Europe Make A Mark

As we assembled in the hotel lobby on Saturday morning, we became quickly aware of the task ahead. Sharing our accommodation were 2011 All-Ireland Junior Champions St. Marys of Kerry. Also in situ were the 2010 Down Junior Champions Drumanees as well as Cork’s 7’s specialists St. James. It reminded me of my favourite G.A.A. quote, given by a team mentor at half-time in a Championship match where they were suffering heavily. “Lads, the longer we stay in here, the longer we stay in the Championship.” The hotel lobby seemed the safest place to set-up camp for the day!!

Our team flew in Friday night from exotic destinations like Brussels, The Hague, Maastricht, Oslo, Malmo, Stockholm and Goteborg. There were some late adjustments to the panel after the news that Paul Bradfield of The Hague would need to pull out due to hamstring problems. Fortunately, Colin Courtney of Stockholm was in town for the All-Ireland so he filled in. The tenth member would Paddy from Dubai, famous for breaking Eoin Sheanon’s nose (allegedly) in Dubai in 2009.

Most of the panel were strangers to each other so mixing up the rooms worked a treat, except for the fact that it left me to square off for a double bed with Billy Finn. It’s well known that I don’t do bed share so well but Billy doesn’t look like someone you’d mess with so I offered him the bed and I called for a camp bed.

Our bus driver for the weekend, Frank, was a right lad and we knocked a good bit of craic out of him. There was a quick get to know you opportunity en route to St. Jude’s, Templeogue on Saturday morning and already a bit of banter to build the spirit.

We got to mull over our draw whilst watching Ireland’s win against the Aussies. We had the aforementioned Down champions along with St. Brigids, St. Judes and last year’s Ulster champions and defeated All-Ireland finalists, Swalinbar of Cavan. It wasn’t going to be easy.

The average age of the teams was probably around 22. We calculated ours to be 29.4. They all looked young, fast and fit. It was the source of great amusement. Had we dismissed 21 year old Simon Malone, we would have been comfortably in the thirties.

As game time approached, our focus narrowed and we began to sideline thoughts of all the possible advantages our opponents had over us. We had two great motivators in any case. The first was to put Europe on the map, so to speak. When I was watching Ireland in the bar, I overheard a good few people commenting about us. No-one knew anything about the team and no-one seemed overly concerned with the challenge we would pose.

Their viewpoint was totally justified but that’s one of the reasons we were there. We all believe there are quality footballers in Europe and that our competitions are tough and competitive. People at home pay us lip service and think it’s all a bit of a jolly. Competitions like the 7’s are where we can gain respect and that was our collective mission.

From an individual point of view, it was a rare chance to test ourselves back in Ireland. For some of us, these are the last chances we have and that’s the main reason I opted to play this year.

Shay O’Doherty is the Football Officer on the County Board and he was the main who pulled the team together this year. Niall Scullion’s injury misfortune meant he would support Shay on the line. There initial challenge was to get everyone up to speed on the 7’s game. Some had played it previously but others hadn’t and we couldn’t afford a slow start.

All our group games were on the same pitch which had a fairly steep hill running from one end to the other. To compound this, the wind was strongly favouring the team playing down the hill. It put pressure on you to score as much with the wind and to defend like dogs against it.

Our first two games were drawn. First with Judes and then Swalinbar took a share of the spoils with a last gasp point. We had earmarked Drumanees as the toughest game and it proved so as we went down to two quick goals in the second half, one a wicked deflection and the other a penalty. However, to demonstrate the competitive nature of the group, St Judes (who we drew with) beat them both in the group and Championship semi.

A draw with Brigids left us in fourth place (out of five) and heading for a tough Shield draw. We would play O’Donnells of Belfast. There was relief that we had at least qualified from the group but also a steely determination that we would progress. We’d got to grips quickly with the game and the togetherness in the team was clearly evident.

One major set-back was the loss of Darragh Cotter who came out worse from a shoulder challenge with a big bullock from Cavan. On we went though with a slight tweak to the tactics, playing Simon a bit higher to give us more attaching threat.
The impact was instant and we blitzed the Belfast team in the first half, hitting them for four goals. They got cranky and distracted and we were able to close the game out comfortably.

At this stage, we were ticking over nicely, learning with every passing half. Lads were showing great versatility, with the likes of James O’Dowd and Billy Finn appearing regularly in both attack and defence. Mark O’Kane and Michael Lynch were everywhere as was Colin Courtney who looked like he was developing a reluctant liking for defending.

We would face off against St. James (Ardfield) of Cork in the semi. Our big advantage at this stage of the day would be our tournament experience. A G.A.A. players mind can be weak enough when it comes to their own fitness. They worry when they lose their breath early in a match or can’t keep the pace an odd time at training. Put them into a stop start tournament and I’m sure the doubts come in when they feel the pains, aches and tiredness that go hand in hand with this format of play.

This is our bread and butter though. We all know the feelings well and we know our bodies have reserves unimaginable to a player who is used to playing sixty minute matches.

The St. James game would prove tough and it was tight enough at half-time. Probably because we had more to prove, we were able to dig that bit deeper in the second half. A couple of goals gave us a lead that they had to come out and chase. They searched for goals but Shane O’Sullivan was using every body part to block their advances. Their attacks left gaps in their rearguard which we gratefully exposed to run out eight or nine point winners.

There had been talk since the quarter final that we were in bonus territory. We saw it more as no mans’ land. We’d achieved nothing and everyone wanted to make our mark on the final. When you consider what Swalinbar achieved last year and that they didn’t make it out of the group, the shield is far from a second rate competition. We came to gain respect and winning the final was the way we wanted to do it.

All the teams involved on the day were perfectly kitted out with their club gear. We’d arrived like a rag ball rovers outfit. No-one had matching gear and there were various crests on show. Our jerseys were without sponsor and even crest. Previously, they had a habit of going missing so the County Board bought a set of bog standard gear in the hope no-one would even want to knick them.

People were looking at us all day wondering who we were. As we came out for the Shield final, people’s curiosity was pricked further. I don’t overdo the pride in the jersey craic but I did feel very proud to be part of this group of unknowns as we headed out for the last game. Our mindset was unchanged on that walk to the pitch. We had been very calm all day. The instructions were to the point and as we progressed, the focus only sharpened. We’d broken new ground but there was still one hurdle to jump.

By now, our support had swelled. Mick Cryan had come over after completing the half marathon to accompany Tony Bass and Tom McGrath. Darragh’s sister and husband were there and Eoin Sheanon had also popped in. It really was a boost to see some familiar faces and hear them cheering you on as the bodies tired.

The final was against a Galway outfit whose name was a struggle to pronounce or spell. They flew out of the traps, knocking over a few scores but we settled and recovered well, taking the lead before half-time. Then they got a crucial goal from a breakaway. It was a one on one and with a bit more experience I may have stayed on my feet a fraction longer. I didn’t though and they took a two point lead.

Their goalmouth was by far the busier in the second half but we couldn’t get the goal we needed. The lads were out on their feet. With the clock ticking down, we trailed 1-06 to 0-07. We needed to get the ball back so I came out to join the effort. Such risks must be taken in 7’s but it didn’t pay off. They held it well and then, with the very last kick of the day, sealed victory 2-06 to 0-07.

To come so close to doing something so significant, but ultimately not getting over the line, is very disappointing. Still, we are realists as well. On Saturday we faced club teams who have been very successful in their grade. They train together a few times a week and have played together most of their lives. Some of our guys’ season finished months ago. Some had never played 7’s and many had not even met until we hopped aboard Frank’s bus. To get as far as we did, leaving some big names in our wake, was a big achievement. It’s the furthest any European team has ever gone, in any code.

Our team received many compliments during the presentation and not the usual patronising ones. We had done what we had come to do. We had gained respect from our opponents and the people who came to watch.

As I left the presentation area, I had a number of people follow me to congratulate us on our team’s performance. I don’t take it as a moral victory but I do take a lot of pride in it. I haven’t played at home in six years. For others it’s been longer. We proved we can still do it and as individuals that was one of the goals of the weekend.

Even yesterday morning at breakfast, people were coming up wanting to talk to us about where we were from and pay their compliments about how we played. Everyone wanted to know where we were from. When our lads were asked the question, everyone answered with the name of their adopted European club. The questioner, nearly frustrated, would say, “no, no, where are you really from?”. Well, these days we’re really from Brussels, The Hague, Maastricht, Oslo, Malmo, Stockholm and Goteborg. And this weekend we were from Europe and proud to be so.

Our good performances had stemmed from how quickly we gelled. Shay had tried to get guys in who he thought would get on well and be up for making a mark. On paper we may not have been as strong as last year but on the pitch we proved stronger.

We’d topped the day off with a few pints in town on Saturday night. Yesterday morning we parted ways and now we will head back to fight it out between ourselves for the Pan-Euro Championship and Shield. We’ll remember this trip though.

Runners-up medals and plaques usually mean absolutely nothing to me. However, there will be a place on the mantle piece for this St. Jude’s one. Personally, I haven’t enjoyed a day’s G.A.A. as much in a long time. Hopefully our performance will give other European teams confidence that we can compete. Next weekend is the Ladies turn. They have a strong team so may even go one step further.