Raharney too strong

Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton"s U14s were defeated by Raharney in the second round of the Féile na nGael competition at Páirc Chiaráin, Athlone, last Saturday morning. Raharney made the long trip south as raging hot favourites not only to over come the local opposition but to win the competition outright. From the throw-in their intentions were clear and, for the first ten minutes, the Gaels/Dalton"s defence was held under siege, with the home side conceding 2-3 in that opening period. Although playing against a strong breeze in the first half, the Athlone/Ballymore side"s defence started to settle and duly managed to send some ball into their forward line, but a relatively inexperienced attack could not extract any reward from a very well organised and tenacious Raharney defence, with only the ever-improving Douglas O"Shea getting any change from his immediate marker. Fionn Dowd, Jamie Anders and Killian Coyle all had a quiet half by their own standards, while the full-forward line of Liam Leahy, Ben Maxwell and Killian Gateley were starved of any meaningful supply of ball. Raharney finished the half with 3 more points, but the local side were showing a marked improvement from the opening 20 minutes. The second half started with clear indications that the home side were not going to play second fiddle in the second half, and it took Raharney 14 minutes to register their first score of the second half. With Anders and Coyle starting to supplement the huge work-rate of Sean Killgariff in midfield and, with Christopher Keogh now coming to the fore, Raharney were made to work extremely hard for possession and scores. However, a high ball floated in from 55 yards was expertly doubled on by the Raharney full-forward, who finished the sliotar to the net, ending the south Westmeath side"s involvement in this tournament. The long puck-outs of Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton"s goalie Breen Elliott helped to relieve the pressure of Raharney"s attacks and he could only be complimented for his efforts between the sticks. The full-back line of Jonathan Farrell, Jonathan Keogh and Shane Galvin and half-back line of C. Keogh, Odhran Daly and Liam O"Rourke played well, albeit under serious pressure. Liam Leahy, Killian Gately and Ben Maxwell all tried hard before being replaced by Dermot Tracey, Kieran Connolly and Orlaith Daly, while Shane Galvin was replaced by Sean Baker. Although they were defeated, Gaels/Dalton"s played with determination and had the conviction not to give up. This attitude will help these players develop and progress as hurlers and this will inevitably lead to more favourable results in the future. With coaching from within the club set to continue throughout the summer and further encouragement from parents for players to practice at home, why shouldn"t the next Joe Canning come from Tubberclair, Retreat, Auburn Heights, Creggan, Coosan, Monksland or Ballymore? Training continues for all U12s, U13s and U14s on Saturdays in Athlone GAA from 5pm till 6.15 and on Mondays from 6.45 till 8pm.