Our under 8 hurlers competed in Croke Park on Tuesday, July 6 and team mentor Mick O’Meara has produced this excellent report on the days events. Pictures are also available to view on the Facebook and Bebo pages. Congratulations to all involved.
From beneath the shadows of the Hogan Stand the Green and White of Clondalkin Round Towers emerged, the next generation of a proud old club run on to the field and in the eyes of all watching each one a winner. Pride is the Buzz word; pride in the game; pride to be on the Field of Dreams, but most importantly Pride in the color that they wear on their back. These young players might only be Under 8, but if you could bottle the enthusiasm that each and every one of them showed running out on to the hallowed turf that we know as Croke Park, All-Ireland glory would be a given and not just a crazy fantasy us older folk are prone to dreaming about.
Our opposition at GAA Headquarters were a team from County Meath, Killyon GAA Club, a team with a very proud hurling tradition and background, and their intentions were made well known when they produced a well-timed move which ended in a goal; we knew then that we were well and truly in a match. Towers rallied the storm and produced some of their best hurling of the season, but unfortunately the whistle for half time stopped us in our quest to claw back killyon’s well taken goal.
Our half-time talk proved to be the key. Though only under 8’s, these players have bonded well over the last six months and they decided for themselves and their parents in the stands, that if they were going down they’d go down fighting. As they started the second-half, it was very evident that in the eyes of the Round Towers players the game had just begun. Just as they have shown in all matches leading up to the day, Round Towers under 8’s had one goal in mind, and what a goal it was. Back on level terms, they produced their best hurling of the day, no end-to-end thrills in this half, all of the hurling was done in the Killyon’s end of the field. Just when you could sense the winning goal, the whistle goes and the game is over, a fair result and the end to a beautiful game.
I’d like to take this this opportunity to thank my fellow mentors and team administrators, Mick Broderick, Robbie Doyle, Mark Hampson, Noel Kelly, Michelle Walsh and Helen O’Meara. The work being done by these people and many more like them up and down the ranks of senior and underage teams is vital to our club and without them we’d never survive. I’d like to thank the parents for keeping the kids involved; our kids are the future of this great club. And to the kids, keep up the good work and the rewards will come .
Also a special word of thanks to Alan Milton for his help today and the GAA President, Criostóir Ó Cuana for for his presence and kind words of encouragement to our Under 8 players.
Pride is the Buzz word, walking on to the pitch in Croke Park this morning, leading out the Under 8’s of Round Towers Clondalkin. Pride !!
Mick O’Meara
Under 8 Hurling Mentor
Round Tower GAA Club
