A goal in the final minute snatched victory for Paris in the Copenhagen tournament last Saturday.The importance of it is more then relevant to us as a victory for the Dutch outfit would have placed one of their hands on the trophy which we grasped last year. Instead, it's all to play for and if we can finish this season as we finished last, then we will retain the Championship.
Of course it would have been a whole lot easier if we had showed better on Saturday. A text from Eoghan Kelly on Thursday night confirmed a recurrence of a shoulder injury which was a further unwanted headache. Still, we all got to the Nordic town in one piece. Hotel, grub etc and then bed.
Our plans took a further blow on Saturday morning when two of the travelling squad could not be found. The B team had to depart minus them which meant they needed to pull down 2 A's and caused issues in juggling the squads for the day. It is the first time such a thing has happened on our journeys and it will be the last.
The B's played gallantly (and not in a patronising way) against Amsterdam in the first game. My memory is sketchy but i recall Bull and Bobby tackling tenaciously in defence. Alan Rowan won a good share of deliveries into the full forward line and their graft kept Duffy's men in it for long periods. Ultimately though they succumbed but not without putting up serious resistence. Malmo were next up and the Nordic Region Champions proved too good for the stretched squad. Still, they stuck to their guns and gave Guernsey a good tonking in the 5/6 playoff. Player Manager Conan MacOscar put the finishing touches to a Donal Costello pass to get the final goal.
The A's faced up against Den Hague first and were thankful to Eoghan Kelly who agreed to line out, strapped and nurofened up. They hit us with a goal in the first minute but in fairness we were not rattled. Again, the details are sketchy but Olof, Rochey and Hudson were definitly to the fore. It was still game on until about 10 minutes to go when they pounced on some errors to kill us with 2 goals. Our lack of scoring forwards, myself included, meant we struggled to put a dent in their rearguard.
One of the biggest improvements we have made this year is to put defeats behind us and plough on. Our attitude was good against Den Hague but our football riddled with errors. We hoped to put that right against Paris in a game where we knew the gale force breeze would be a factor. We lost the toss so had to play against it. Paris have only beaten us once though and in recent encounters I could feel their intent to correct that.
They got their way on Saturday. A mixure of fortuitious scores and some glorious ones gave them a 7 point half time lead. Given the severity of the wind I had no doubt victory was still within our grasp. At times, in both halves, we played some great football, moving the ball from one end to the other with great pace. Our opponents' goal was under attack for virtually the whole second half but they did find gaps on occassion and kept topping up their lead with the odd point.
As the minutes ticked towards the end, I was the victim of a great last ditch block, just before slipping a ball past the wrong side of the post. Giller, Byrno and others had their chances too. Credit to the Paris defence who didn't budge.
What stuck out on the day was that the lads who haven't been training were off the pace. Normally I plough through the simple stuff and keep the ball moving but yesterday my grasp of those simple skills deserted me and i took all the wrong decisions. Keary, who between work, injury and holiday has barely trained since March, told me on Saturday night that he was ashamed of his performance. Maybe a little harsh but I'm sure it echoes many of our on thoughts on our play.
Paris winning opens it up again and I really believe if we get everyone fit, coupled with the return of Eoin, Emmett, Enda, Paul and others, then we'll be right up there. I'm certainly going to get my act together and get the lifestyle in check and try and give it a good rattle. Because of the committment required in terms of travel and the transient nature of our populations, its very difficult to retain the title. It hasn't been done in recent times in the men's anyway. And the other thing that hasn't been done is the double. With the hurling in the bag and enough Corkmen in the club who know what winning doubles is all about, this could be the year.
One other little story to mention is that 4 Stockholm lads joined our teams this weekend. They're trying to get a team going up there and this was their first weekend away. Colin, Mark and Paul....or Paul, Mark and Colin?! Once we nailed the names, we all got on like a house on fire. Colin lived with a buddy from Kinsale, Conor, who gets the odd notable mention in some of the blogs. Small world. They were great additions and if we had sprung them for the Paris game we would have won, no doubt. Hopefully, we'll see a bit more of them before the year is out.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Race for Championship Heats Up In Kobenhaven
Its round two of the Pan-E Football Championship. We're coming off the back of our first final appearance in Munich and hoping to build on it. Of course that remains hope at this stage. Enda, Emmett, Eoin and Crusher are all absent. Back comes Eoghan Kelly and Johnny O' though and they will be badly needed. Rochey has been struck down for the last week with a bad stomach bug but I think he will come through.
Copenhagen isn't as well serviced by airlines as Munich so we travel with just 18/19 players. This means the B's will have a few Stockholm lads in their ranks but at least it means there will be plenty of football for all. From the A team point of few it is disappointing that only Paris and The Hague are travelling. Something needs to be done to force a greater number of teams to play at Championship level because when one team doesn't travel, Lux in this case, it makes the journey alot less worthwhile. The Hague will naturally be favourites but we'll give it a good rattle.
The girls will wrap up their Championship this weekend as victory will give them an unassailable lead. They are far above the competition so are a good bet. Tonight though, they appear to have lost Ana, who seems to have had a nasty recurrence of a knee injury. Hopefully its not too serious and she has a speedy recovery.
Take-off is at 17h30 tomorrow.
Copenhagen isn't as well serviced by airlines as Munich so we travel with just 18/19 players. This means the B's will have a few Stockholm lads in their ranks but at least it means there will be plenty of football for all. From the A team point of few it is disappointing that only Paris and The Hague are travelling. Something needs to be done to force a greater number of teams to play at Championship level because when one team doesn't travel, Lux in this case, it makes the journey alot less worthwhile. The Hague will naturally be favourites but we'll give it a good rattle.
The girls will wrap up their Championship this weekend as victory will give them an unassailable lead. They are far above the competition so are a good bet. Tonight though, they appear to have lost Ana, who seems to have had a nasty recurrence of a knee injury. Hopefully its not too serious and she has a speedy recovery.
Take-off is at 17h30 tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Gym'll Fix It
I was down in the gym tonight going through my usual low intensity regime to satisfy my conscience. There were a couple of yanks going through their routine, keeping everyone informed of the numbers of reps and weight on the bar. Whilst they rested between sets they spent the time making ridiculous hand movements and shuffles, presumably in tune with their iPod. Its vanity draws them to the mirrored weight rooms. They couldn't run around the block for ya I'd say.
When I go home I usually head for the gym with Gearoid or Conor. Last time back, it was with Conor, to spy on his regime which has seen him beef up considerably in the last couple of months, supplement free. It's an impressively structured work out, not too time consuming and just 10 exercises. The impact was clearly visible in Kinsale's recent Championship game where he was holding lads off with ease and kicking scores freely.
While we were down there, we bumped into Donal Murphy, Conor Lane and Peter Fitz. Its the same everytime I go with most of the lads regular gym goers. Conor Lane spends more time in the gym then on the pitch these days having had a terrible run with injuries. When he gets back he'll be a menace for any forward given the amount of work he's done in there.
You'd see lads from other clubs in there too and it struck me the last time how important its becoming. Even lads playing Junior take their training very seriously these days. Obviously having the lungs and the skills are still the most important points but if you can add some serious strength to the equation it will be a great asset. You'll power your way through tackles, win ball you shouldn't win and suffer less injuries.
It motivated me to get my act together a bit more in there. When I have applied myself I've had less injury problems and seen improvement in things like my striking in hurling. If you let it slide though, the good work is quickly lost. You have to be at it all the time. Crusher's knee is coming around now so it we'll start to push eachother over the coming months.
When I go home I usually head for the gym with Gearoid or Conor. Last time back, it was with Conor, to spy on his regime which has seen him beef up considerably in the last couple of months, supplement free. It's an impressively structured work out, not too time consuming and just 10 exercises. The impact was clearly visible in Kinsale's recent Championship game where he was holding lads off with ease and kicking scores freely.
While we were down there, we bumped into Donal Murphy, Conor Lane and Peter Fitz. Its the same everytime I go with most of the lads regular gym goers. Conor Lane spends more time in the gym then on the pitch these days having had a terrible run with injuries. When he gets back he'll be a menace for any forward given the amount of work he's done in there.
You'd see lads from other clubs in there too and it struck me the last time how important its becoming. Even lads playing Junior take their training very seriously these days. Obviously having the lungs and the skills are still the most important points but if you can add some serious strength to the equation it will be a great asset. You'll power your way through tackles, win ball you shouldn't win and suffer less injuries.
It motivated me to get my act together a bit more in there. When I have applied myself I've had less injury problems and seen improvement in things like my striking in hurling. If you let it slide though, the good work is quickly lost. You have to be at it all the time. Crusher's knee is coming around now so it we'll start to push eachother over the coming months.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Unwelcome Break
Whilst the various Championships at home start to heat up when the August Bank Holiday rolls around, the European scene comes to a shuddering halt. Brussels empties as fellas scatter all over the place which means training is a frustrating place to be. In fairness numbers never dipped below ten but when you dont have fellas consistently its hard to get any rhythem to it. You can't control it though so you just have to suffer it and try keeping things tipping over.
Tonight we had about 18 and lads were pretty well tuned in. No doubt they ate and drank too much in the last few weeks and are eager to shed it. We've done alot of ball work recently and done various drills to try and improve lad's concentration. Its one of the big differences in all of us to lads playing at home. The mind doesnt react as quickly.
If I'm not training myself, I find running them pretty boring so would rather keep the training moving. When fellas do the drills as they should they will get enough out of it physically anyway. Tonight was good, the lads were pretty sharp, surprisingly so since the lay-off. Still, when we changed the conditions of the games and drills, the first few balls were regularily spilled. We improved each time though and in the end it was much improved. Its good to see.
After wataching Cork yesterday, its easy to pick my theme in the build up to Copenhagen. 'Go and get the f**king ball'. Its as simple as that. Against Tyrone, the marauding Rebels went at every ball with real aggression and purpose. Even if they didn't win it they disrupted the possession in some way. A hand or a foot as my former trainer Humphrey Moynihan used to preach.
The only downside was a nasty dead leg picked up by Eoin. He probably has just enough time but it will be painful for the next few days. We have our usual situation with lads missing but we have a few back to balance the books. Its a new venue too so we'll all be looking forward to building on Munich and driving it on into the business end of the season.
Tonight we had about 18 and lads were pretty well tuned in. No doubt they ate and drank too much in the last few weeks and are eager to shed it. We've done alot of ball work recently and done various drills to try and improve lad's concentration. Its one of the big differences in all of us to lads playing at home. The mind doesnt react as quickly.
If I'm not training myself, I find running them pretty boring so would rather keep the training moving. When fellas do the drills as they should they will get enough out of it physically anyway. Tonight was good, the lads were pretty sharp, surprisingly so since the lay-off. Still, when we changed the conditions of the games and drills, the first few balls were regularily spilled. We improved each time though and in the end it was much improved. Its good to see.
After wataching Cork yesterday, its easy to pick my theme in the build up to Copenhagen. 'Go and get the f**king ball'. Its as simple as that. Against Tyrone, the marauding Rebels went at every ball with real aggression and purpose. Even if they didn't win it they disrupted the possession in some way. A hand or a foot as my former trainer Humphrey Moynihan used to preach.
The only downside was a nasty dead leg picked up by Eoin. He probably has just enough time but it will be painful for the next few days. We have our usual situation with lads missing but we have a few back to balance the books. Its a new venue too so we'll all be looking forward to building on Munich and driving it on into the business end of the season.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
GPS G.A.A. Style
GPS is an essential for any hockey, soccer of GAA team here in Brussels. In the case of the hockey and the soccer, most games are scattered across the city but with no obvious link to a specific place. For example, FC Babylon, one of the easier names to pronounce, gives little away in terms of location. Similiarily, if you were to play hockey in Oranje HC, you would be a long time guessing its location based on its name.
Whilst G.A.A. clubs abroad generally honour tradition and name their clubs after where they are from, GPS is still a neccessity to navigate the autobahn and other highways on the continent. Bang in the address and you can go into autopilot mode and get to your desired location with little stress but also little memory on how to get there.
GPS hasn't really been acknowledged by the Irish in Ireland yet though. One reason could be that maps don't exist with all the roads included, at least not when I got a rental car to go to Belfast and it tried to get me to drive into a river on a trip up to Belfast. Another could be that the sign posting is just very good, but i doubt that. Generally though we trust the directions of those around us. If we're told get to Charleville and take a left at The Four Winds pub, then we'll head off and worry about the rest later.
Playing in the City Hurling league provides my home club's hurlers with the challenge of finding G.A.A. pitches many haven't graced previously. Last Thursday we headed for Whitechurch. I thought to myself that I had seen that sign somewhere before but wasn't sure. The road to Mallow, before or after the turn off for Grenagh? When we met in our field there was a brief discussion about the whereabouts of our destination and after some minor disagreement we reached consensus. Up through Blackpool, out the road to Mallow, keep going till ya see the sign for Whitechurch, turn right under the bridge and take it from there.
So off we set and true to form everything went smoothly and under the bridge we went. The signposts dried up at this stage but there is a kind of magnetic pull of the local G.A.A. pitch which sets in at this stage. Indicators could be a general trend of traffic in one direction or the ultimate guide; a young fella with a hurley across the handlebar and gear back strapped to his back.
Of course we found our destination despite overshooting it slightly. All others did too, GPSless but with the destination saved in the favourites compartment of the brain. Its a reminder of the simplicity of the G.A.A. and its attachment to place. You never need an address, just a name of the club. You can be sure if you can land in the town or village that the local pitch will not be far from the other basic amenities; the pub, the shop and the church. And if you are really in doubt, the locals will always be proud to tell you the way. Try that trick in the heart of Anderlecht on a Saturday afternoon!!
Whilst G.A.A. clubs abroad generally honour tradition and name their clubs after where they are from, GPS is still a neccessity to navigate the autobahn and other highways on the continent. Bang in the address and you can go into autopilot mode and get to your desired location with little stress but also little memory on how to get there.
GPS hasn't really been acknowledged by the Irish in Ireland yet though. One reason could be that maps don't exist with all the roads included, at least not when I got a rental car to go to Belfast and it tried to get me to drive into a river on a trip up to Belfast. Another could be that the sign posting is just very good, but i doubt that. Generally though we trust the directions of those around us. If we're told get to Charleville and take a left at The Four Winds pub, then we'll head off and worry about the rest later.
Playing in the City Hurling league provides my home club's hurlers with the challenge of finding G.A.A. pitches many haven't graced previously. Last Thursday we headed for Whitechurch. I thought to myself that I had seen that sign somewhere before but wasn't sure. The road to Mallow, before or after the turn off for Grenagh? When we met in our field there was a brief discussion about the whereabouts of our destination and after some minor disagreement we reached consensus. Up through Blackpool, out the road to Mallow, keep going till ya see the sign for Whitechurch, turn right under the bridge and take it from there.
So off we set and true to form everything went smoothly and under the bridge we went. The signposts dried up at this stage but there is a kind of magnetic pull of the local G.A.A. pitch which sets in at this stage. Indicators could be a general trend of traffic in one direction or the ultimate guide; a young fella with a hurley across the handlebar and gear back strapped to his back.
Of course we found our destination despite overshooting it slightly. All others did too, GPSless but with the destination saved in the favourites compartment of the brain. Its a reminder of the simplicity of the G.A.A. and its attachment to place. You never need an address, just a name of the club. You can be sure if you can land in the town or village that the local pitch will not be far from the other basic amenities; the pub, the shop and the church. And if you are really in doubt, the locals will always be proud to tell you the way. Try that trick in the heart of Anderlecht on a Saturday afternoon!!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Munich Madness
Round 1 of the Pan-E Football Championship and Shield, Munich, July 25.
The Travelling Party
Without wanting to go on, it is quite unbelievable that over 50 people travelled from the club to Munich last weekend. Two lads teams, two girls teams and a sprinkling of supporters. All travelled at their own expense which, if you take hotel/flight/tournament fee into account then the trip cost around €12,500!! A crazy outlay but all travelled enthusiastically and by their own free will!
The Journey
Bar a couple of exceptions, most travelled by plane and I had Donal, Conan, John Q, Ruairi, Denis Crusher & Conor A on my flight. We landed shortly after 15h and headed for the hotel where we were greeted by some looper reception man and a crazy dog. The guy was off his head rambling on about Obama, Jacko and a few other things that passed over my head.
The Evening
With the sun shining down on top of us we headed for Marianplatz in search of a white sausage and mustard for Crusher. It is rare that I would be randomly tempted by pints but when you are surrounded by cafe's lashing out big fine german looking beers then it tests the will.
We kept the heads though and went about seeking some entertainment for the evening. First stop was Killian's Irish pub to check on whether they were showing the Wickla Kildare game the following evening. After confirmation and a round of cokes we headed back out only to be met by torrential rain. Rather then taking the easy option and slipping back downstairs for a pint, we held tough and waited for it to pass. It didn't so we trusted Denzer that the U bahn was just around the corner. It was and we headed for where we though a cinema may be.
Not quite sure of our bearings we took shelter again and Denzer engaged a local lady, in german, to try and get directions. After a couple of moments of his rambling she kindly put us out of our misery and suggested it may be easier for him to speak in English. Little does she know! Anyway job done but when we got there, we were greeted by a very ungerman like queue so all but Denis decided to retreat to the hotel for the night.
The Tournament
Taxi's to the pitch this morning under a suspicious looking sky. Unfortunately, as this is not a political blog and thus does not want to court controversy, I will not repeat the conversation which took place between myself, Colin and Hough with the taximan. Lets just say he was not the most open minded when it came to religion and the like.
Any pre-tournament nerves were sidelined when we learned that when Eoin Sheanon went to take his driving test.....he didn't bring a car. Once togged we went out to watch the B's debut in The Shield. It didnt go so well as Liffre pulled away towards the end. They had chances but didn't convert and were punished by some good free taking.
We lined up against Den Haag first in what turned out to be a tight game. They goaled early but it didnt rattle us and we eased our way into the game. John Quinn came forward well whilst Olof and Rochey also pulled their weight around the middle. Defensively we were fairly sound but some strict refereeing aloud our opponents stay with us through some excellently converted place balls. Our chance to seal the game came midway through the second half when we were awarded a penalty. However, Eoin's effort was saved by the keeper and we missed the resulting 45. In the end we lost 1-5 to 0-7 in a game that could have easily swung our way.
When you have a run of bad results like we've had this year, each additional one can push you further into the abyss. We were to face Paris next and it wasn't proveing easy to banish the disappointment. Without wanting to be overly dramatic, if we lost to Paris we would be stick in a 3/4 place battle at the end of the day and it would have been a potential knockout blow to our season. Lifting the troops may have been too big an ask. So we regrouped and had an energised and positive chat before the warm-up, everyone knowing the importance.
It translated into a blistering start which put our French opponents on the canvass. I goaled early with a little nutmeg on the keeper, which I unintentionally followed up with a little tap on his head as i came back out past him! Gill, Byrno and Rochey added more scores and after a few minutes it was clear there would be only one winner. We were on form, moving the ball well. Emmett followed up with a typical goal into the roof of the net and Rochey raised the green flag in the second half. It was a good performance, even if we wasted a host of second half chances.
This meant that the final group game against Luxembourg was effectively a semi-final. Again, the focus was there and we were ready for another tough battle. I don't remember the way the scoring went or who scored what but i think Gill chipped in with a few frees. We looked tight at the back and Enda was doing a great job winning ball and spraying it around. Clux made a fantastic save in the first half at a crucial stage. At half-time we held a narrow lead which was increased straight from the throw-in when Enda won the ball and pointed a great score. Then came a downpour accompanied by rising wind in our faces. It made getting out of our own half almost impossible but we were happy to set-up camp and defend, feeding the forwards some scraps to play with. We held out for a 0-7 to 0-5 win to put us through to our first final of the year.
By the time the closing games come round at these tournaments, your legs are in full rebellion mode. The only thing that will appease them is a bar stool but regardless of their physical state, they must remain active. The warm-up before the final was eased by a dose of nurofen. We were aware of our shortcomings in previous games so were fairly level headed. We knew the tinkering with positions had worked and we had a bit of belief from earlier performances. Its not difficult to get motivated to play Den Haag. They are leading the way this year and so are up there to be shot at.
It was tit for tat in the opening stages. Without intention we held the ball up instead of delivering it quickly but to the Hagues credit, they hunted in packs. Physically we were up for the challenge, maybe too up for it given the manor of the refereeing. We were failing to learn from earlier indiscrepancies on the fouling front and were punished accordingly. Again, their unerring free taking and the fact our radar wasn't locked on the posts, was proving costly. They led 0-6 to 0-3 at the break. We'd been poor and done some silly things, none more so then me.
We had a greater sense of purpose in the second half and upped the ante considerably. We were within two points of them when Sheanon went on a dribble down the endline before squaring to Olof. Gill picked and shot but the keeper had closed him down quickly and partially blocked the shot sending it onto the crossbar but then picked the rebound off the ground resulting in a penalty. Hough stood up with the chance of sending us into the lead. However, again the keeper saved and we were denied. It was as close as we got to them and a couple of more frees gave the first Pan-E title of the year to the Dutchmen on a scoreline of 0-9 to 0-6.
It was of course disappointing. We had let ourselves down in the first half. Still, there were positives from the day. We got to our first final, we moved the ball very well at times & fellas attitiudes were good. Of course we can improve our fitness further but as important is getting the confidence back in our shooting. We move to Copenhagan next and whilst Emmett, Enda & Hough will be big loses, we will have Eoghan Kelly back. Kevin Keary played but was clearly hampered by injury so hopefully he will be firing again in the coming weeks. It won't be easy now that we have given Den Hague a headstart but we may have a few aces left to play so who knows.
The B's
As mentioned earlier , they lost the first game to Liffre. In their next outing, they lost narrowly to Frankfurt before succumbing to Copenhagan in the final game. In the 7/8 place game, they defeated Vienna convincing. Its tough being the only second team in the competition and we need to be realistic. No-one gets two teams to travel to tournaments and to do so in a place as far away as Munich is a fantastic achievement. If we had everybody fit and available to travel then the expectations could be higher. Hopefully, for coming tournaments, they will be strengthened.
The Girls
They also had two teams and their A team won the tournament with plenty in the tank. They are miles above the opposition and the will be raging hot favourites to retain the title. They played really well at the weekend (and I don't give such praise lightly!!!).
The Banquet
This is a sporting blog so we will leave the banquet shenanagans for another forum. Needless to say, there was a lot of beer, no doubt a bit of drama and most did not lay their heads on their pillows until well after the sun rose.
NOTE: This blog took 9 days to write, just about the amount of time it took us all to recover. I apologise for the lack of timely update.
The Travelling Party
Without wanting to go on, it is quite unbelievable that over 50 people travelled from the club to Munich last weekend. Two lads teams, two girls teams and a sprinkling of supporters. All travelled at their own expense which, if you take hotel/flight/tournament fee into account then the trip cost around €12,500!! A crazy outlay but all travelled enthusiastically and by their own free will!
The Journey
Bar a couple of exceptions, most travelled by plane and I had Donal, Conan, John Q, Ruairi, Denis Crusher & Conor A on my flight. We landed shortly after 15h and headed for the hotel where we were greeted by some looper reception man and a crazy dog. The guy was off his head rambling on about Obama, Jacko and a few other things that passed over my head.
The Evening
With the sun shining down on top of us we headed for Marianplatz in search of a white sausage and mustard for Crusher. It is rare that I would be randomly tempted by pints but when you are surrounded by cafe's lashing out big fine german looking beers then it tests the will.
We kept the heads though and went about seeking some entertainment for the evening. First stop was Killian's Irish pub to check on whether they were showing the Wickla Kildare game the following evening. After confirmation and a round of cokes we headed back out only to be met by torrential rain. Rather then taking the easy option and slipping back downstairs for a pint, we held tough and waited for it to pass. It didn't so we trusted Denzer that the U bahn was just around the corner. It was and we headed for where we though a cinema may be.
Not quite sure of our bearings we took shelter again and Denzer engaged a local lady, in german, to try and get directions. After a couple of moments of his rambling she kindly put us out of our misery and suggested it may be easier for him to speak in English. Little does she know! Anyway job done but when we got there, we were greeted by a very ungerman like queue so all but Denis decided to retreat to the hotel for the night.
The Tournament
Taxi's to the pitch this morning under a suspicious looking sky. Unfortunately, as this is not a political blog and thus does not want to court controversy, I will not repeat the conversation which took place between myself, Colin and Hough with the taximan. Lets just say he was not the most open minded when it came to religion and the like.
Any pre-tournament nerves were sidelined when we learned that when Eoin Sheanon went to take his driving test.....he didn't bring a car. Once togged we went out to watch the B's debut in The Shield. It didnt go so well as Liffre pulled away towards the end. They had chances but didn't convert and were punished by some good free taking.
We lined up against Den Haag first in what turned out to be a tight game. They goaled early but it didnt rattle us and we eased our way into the game. John Quinn came forward well whilst Olof and Rochey also pulled their weight around the middle. Defensively we were fairly sound but some strict refereeing aloud our opponents stay with us through some excellently converted place balls. Our chance to seal the game came midway through the second half when we were awarded a penalty. However, Eoin's effort was saved by the keeper and we missed the resulting 45. In the end we lost 1-5 to 0-7 in a game that could have easily swung our way.
When you have a run of bad results like we've had this year, each additional one can push you further into the abyss. We were to face Paris next and it wasn't proveing easy to banish the disappointment. Without wanting to be overly dramatic, if we lost to Paris we would be stick in a 3/4 place battle at the end of the day and it would have been a potential knockout blow to our season. Lifting the troops may have been too big an ask. So we regrouped and had an energised and positive chat before the warm-up, everyone knowing the importance.
It translated into a blistering start which put our French opponents on the canvass. I goaled early with a little nutmeg on the keeper, which I unintentionally followed up with a little tap on his head as i came back out past him! Gill, Byrno and Rochey added more scores and after a few minutes it was clear there would be only one winner. We were on form, moving the ball well. Emmett followed up with a typical goal into the roof of the net and Rochey raised the green flag in the second half. It was a good performance, even if we wasted a host of second half chances.
This meant that the final group game against Luxembourg was effectively a semi-final. Again, the focus was there and we were ready for another tough battle. I don't remember the way the scoring went or who scored what but i think Gill chipped in with a few frees. We looked tight at the back and Enda was doing a great job winning ball and spraying it around. Clux made a fantastic save in the first half at a crucial stage. At half-time we held a narrow lead which was increased straight from the throw-in when Enda won the ball and pointed a great score. Then came a downpour accompanied by rising wind in our faces. It made getting out of our own half almost impossible but we were happy to set-up camp and defend, feeding the forwards some scraps to play with. We held out for a 0-7 to 0-5 win to put us through to our first final of the year.
By the time the closing games come round at these tournaments, your legs are in full rebellion mode. The only thing that will appease them is a bar stool but regardless of their physical state, they must remain active. The warm-up before the final was eased by a dose of nurofen. We were aware of our shortcomings in previous games so were fairly level headed. We knew the tinkering with positions had worked and we had a bit of belief from earlier performances. Its not difficult to get motivated to play Den Haag. They are leading the way this year and so are up there to be shot at.
It was tit for tat in the opening stages. Without intention we held the ball up instead of delivering it quickly but to the Hagues credit, they hunted in packs. Physically we were up for the challenge, maybe too up for it given the manor of the refereeing. We were failing to learn from earlier indiscrepancies on the fouling front and were punished accordingly. Again, their unerring free taking and the fact our radar wasn't locked on the posts, was proving costly. They led 0-6 to 0-3 at the break. We'd been poor and done some silly things, none more so then me.
We had a greater sense of purpose in the second half and upped the ante considerably. We were within two points of them when Sheanon went on a dribble down the endline before squaring to Olof. Gill picked and shot but the keeper had closed him down quickly and partially blocked the shot sending it onto the crossbar but then picked the rebound off the ground resulting in a penalty. Hough stood up with the chance of sending us into the lead. However, again the keeper saved and we were denied. It was as close as we got to them and a couple of more frees gave the first Pan-E title of the year to the Dutchmen on a scoreline of 0-9 to 0-6.
It was of course disappointing. We had let ourselves down in the first half. Still, there were positives from the day. We got to our first final, we moved the ball very well at times & fellas attitiudes were good. Of course we can improve our fitness further but as important is getting the confidence back in our shooting. We move to Copenhagan next and whilst Emmett, Enda & Hough will be big loses, we will have Eoghan Kelly back. Kevin Keary played but was clearly hampered by injury so hopefully he will be firing again in the coming weeks. It won't be easy now that we have given Den Hague a headstart but we may have a few aces left to play so who knows.
The B's
As mentioned earlier , they lost the first game to Liffre. In their next outing, they lost narrowly to Frankfurt before succumbing to Copenhagan in the final game. In the 7/8 place game, they defeated Vienna convincing. Its tough being the only second team in the competition and we need to be realistic. No-one gets two teams to travel to tournaments and to do so in a place as far away as Munich is a fantastic achievement. If we had everybody fit and available to travel then the expectations could be higher. Hopefully, for coming tournaments, they will be strengthened.
The Girls
They also had two teams and their A team won the tournament with plenty in the tank. They are miles above the opposition and the will be raging hot favourites to retain the title. They played really well at the weekend (and I don't give such praise lightly!!!).
The Banquet
This is a sporting blog so we will leave the banquet shenanagans for another forum. Needless to say, there was a lot of beer, no doubt a bit of drama and most did not lay their heads on their pillows until well after the sun rose.
NOTE: This blog took 9 days to write, just about the amount of time it took us all to recover. I apologise for the lack of timely update.
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