putting a ground shot past Charlie Czwalina to the St. Pats net. 1-9 to 2-4 now and the game was back on.
St. Pats responded well. They got the next three scores; a David Kavanagh point a Lorcan Sinnott free, and a further David Kavanagh point from play. 1-12 to 2-4 at the water break.
Pats might have been further ahead but for two excellent Frederico Ascoli saves from Lorcan Sinnott and David Kavanagh. Still the home side looked comfortable. However, Éire Óg had not shot their bolt yet. Oisin Murphy goaled a penalty. By now the late arriving Cael McCloskey was on in attack. Centre forward Ryan Ovenden got another goal. Éire Óg was now a point to the good.
Sam Cunningham put them two points up and Oisin Murphy finished off a great game for him by adding another goal in added time. This proved to be an enjoyable game, well contested between two good footballing sides. The goals killed St. Pats at a stage when they could not get back. The old maxim that ‘goals win matches’ proved very true in this instance.
Éire Óg: James O’Dowd (1-0); Tom Myler, Daniel Burns, Caoilin O’Callaghan; Sean McLoughlin, Rian O’Gorman, Nathan Donlon; Oisin Murphy (3-1), San Cunningham (0-1); Sean Myler, Ryan Ovenden (1-1), Donie Connerty (0-2); Paddy Marrinan, Robert Moore, Piaras Healy. Subs: Sean Lehane, Cael McCloskey.
U15 C Football: Éire Óg overcame horrifically wet conditions to comprehensively beat St. Patrick’s in the under-15 ‘C’ football championship on Friday.
The game itself was very close to being cancelled outright as both sides were in the process of warming up. Biblical rainfall in the half hour before the game left the previously dry pitch with swamp-like puddles at the goalmouths.
However, following lengthy consultations between the referee and the respective management teams, as well as subsequent pitch inspections on the part of the official, it was decided for the field dimensions to be reduced to being from one 20 metre line to the other.
Although, the dark clouds overhead and the implications of further downfall lent the game an undercurrent of pervasive tension.
The action itself, once the game started almost 30 minutes later than originally scheduled, was non-stop. Whereas St. Pat’s spent much of the game keeping the point tally ticking over, anytime Éire Óg went forward, they wanted, and looked likely, to score goals.
It did not take long for them to start that trend, with Cael McCluskey bagging the first goal within the first few minutes. They got their second in fortuitous nature, when Piaras Healy’s shot was saved by Liam Delaney, and the ball ricocheted back off of Ciaran Armstrong and into the back of the Pat’s net.
Any time Pat’s seemed to mount any significant momentum, Éire Óg were there to knock the wind out of their sails with another goal. A trio of quick goals from Jack O’Neill and Darragh Keogh (2) meant that they went into the break leading 5-2 to 0-3.
To their credit, Pat’s kept fighting and racked up four straight scores at the start of the half through Adam O’Brien (three, two frees) and Finn Dunne, only for Greystones to, once again, land a killer blow, when Jack O’Neill got his second of the day despite the best efforts of Alex Dunne, who pulled off some excellent saves in the second half, between the posts.
Two more goals, from Sean Lehane and Cael McCluskey, and Greystones were coasting once again. Once again, Pat’s attempted to mount a comeback, and after Liam Phelan and Senan O’Donovan got points, Matt Fitzpatrick got the goal after Caelann O’Callaghan had denied Adam O’Brien.
O’Brien made no mistake with his second effort at goal and, all of a sudden, with the score at 8-3 (27) to 2-11 (18), there was a bit of gloss on proceedings. Eire Og ended the game well, though, with scores from Sean Lehane, Piaras Healy, Lucas O’Gorman, and Federico Ascoli seeing them through the contest in comprehensive fashion.
Éire Óg: Caelann O’Callaghan, Darragh Keogh, Jack O’Neill, Nathan Donlon, Lucas O’Gorman, Rian O’Gorman, Piaras Healy, Sean Gillespie, Sean Lehane, Cael McCluskey, Federico Ascoli, Ryan Ovendon, Daniel Connerty, Ben Griffiths, Cillian Goff.
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