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Sarsfields Newsletter

November 8, 2018

12-2-2008

THE SASH

 

The Weekly Online Newsletter of Sarsfields GAA Club

 

Aldridge Cup Sarsfields 2-12 Maynooth 1-2

 

 

Sarsfields new senior manager Paul Doyle got his managerial career off to a winning start when his predominately youthful team overcame Maynooth by 13 points in the first round of the Aldridge Cup at Sarsfields Park on Saturday afternoon last. Seven of the starting fifteen were from the 2007 U 21 championship winning team, four of whom, John Kavanagh, Ciaran Carey, John Walsh and John Geraghty were making their senior football debuts. An indication of Sarsfields dominance throughout was that they played equally as well against the strong breeze as with it. Fittingly in view of the management’s youth policy it was two goals one in each half scored by U 21 players John Geraghty and Conor Tiernan that deflated any hopes that Maynooth might have of making a comback.

            At half time Sarsfields playing with the breeze led 1-7 to a solitary Maynooth point. Five minutes into the second half when Maynooth half forward Damian O’ Neill rose high above the Sarsfields defence to punch the ball to the net to close the gap to 6 points and with the wind at their backs it looked briefly that Maynooth might be about to mount a meaningful second half challenge. That hope was quickly extinguished within a few minutes when Conor Tiernan cancelled out Damian O’Neill’s strike with a well taken goal. From here on it was all one way traffic and the outcome inevitable as Sarsfields looking very sharp moved the ball with speed and efficiency as almost all of their attacks yielded point dividends stretching their lead to unassailable double figures. Only for some solid defending by Maynooth and a couple of saves by goalkeeper Paul Flood, the margin of victory for Sarsfields would have been greater.

Second half substitutes Pauric Brennan and former minor footballer Declan McKenna also a senior debutant whose performance was impressive, scored   two points apiece with a Conor Tiernan point  sandwiched between  Pauric Brennan’s two points before Maynooth finished the scoring after a rare foray into the Sarsfields defence yielded a point from Fergal Deveraux. Impressive for Sarsfields were the evergreen Paddy Cambell, Stevie Ussher Robbie Murphy, Robbie Confrey  Ciaran Carey, John Kavnagh, Murt Dunne, Declan Mckenna,, Conor Tiernan, Pauric Brennan and Conor Walsh who worked tirelessly at centre forward and John Walsh who worked hard at full forward without getting on the scoring sheet. While manager Paul Doyle would have preferred a stiffer challenge nevertheless he will have been happy with the performances of his youthful charges minus the Kildare contingent of Alan Smith, Gary White, Dermot Earley and Alan Barry.

 

Maynooth: Paul Flood, Mick Noone, Derek Fleming, Martin Hoare, Joey Brennan, Killian Carr, Adam Gunn, Nickey Bennett, Podge O’ Sullivan, Damian O’Neill (1-0) Brian Downey, David Comerford, David Canny, Conor Diggins, Fergal Deveraux (0-1) Subs: Michael Brennan for Conor Diggins (50 Mins)

 

Sarsfields: Patrick O’Sullivan, Stevie Ussher, Robbie Murphy, Conor Duffy, Robbie Confrey, John Kavanagh, Murt Dunne (0-1), Morgan O’ Sullivan (0-1) Ciaran Carey, Conor Tiernan (1-2) Conor Walsh, Danny Watson (0-1) John Geraghty (1-0) John Walsh, Paddy Cambell (0-3)

Subs: Pauric Brennan(0-2) for John Geraghty (ht) Joe O’Malley for Robbie Confrey, (ht) Declan McKenna(0-2) for Ciaran Carey (ht) Aidan McLernan for Danny Watson (ht) Ciaran Carey for Conor Duffy (52 mins)

 Referee David Delgrano.      

 

The Aldridge Cup continues next Saturday at Sarsfields Park at 3pm when Clane will provide the opposition. Sarsfields minor league game this Sunday will have an 11pm throw in as the Kildare NFL tie against Galway in St. Conleth’s Park gets underway at the earlier time of 1.30

 

There will be a meeting tomorrow night at 9pm for all managers from all sections of the club. If any manager is unable to attend could they please send a delegate.

 

 

 

 

 

Moorefield face €5,000 fine for semi-final fracas

  Irish Independent February 6th

 

Kildare football champions Moorefield are facing a €5,000 fine and one of their supporters could be expelled from the GAA for the incidents that marred their Leinster club semi-final defeat to Tyrrellspass in December, WRITES COLM KEYS.

Referee Syl Doyle and a local official were both struck in the aftermath of the game in Mullingar. Doyle was coming off the pitch when he was confronted by a number of angry Moorefield supporters unhappy with a penalty award that effectively turned the game in Tyrrellspass’ favour.

The Westmeath official was in the line of fire as one supporter, who now faces expulsion, lashed out at him.

The Leinster Council have conducted an exhaustive investigation into the incidents and have now proposed the penalty for the club and the unnamed individual.

Moorefield are understood to be preparing to contest the proposal with the provincial body’s central hearings committee.

Moorefield were already in the wars with the Leinster Council after a spiteful end to their third club quarter-final against Longford champions Dromard in November.

The investigation forced the semi-final to be deferred by a week.

 

 

Crisis worsens as Meath refuse to play Cork

 

Meath football boss Colm Coyle has insisted that his side will not play
Cork in March if asked to do so by The GAA.

The Royal County’s game with Cork was postponed from its scheduled slot
of last weekend, due to the ongoing dispute between the Cork players and
their county board, with an original re-fixed date having previously
expected to be this weekend.

Of course, talks to resolve the dispute ended in failure on Wednesday
evening and there is now no chance of the game taking place this weekend
if at all, The GAA having set the weekend of March 8-9 as a possible
game date.

But Coyle says his players will not be bullied into playing the game
well down the line and has lashed out at way his side’s season has been
thrown into chaos.

‘I am adamant that we will not be bullied into playing Cork on March 8
or 9 or whenever – no matter what the consequences are,’ Coyle fumed in
The Irish Daily Star.

‘Our season is up in the air and The GAA may think these are idle
threats but the players here aren’t happy.

‘The GAA have set a precedent and are sending a message to players on
this issue so what’s to stop others striking?

‘I’m not taking sides. I’m just speaking from our point of view. We
won’t be playing Cork in March. You could even end up with a situation
where we are docked points or thrown out of the league – then what’s to
stop us going on strike?

‘It would be interesting to see what happens if the shoe was on the
other foot. If this was any other smaller county, would the GAA be
bending over backwards to facilitate them the way they are Cork?

‘The way we see it, we were willing to play Cork on two different
weekends and we agreed to the request to give them a week. At a time
when burnout is a big issue in GAA we are being asked to play six games
in seven weeks, it just doesn’t seem fair.

‘The CCCC are trying to railroad us into playing at a later date. It
feels like we are bring held to ransom here over something while has
nothing to do with us.’

Still, chances of Meath having to face Cork at all look slimmer than
ever with Wednesday’s talks ending in the manner that they did.

Visit the Leinster GAA web site at http://www.gaa.ie/leinster

 

The wonderful world of Effin Eddie and that ‘b***** of a ref’

Billy Joe Keane Irish Independent 2006

 

EFFIN EDDIE buried his father-in-law Mickey O’Brien the day before he became famous.

‘Well not exactly me myself,’ clarifies Eddie, ‘but the undertaker. We gave him a great send-off. They had no one to do the commentary the next day over in Littleton and sure I said I’d do it.’

And so Eddie Moroney’s life changed forever. It was January 3 1992, the day of the Tipperary U21 A Final between Aherlow and Eire Óg of Nenagh. Eddie was the commentator and he got a bit carried away.

‘I should have been carried away,’ states Eddie. Here is a condensed version.

‘My false teeth are coming out. I cant keep them in. Ref for Jaysus sake that’s a f**kin penalty. The b*****. He must have no wipers in his glasses.’

Burped

Most neutrals felt the ref was excellent but Eddie was unequivocally biased in favour of his own team Aherlow.

My favourite bit was when Eddie took a drink out of a bottle of lemonade and burped on air.

‘I’m getting weak, Oh Jaysus I’m going to get sick. I had some feed of beer last night.’

Aherlow won. The video was shown in his brother Gerard’s wonderful pub. It was bootlegged and a man even set up a website borrowing Eddie’s new nickname, Effin Eddie, without his permission.

The video was sent all over the world. The first time I saw it was in a bar in the Bronx. ‘The fella that did the website never sent me so much as a sausage roll, never mind a roll of notes.’

But there is no bitterness there. And, funnily enough, Eddie never used a single word of bad language when I visited him. Football brings that out of him.

Now, 14 years later, almost to the day, Eddie has launched his own DVD. What took him so long?

‘Ah sure, I thought DVD was some class of a sexual disease,’ laughs Eddie.

Eddie is a continiuos stand-up comic, even when he’s sitting down. We got up to go for a walk after a lovely lunch prepared by Eddie’s wife Kathleen.

There was a strange tree at the end of the garden.

‘We bought a new Christmas tree so I planted that one. It will never go bare in winter. That’s the great thing about plastic trees.’

Nearer the house, was a hurling helmet used as a pot for daffodil bulbs.

There before us out over the garden wall was the great sweep of Galtymore and beside it Galtybeg.

To our left, almost part of the garden, was the GAA pitch. We were in the heart of the beautiful Glen of Aherlow about six miles from Tipp town as the crow flies, ‘providin’ the crow flies straight,’ added Eddie.

Eddie’s brother Michael, a wonderful walking guide, told me to tell Eddie to shut up if he went on too much. I could have listened to Eddie forever.

As we walked the hundred yards from the house to the GAA field, Eddie told me he never wanted to leave The Glen, even in bad times. He was lucky though.

Eddie found a job as a lorry driver with Tipperary Co-Op.

I threw a bit of paper in the bin at the entrance to the field. It was painted in the club colours of green and gold. There was no bottom to the bin and the paper came straight out.

‘That’s rural Ireland for you,’ commented Eddie. ‘Isn’t the arse always falling out from something?’

There was a decommissioned green and gold gate lying up against a ditch. Eddie explained all.

‘Mick O’Connell leapt that gate when he was coaching football up here. We had to take it down before some fella got badly hurt trying to copy Micko.’

Eddie lives for the GAA and his community. He managed Aherlow to win the West Tipp Intermediate Hurling title last year. His sons and a nephew played in the final. He put his hand on his heart as he recalled the thrill of seeing his team running out on the sacred sod of Thurles. And why wouldn’t he be proud?

Lisvernane is a special place. An unspoiled, caring community in the heart of Unbelievable country. John Kenny lives a few miles down the road. Pat Shortt too is a big fan. But Eddie is no village gom. Eddie likes to crack a few jokes and there are times when he plays up to the Effin Eddie image, but he’s an extremely intelligent man.

He knows Lisvernane is under threat. Eddie fears a high density housing development will affect the social equilibrium of The Glen. Eddie emphasises visitors are cherished in this most hospitable of villages and he loves the tourist season.

Back in the house Kathleen asks me to plug the Miss Aherlow competition on February 5.

Eddie will not be doing the commentary this year. Something to do with saying ‘the fillies are now entering the parade ring’, as the girls came on stage.

He will, however, be a judge. He is a bit of a hero in these parts. And beyond.

The postman Jimmy O’Donnell arrives with 16 letters. Eddie starred on Radio 1’s Talkabout and the DVD’s have being flying out the door since. One man says he’ll make ‘a private offering to a nominated saint for your intentions’ if Eddie sends on a DVD.

‘Let him make the offering to me,’ says Eddie, ‘and I’ll do as I intend with it.’

But don’t expect any credit card transactions. Eddie doesn’t have a machine. And don’t ask me the cost of the DVD either.

Eddie isn’t sure what he will charge, but one thing is for sure that decent man will not wrong anyone. All offerings please to Eddie Moroney, Lisvernane, Aherlow, Co Tipperary.

‘Effin Eddie, Tipp’ will even get him. ‘Definitely probably,’ as he said when describing the 1992 game ‘as the greatest of all time’.

As I left lovely Lisvernane, I took one last glance in the mirror to frame the village in my mind for recollection as it is now. Before it gets dragged into the Tiger’s lair.

There was Eddie, in the mirror, on his knees, looking up the bottom of the green and gold bin.

  • The Video that made Eddie famous has been seen all over the world. Now it can be viewed on the Sarsfields website. Go to www.sarsfieldsgaanewbridge.ie/mediapage or click on the links on the home page.

 

Arabs in running to sponsor All-Ireland Championship

 

By Colm Keys
Wednesday February 06 2008

The national airline of the United Arab Emirates is in the shake-up to
sponsor the All-Ireland hurling championships.

Etihad Airways are believed to be one of the six companies that the GAA
have lined up as sponsorship partners for the hurling championships.

The airline’s imminent success in securing part rights to the
sponsorship of the hurling championship is a daring and eye catching
move.

However GAA sponsorship has traditionally attracted sponsors with a
strong Irish identity but if the national airline of the UAE is brought
on board it will represent a new departure.

The GAA are putting the final touches to their sponsorship package and
hope to be in a position to confirm the partners within two weeks, the
GAA’s commercial manager Dermot Power confirmed yesterday.

The current hurling championship sponsors Guinness are understood to be
one of the six as the GAA have recoiled from banning alcoholic drinks
sponsorship.

All-Stars sponsors Vodafone, international rules sponsors Coca Cola,
Sigerson and Fitzgibbon sponsors Ulster Bank and Toyota are also linked
with the new sponsorship model. Bank of Ireland have, however, withdrawn
for the process.

The GAA’s commercial manager Dermot Power confirmed yesterday that long
term agreements were in the process of being finalised.

The GAA decided last year to align the football and hurling sponsorship
rights with the TV rites. They also opted to move from single sponsors,
Guinness and Bank of Ireland, to a more lucrative partnership model that
mirrors the Champions League.

The time span for the various sponsorships will vary with Power
confirming that they won’t leave themselves in a position where they are
seeking a similar number of partners at the same time again.

 

GAA Quotes

 

“I used to think it was great being a wee nippy corner forward but it’s better now being a big fat one.” — Ollie Murphy

“He’ll regret this to his dying day if he lives that long.”– Dublin fan after Charlie Redmond missed a penalty in the 1994 All-Ireland final.

!Now listen lads, I’m not happy with our tackling. We’re hurting them but they keep getting up”. — John B.Keane ventures into coaching

“This defeat was a force 8 gale”. — Meath fan after the 2001 All-Ireland final.

“I’m going to tape the Angelus over this”. — Meath fan after recording the same match.

“We’ve won one All-Ireland in a row’ — Wexford Fan in 1996

“He wouldn’t see a foul in a henhouse”. — Frustrated Sligo fan’s judgement of the ref after the 2002 Connacht final.

“There are 2 things in Ireland that would drive you to drink. GAA referees would drive you to drink and the price of drink would drive you to drink’ — Sligo Fan after 2002 Connaught final.

Humour

 

Irish Archaelogy

 

 

After having dug to a depth of 10 metres last year, Scottish scientists
found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion
that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years
ago.

Not to be outdone by the Scots, in the weeks that followed, English
scientists dug to a depth of 20 metres, and shortly after, headlines in the
English newspapers read: ‘English archaeologists have found traces of 200
year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an
advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the
Scots.’

One week later, ‘The Kerryman,’ a southwest Irish newsletter, reported the
following: ‘After digging as deep as 30 metres in peat bog near Tralee,
Paddy O’Droll, a self taught archaeologist, reported that he found
absolutely nothing.

Paddy has therefore concluded that 300 years ago Ireland had already gone
wireless.’

 Contributors Required

 

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