Fortress Parc50 Stands Firm

They used say Loughnane would lock the gates in Cusack Park in Ennis, put the whistle in the pocket and throw the sliotar in and let the Clare boys flake away in hotly contested A v B games back in the late nineties. More recently the same stories emanate from Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. If you've grown up playing in small clubs with tight panels you can't imagine how they realise this type of intensity because the pool of players just doesn't allow it. However, we saw such a battle first hand in Parc50 on Saturday as both Belgium teams qualified for the final of our mini-tournament with Kilmacud Crokes.

From the moment Rochey tossed the ball into the air to signal the start of the game, savage battles were played out in each section of the pitch. The game was decided when Eoin Sheanon plucked the ball out of the sky. Myself and Crusher decided against contesting the aerial battle but when he landed we made our move. Allegedly a couple of fists flew through the dust cloud and when it settled ref Rochey made the crucial call, deciding Eoin was more wronged against than wrong. I thought a hop ball would have been sufficient but he disagreed and David Collins kicked the score to give his side a 0-9 to 0-8 victory in a truly competitive contest.

It was a simple decision last week to split the teams straight down the middle and make two even teams (Belgium and Brussels). We've been banging on about the depth of the panel and this was a good opportunity to show it. Still, it was a brave move to walk the talk as we are very proud of our undefeated record in Parc50. Na Fianna, Peregrines, Clare Island, Roger Casements and Tir Connail Gaels have all come and been conquered but always by showing our strongest hand. My team, Brussels, won the opening battle against Belgium by a handful of goals. The Belgium team had a dishevelled look about it and was run ragged by Timmy and Diarmuid in particular. However, the introduction of Pearce in the second half sparked them into life as he led his team back into respectability with three excellently taken points. It wasn't enough though and Belgium faced a make or break tie against Kilmacud Crokes in the second group game.

Crokes had travelled with a few injuries so their panel was fairly tight. They only landed a few hours before the game and whilst it may not seem ideal preparation, it beats the 12 hours drinking most visiting teams have under their belts before we play. The game was end to end with some excellent scores and marvelous workrate from the Belgium lads. To be honest, I don't remember so much of the detail as i was hiding in the shade from the 30 degree heat for most of it. Collins hoovered up a fair last of ball though and Pearce continued to excel. It was he who, with his side looking like it may fade away, popped up with a mighty goal to give his team the lead as the game drew to a close. They held it and won out on a score of something like 1-15 to 1-14.

The result meant as long as Brussels avoided defeat against Crokes then we would have a Belgium/Brussels final. We were very motivated on ensuring this happened, realising the benefit a successful day would have for all, heading into the final Benelux round next weekend in Luxembourg. We started well but let some easy chances go begging. Crokes were adapting to the tight pitch and the nuances of the 11-a-side game and it was reflected in their improved play. Still, John Harkin and Crusher were solid at the back and myself and Hudson were doing our best to stretch their legs by going forward. We trailed by a couple of points with time virtually up but a sweeping move up the field yielded a Michael Hough goal on the rebound, giving us the win and thus securing the final we all wanted.

The heat was becoming unbearable and with a quick turnaround for the final, our Brussels team had little time to take cover. Keary and Ruairi were sidelined with injury so reinforcements were needed and came in the form of a Clare giant, Liam Kelly. We had another defection in the form of Hudson who wandered off, as only he can do, to go and get cans in the shop!! He returned midway through the first half. We knew we'd be up against it as the Belgium team had knocked off the cobwebs during the day and found their top gear against Crokes. They also had the addition of David Collins, a late transfer from the Brussels squad.

What ensued was a fantastic battle with commitment rising to levels which we thought only Den Haag could provoke out of us. I made a couple of early raids into opposition territory only to be bounced around their half back line by The Fridge (formerly known as Martin Brennan) and Bull. Rochey was doing his best to ref the game in difficult circumstances. Indeed it was some indiscipline on our behalf that led to Belgium building up their score with placed balls. Timmy continued to work like a dog for us but the energy was fading. Jim picked up a dead leg and Diarmuid started to cramp up. They kept plugging away but defences were in miserly mood with barely a sniff of a goal at either end. In the end it was the incident with Eoin which led to the decisive score.

When Rochey blew the final whistle, the frayed relations which occurred during the game were forgotten and we were unified by the satisfaction gained from the effort exerted. It bodes well for the inter-club league which should get under way in the coming weeks. The intensity is superb at the moment and carried through to training on Monday night even if it did result in Collie Byrne breaking his nose and a host of other minor disputes breaking out.

Naturally, when the football finished on Saturday, a drinking session broke out downtown for the weekend. Special mentions go to Diarmuid’s Dad, David Collins’ shirt, Crusher for going AWOL late on, Brendan for keeping his first clean sheet, Moe from Crokes for falling asleep in a doorway with pint of Guinness in hand, the iron, The Mad Bar, everyone that drank O’Reillys out of its supply of Vedett, Ollie for sticking with The Fresh Prince tune without any encouragement and the Crokes lads for being such a good bunch of lads. Hopefully we can repeat the antics back in Dublin sometime next year.