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The St. Oliver’s girls Gaelic team campaign reports and information Wednesday 7th
November: Good workout for girls vs Ratoath 18th October:
Final countdown! However, St Shaughlin’s were in no mood to let Oliver’s pull away. They got the first of their goals just after 20 minutes. But for a wonderful Heather Smyth block soon after they would have been back in the contest. Around this time Oliver’s hit further wides. An Eadaoin effort was close. Emma N was very unlucky with an effort for a goal while Naoise hit wides in the 21st and 24th minutes. Just before half time the opposition grabbed their 2nd goal courtesy of a high shotwhich appeared to be headed over but instead dipped wickedly just under the crossbar. Instead of it being a case of game over it was now very much game on! In the second half Kelly-Marie Harris, who
was proving a wonderful link between midfield and attack opened her
scoring account with a fine goal. Midway through the second half Naoise
de Graffe scored the last of her goals after being cleverly set up by
Elanor. Elanor scored a point herself soon after. One could of course blame Mr Kearns for not introducing the 4-goal wonder into the fray at an earlier stage, especially as the game was pretty much in the bag some time before her introduction. However, it could also be argued that the starting forwards had been pretty much blameless in their displays throughout, in terms of selflessness, attitude and application to the game plan. The backs on the day performed very well and
are really beginning to gel as a unit. The full-backs –Emma and
Katie were solid and assured throughout and seem to be building up a
good partnership. Maria Lynn, Joanne Casserly and Francesca
Kalonzo also did well when introduced. The strong squad available will
make the decision of Mr Kearns and his selectors a difficult one for
the final in a month’s time. In 2005 it was perhaps the astute
management of Mr Carley and Ms O’Neill which helped ensure the
return of the Division One trophy to the school after an 8 year wait!
With the team in transition last year the girls are now back at the
final stage once more and once again gunning for glory. It could be
argued that, to this point, no team have been sufficiently well equipped
to ask the really hard questions of our team. However, Dunboyne who,
similar to Ollies, remain undefeated will be sure to pose a stern test
come Saturday, November the 17th.
Semi-final position
secured in style
One is a fearsome attacker…..the other is a defender to be feared….which is which?!!
In the early stages both sides traded scores
with Kelly-Marie grabbing a point for Oliver’s. The first half
was to see Emma Naughton grab a hat-trick of goals. She was causing
all sorts of problems for the Paul’s defence with her speed and
trickery. However she wasn’t the only one. Kelly-Marie, Ella,
Kelsey and Naoise were also keeping the Paul’s defence on their
toes. Oliver’s conceded their first goal of the competition early
on in the first half when Nicole Byrne was unlucky with a shot which
just dipped under the crossbar. Elanor Lane’s surging runs from midfield ensured that there was a steady stream of good ball coming into the forwards and she even grabbed two points for herself in the process. Eadaoin, another who had put in a fine performance also scored a point. Kelly-Marie Harris scored 2-1, an impressive contribution and Naoise De Graffe in the full-forward line also got the same tally. The efforts of the defence on the day cannot
be ignored either. Emma Maguire and Katie Tolan in the full-back line
impressed with their ability to keep a lively Paul’s attack at
bay. There were some early jitters but once they settled into the game
they really gained the measure of their opponents. However, they must face up to the reality that
come semi-final time- Dunshaughlin or Ashbourne, or whoever may prove
to be the opposition, will present a challenge far tougher than any
they have faced to date. Last year, after qualifying with relative ease
from the group stages the girl’s met their waterloo when faced
with a formidable Ashbourne outfit in Dunshaughlin. However, one may
rest assured that this year, with Mr Kearns at the helm, that regardless
of his other faults as a manager, complacency certainly won’t
be an issue come semi-final day.
Pretty in pink! Mr Carley beckons on the girls team at a recent game
Last year the girls team went down to Ashbourne in the semi-finals of the competition having been outright winners the year previously. There are 3 survivors in the current panel from that trophy winning team- they being Heather Smyth, Elanor Lane and Eadaoin Keys. Heading into their third campaign in the Oliver’s jersey the trio are, by this stage, experienced veterans of the schools’ championship. The Ollies girls had their first competitive outing this year on Thursday last, the 13th , in Simonstown vs St Mary’s from Trim. Oliver’s were always in control in a contest in which St Mary’s simply couldn’t live with them. Oliver’s had a range of scorers on the day. Elanor Lane, Emma Naughton, Kelly Marie Harris, Eadaoin Keys and Naoise De Graffe provided the main scoring threat. In Elanor Lane Oliver’s have a player who can pop over a score from long distance. In around the opposition goals Kelly Marie Harris and Eadaoin Keys were scoring goals for fun. Kelly Marie bagged herself 4 goals and 2pts. Eadaoin also did very well for herself with a 4 goal haul! Megan McDermott, Heather Smyth and Naoise also netted in the second half. The final score was Oliver’s 11-10 to Trim’s 0-0. While the opposition may not have had their best day, nevertheless it was encouraging for manager Mr Kearns and his selectors Mr Carley and Ms O’Neill to see the ability of the forwards to pick off their scores when the opportunities presented themselves. The work rate from all the girls, both those starting and those introduced was impressive. It was not the sort of day where one could give an account of how the defence had performed as they were never under sufficient pressure to allow one to pass judgement. Some of the calls and switches by the manager were questionable but Mr Kearn’s should not be judged on his calls in this game alone…there are plenty of matches to go yet! Oh, and well done to Nicole Byrne, from fourth class who made a steady debut for us in goal. Sadly our game, which was meant to be today
vs St Stephen’s from Johnstown has been cancelled so our next
encounter will be against St Joseph’s next Thursday, the 27th
in Simonstown. They promise to present a tougher challenge than the
Trim opposition.
Thursday 20th September Thursday 27th September Thursday 4th October Thursday 11th October Semi-Finals The girls football
panel for the year ahead is: 15th March 2007: No joy for Ollies mini-sevens girls
Report on the extremely successful outing of
the boys mini-seven’s team from Tuesday the 13th to follow. The Dream dies! Mr Farrell commented in the aftermath of yesterday’s encounter that Dunshaughlin is beginning to acquire the status of a grave-yard for Olivers teams and judging by the departure of both our boys and girls team from the Cumann na mBunscoil competition this week this certainly would appear to be the case!! Yes, yesterday the 10th of November saw our girls football team depart the competition, in a windswept and damp Dunshaughlin. It might be arguable that Olivers were very unlucky on the day not to have won, that had they taken one or two more chances at vital stages that then the outcome may have been different but obviously hindsight is a great thing!! On the day the girls came up against a committed, determined, well-organized and talented Ashbourne side. St Mary’s seemed to find it quite easy every time to get a score when they had to whereas for the Ollies ladies it seemed to be a mammoth task. Actually, in the last 5 minutes they scored one goal and three points but by that stage it was a case of too little too late. By then, the momentum was with Ollies but as the come back was continuing to unfold the final whistle suddenly sounded. Ashbourne had lost the last 3 successive semi-finals and they had the look of a side yesterday for whom defeat was not an option, on this occasion. Make no mistake about it, this was a good Olivers team whom many believed could go all the way this year. We had a number of stalwarts from last year’s winning campaign- Nicole, Rachael and Clare among others. Also we had exciting new forwards breaking into the team-Kelly-Marie, Eadaoin and Emma. In earlier matches we had managed to notch up quite considerable scoring margins. The new players were all more than capable of scoring and Emma had scored goals in most of the matches prior to yesterday. However, this was not a charitable Ashbourne rear-guard. While Rachael and Orla were perhaps well equipped to deal with their physical strength our other younger forwards did struggle to get possession and when in possession. However, while our attack this year was possibly
better than last year’s, in defence the team never really had
a settled look. Each and every game saw new combinations being attempted.
Against Mercy we conceded 8 goals and still won (granted many of these
goals were scored in the second half when we had made many substitutions)
and conceded 3-4 goals in other games. Last year, the concession of
more than a goal would have set alarm bells ringing in the ranks. It
could be argued that we simply never replaced the trio of Nadia Smyth,
Sophie Ishola and Kirsty Hayden-that perhaps they were irreplaceable.
To say they bossed the defensive domain ruthlessly would be an understatement!
One only has to recall the hapless attempts to score by the Kells forward
line, in last year’s final, to recall how difficult we were to
break down. We needed to come out in the second half and rattle over 2-3 points in the first five minutes to really give ourselves a chance. Orla managed a fine score after a few minutes of this half but after that we went a further 15 minutes without scoring while Ashbourne managed to score 5 points against the wind. In fairness our defence performed quite well considering the extent of the pressure they were under at times. However, it is possible that we were simply too dependent on Nicole as the link player between defence and attack. By the second half Nicole was beginning to tire and from that point on we were struggling to get the ball in to our forwards. Last year we also had Aoife Davis in the engine room and this gave our keeper more options for where to place the kick-out. In the last few minutes when the ball did
get down the field the girls rattled over 1-3 without reply. Had we
been able to keep the ball in the Ashbourne side of the pitch it might
all have been very different!! As the clock began to tick down- Rachael,
who had gotten badly winded midway through the second half, got on the
end of the ball twice and drove over the bar. Then 2 minutes later,
after great work by Orla, Nicole and Emma she found herself through
on goal. Two of the Ashbourne defence closed in like hawks to prevent
the danger but Rachael managed to squeeze past them and placed a clever
shot along the ground past their keeper. Rachael also popped over a
free during this period. And so the dream of the double has died! However
the girls can hold their heads up high for the absolutely massive commitment
they’ve put in since September. It seems like ages ago since we
started back and it’s a pity it had to end like it did but the
girls can be very proud of the determination, team-work, effort and
skill they displayed since back then. Along with my cohorts Mr Kearns
and Ms McAteer we all agreed that the effort put in was first class.
We had a panel of about 30 players since September. In recent weeks
we had to shuffle the panel around as we knew there was no point in
taking more than 22-23 to any match but regardless of who was picked
or not, the effort and attitude was excellent. So well done again to
all concerned. Next year- Eadaoin, Emma Naughton, Emma Maguire, Elanor,
Naoise, Kelly-Marie and Rosaleen will all be back again with this year’s
experience under their belts and we also have exciting new prospects
like Regina Hand and Kelsey Nesbitt joining our panel. Many thanks to
Yellow Mellow Cabs for ferrying us to and from our matches, to Karen
Lane who drove team members to all of our away games and to anyone else
who helped out in anyway with the effort in the months gone by! Go raibh
mile!! As a parting shot may I take this occasion
to urge any and all players who are interesting in being a part of next
year’s panel to join up with a club team nearby be it Simonstown
or, if you have to- Navan O’ Mahony’s (only joking!!).
23rd October 2006-Match
report-Pre-semi final encounter The St Olivers girls football team played Kilmainhamwood yesterday in a challenge match in Kilmainhamwood. This was the team’s final work-out before the semi-final and it proved to be a very useful exercise. With Mr Farrell’s brother, Mr Farrell, in charge of the opposition we knew we’d be in for a tough encounter and that is exactly what unfolded. We started with Naoise in goals, Rosaleen and Clare in defence, Danielle and Eadaoin in midfield and with Regina and Maeve up front.
Everyone played their part in the Kilmainhamwood encounter
Mr Kearns puts the players through their paces during a recent match in Simonstown By half-time Ollies were a few points ahead. Maeve and Regina had been doing well up front getting our scores and they were also well complemented by Danielle and Eadaoin in midfield, who between them on the day scored 4-3. We had already played Kilmainhamwood earlier in the campaign in what had been a tough encounter and this was no different. Rosaleen found herself marking their most lively forward and while she may have had a shaky start she soon got into her stride and her opponent made little headway.
In the two or so matches that Naoise has played in goal she has been somewhat of a revelation. Eadaoin had been very steady when in the position but made no secret of her desire to be stationed anywhere else and in fairness showed why in Kilmainhamwood as she impressed out the field! However, Naoise, Simonstown’s U-12 keeper seems to have all the attributes of the good goalie- an ability to read the game, to know where the ball is coming to and from, good shot-stopping ability, a big and very accurate kick-out and a safe pair of hands! The only mistake made in yesterday’s encounter was when she attempted to pull on, with her foot, a low hard shot aimed directly at her which she possibly should have gotten her hands to but otherwise she did well.
With the continuous rotation of the team in the second half
Olivers did concede a few goals but were always able to pick off a score
at the opposite end to stay in contention. Captain for the day was Danielle Goss and our vice-captain was Maeve Lorton We now play Ashbourne in Dunshaughlin at 2pm, tomorrow Wednesday. We will probably be leaving the school at 1 o’clock or very shortly after that to get there well on time for the big game. The other semi will feature Dunshaughlin and Kells. It’s all ahead of us. The squad for the semi is up on our notice board in the school hall. It is with regret that we inform all that we will only be bringing a panel of about 20 to the semi-finals. In our other matches we were able to arrange before the game to give as many of our subs a game as possible and therefore at some of the games brought as many as 28 to the match. However, that is not possible with a semi-final match where there is a neutral ref and it is only possible to make 5 substitutions. It’s unfortunate as the interest and commitment shown this year by our panel of over 30 has been tremendous. However, if we are fortunate enough to make it to the final we will be keeping in mind some of the players who weren’t fortunate enough to be picked to join the squad for tomorrow’s encounter.
And on that note may we, as team management, encourage as many parents as possible to make the trip to Dunshaughlin tomorrow for our match vs Ashbourne. Ashbourne finished top of their group so they promise to be very tough opposition. We’ll need to be firing on all cylinders to get through and every bit of support will be appreciated! Chat yiz then!
This was a gutsy, tough, determined and talented St Pauls side who needed outright victory to stay in the competition. If they failed to achieve this their campaign was over and they played with the conviction of players who were well aware of this. Captained on the day by Nicole Hanratty and by vice-captain Emma Naughton Olivers started off the stronger and Naoise de Graffe scored a goal early on to settle Olivers nerves. Olivers rattled over more scores courtesy of Emma Naughton and Rachael Flynn but Pauls were not going to lie down easily. They responded with two goals and a point and led at the break by a point. Half-time score Olivers 1-3: Pauls 2-1. In each of the other three group games which the Olivers team have contested large scorelines have been the order of the day with the girls hitting an average of 30 points per game. However, there was to be no repeat of that pattern today as a well-organized and disciplined Pauls defence gave our players little time on the ball. Also, our forwards were guilty on more than one occasion of over-playing the ball when an attempt at a score or a simple hand to a player in a better position would have been the cleverer decision.
“1997-Was it that long ago?!”The girls study the trophy after last year’s final Olivers started the second half brightly and were soon back in front again courtesy of points from Rachael. However, each time Olivers got in front Pauls seemed more than capable of responding-usually with a goal. The dying minutes of the game will be long remembered. Olivers were a point down and struggling. Then Nicole Hanratty went on a surging run into the Pauls defence and let fly. Her shot was blocked. However, showing a real striker’s instinct she pounced on the loose ball, and drilled it past the keeper. Rachael Flynn followed this up with a fine point and suddenly the girls appeared to finally have gotten the measure of their North-side neighbours. However, this particular opposition are made of stern stuff and driven on by a particularly strong midfield they clawed back level with a minute remaining courtesy of a well taken goal from close range which Eadaoin had no chance of saving. All square. We were about to drop our first points of the campaign or so it seemed. However, anything Pauls could do- Ollies could
do better! Eadaoin’s quick kick-out quickly arrived in the midfield
area and again Cullen’s Nicole Hanratty, who was putting in a
barnstorming display showed great determination to solo straight at
the Pauls defence and unleashed a powerful shot from about 30 yards
which sailed straight between the posts. The Pauls referee immediately
blew his whistle and Olivers knew they had snatched an unlikely victory
from the jaws of defeat. The relief as the final whistle sounded was
palpable. It had been a gripping, enthralling encounter-watched and
enjoyed by all present. Tournament organizer and teacher, Joe Kelly, who refed Thursday’s encounter warned that the other side of the group was particularly strong this year. Positives: Areas for improvement: Too many players attempting
to bounce the ball on a surface which was not conducive to this happening. Team ratings: Eadaoin Keys(8), Clare Brennan (8), Emma Maguire (7), Danielle Goss (8), Heather Smyth (7), Catriona Gavin (7), Nicole Hanratty (9), Elanor Lane (7), Naoise de Graffe (7), Rachael Flynn (8), Kelly-Marie Harris (7), Orla Donegan (7), Emma Naughton (7) Overall Player of the match: The last day Heather
Smyth deservedly scooped this accolade for her heroics in defence against
Trim. However, today the award goes to Nicole Hanratty for her heroics
in the middle of the pitch. Along with Elanor she worked tirelessly
to ensure a steady supply line for our forwards and wasn’t slow
either to gather possession from our kick-outs to get the ball out of
the danger zone. And the Cullen dynamo capped it all off by scoring
a goal and a point in the dying moments to ensure that our 100 percent
record was maintained.
10th October-Girls
keep up their winning ways! Like their male counterparts the girls team had a very productive outing when they played Trim, in Trim today. The girls team knew that a win here would put them in contention for a semi-final place and their play reflected this knowledge as they wasted no time in getting down to business. This was a better team performance than against Mercy, last week, in Simonstown where the girls had looked out of sorts at times. What will have been most satisfying for the management is the fact that four of the five forwards got on the scoreboard today-always a healthy sign. However, in the first half our forwards hit a lot of wides and this is an area which will surely need to be addressed in the coming weeks. In a similar manner to the Mercy match Ollies did most of their scoring in the opening half. Nicole Hanratty got the show on the road when the match was barely a minute old when she soloed through the centre to score a score with a fine individual effort. It was the perfect start. Naoise de Graafe, who had played in defence in previous encounters followed up this goal with another goal soon after and Rachael Flynn grabbed two points. Not to be outdone, Emma Naughton decided to get in on the act and got the next goal while full-forward Orla Donegan also grabbed a goal for herself. Trim then got a goal and a point themselves and Emma Naughton finished the half with her second goal. In the second half Ollies conceded three goals and a point. While this was a worrying change from the meanness displayed by the defence in the first half, nevertheless, some account has to be taken of the fact that a lot of changes were made during the second half to ensure that as many of our subs got a game as possible. Emma Naughton, Nicole Hanratty, Naoise and Rachael Flynn all scored again in the second half to ensure that Olivers were never under too much of a threat and the match finished with Olivers scoring 7-6 to Trim’s 4-3. Player of the match-This accolade could easily
have gone to a number of players based on today’s performances.
Nicole Hanratty and Elanor Lane worked tirelessly at midfield to both
help out the defence and to supply the forward line with enough ball
to get the necessary scores. The defence in general were solid with
Clare Brennan, Danielle Goss, Emma Maguire and Catriona Gavin all playing
their part.
Girls do just enough to beat Mercy…. Match Report-Olivers
vs Mercy School The St Oliver’s girls recorded their second victory in the Cumann na mBunscoil Division One competition yesterday afternoon in Simonstown when they defeated the Mercy School in a hard fought contest. The girls team was left reeling during the Summer with the double losses of mentors Ms O’Neill and Ms Furey (who took up coaching positions elsewhere!!) but quickly found their feet again with the appointments of Mr Kearns and Ms McAteer to the coaching staff. Mr Kearns brings a wealth of experience to the job via his current playing career and training of Slane youth teams while Ms McAteer was herself a player on Olivers girls teams in the early 80’s. To complete the dream set-up Mr Farrell has joined the backroom staff as consultant to the team while Mr Delaney will be advising the team on dietary matters. Attempts to get renowned sports psychologist Aidan Moran on board have as of yet proved unsuccessful!! Oliver’s easily defeated Kells in their first outing, away in Kells but knew that this would be a tougher contest as Mercy had accounted for both Kells and Trim already. It certainly proved to be the case. Oliver’s hit the ground running in this match and within ten minutes had 2 goals and 2 points on the board. Mercy were really struggling to find their rhythm early on and were finding it hard to get past an uncompromising Olivers defence. Danielle Ricard made her debut on the half-back line and impressed by making a number of timely tackles and interceptions. It was also her debut performance in a championship match for the school. Otherwise the defence which started remained unchanged from the last game, as did the rest of the team. In these early stages Rachael Flynn got a point to open the scoring. Nicole Hanratty then followed this up with the first of the goals. Orla Donegan then got in on the act with a point for herself while Rachael followed up her early point with a goal followed by another point. In the meantime Mercy had found the range on three occasions with fine efforts with most of these coming from or set up by their number 7 who was a real handful. Olivers found the net on three more occasions before half-time with Orla, Rachael and Emma all hitting the net. By half-time events seemed to be unfolding largely according to script. Unfortunately it did not appear that Mercy were reading from the same script as Olivers. For whatever reason Mercy began to make a fighting comeback. They grabbed a quick point and a few minutes later grabbed a goal via a deflection off one of our defenders. Then they grabbed another goal shortly after and suddenly their confidence was up. Luckily, Olivers still had the ability when really pressed to grab a score up the other end and in the second half Emma Naughton and sub Nikki Blake scored fine goals to keep a bit of distance between the sides. In all Mercy scored 4 goals and six points in the second half and their come back somewhat halted the plans of the Olivers management to give all subs a decent run. We managed to get most of the subs involved in the action at some stage in the second half with one or two exceptions. However, those in question who missed out today will feature in one of our upcoming games. So, to conclude, another win for the girls.
However, the overall performance of the team should have put to bed
any complacency among the ranks. Olivers won the Division One county
title last year for the first time since 1997. While such accolades
are always sweet there is always the danger that the C word mentioned
above can creep in, that a team can forget the hard work that was involved
in the first place in winning such trophies and begin to think that
they merely need to tog out to win. This complacency became evident
in the performance in a number of ways-defenders putting in half-hearted
tackles, forwards forgetting that they too are defenders when they haven’t
the ball, over-crowding areas of the pitch etc. Many thanks to the parents who ferried team members down to Simonstown yesterday. Much appreciated and always great to see yiz there! Twas somewhat interesting to go to a recent U-12 semi final in Simonstown where Simonstown played Boardsmill. Boardsmill is a small country parish. However, that didn’t stop them from having the best part of 80-100 followers, supporters and family members on the side-line. The Simonstown girls, had 15-20 followers there at best!! This type of support is surely worth a 4-5 point head start to any team!! Despite not winning it was still encouraging to see so many of our players from last year featuring for Simonstown. Team ratings: Eadaoin Keys (7), Clare Brennan (7), Heather Smyth (8), Danielle Ricard (7), Elanor Lane (7), Maeve Lorton (7) Niamh Connaty (7), Nicole Hanratty (7), Kelly-Marie Harris (6), Catriona Gavin (6), Rachael Flynn (8), Orla Donegan (7) Emma Naughton (8). Subs-not included due to fact that most not on sufficient length of time to give accurate or fair rating. In defence mark reductions mainly for players standing off defenders and not getting “stuck-in”. In forwards reductions mainly for players not making themselves available more for the ball, not getting into space to receive the ball and for not tackling defenders emerging with the ball. Next week could be tricky for our having a
game as we have a staff-meeting Wednesday and there will be no school
for pupils on the Thursday or Friday.
Girls 2006 mini-sevens
campaign comes to an end!
Unfortunately, there
was to be no repeat of their pre-Christmas heroics by the Ollies girls
today in Trim when they lost out in the group stages of the mini-sevens
competition to a strong Newtown outfit. The girls got the ball rolling with a good win over Dunderry beating them by 2-4 to 2 points. However, the next game was to prove decisive and Oliver’s lost to a very strong Newtown team. Playing against the wind in the first half Olivers found themselves four points to no score down at the break. Oliver’s got one point back in the second half but Newtown also added one to their tally for the match to finish 5 points to one in favour of Newtown. By this stage their destiny was out of their hands. If Newtown won all their matches they would be the team going through from the group to the semi-finals. Olivers emerged victorious from their final game versus Whitecross on a scoreline of 3-3 to 1-2 but it was too little to late. However, all credit to the mentors and squad
involved who put in such a big effort. The squad was made up of Sophie
Ishola, Orla Donegan, Heather Smyth, Sinead Butler, Clare Brennan, Kirsty
Hayden, Nicole Hanratty, Niamh Lyster, Rachael Flynn and Catriona Ruane.
While the girls may have been disappointed with today’s result
they have the consolation of knowing that a number of them are still
only in fifth and will be involved again in next year’s campaigns.
Sophie Ishola, who was outstanding throughout, was captain on the day
for the Ollies.
Last year’s mini-sevens team who reached the county finals but were beaten in two of their matches there. Can this year’s team go further in the competition?!!! 9th March The St. Oliver’s Senior girls Gaelic team 2005 campaign reports and information
Herer come the good times-the Ollies squad and mentors savor victory at last!! Cumann na mBunscoil
2005 Division One girls final
Two of the squad being interviewed for our documentary DVD of the build up to our final and the final itself- “To Win Just Once”
Squad members and squad
members’ parents pre-county final letter-17th/11th/2005
Also, thanks to you the parents for yeir interest
this year. It has been brilliant for the girls to see a number of parents
at our various matches so far this year. And we certainly hope to see
you again on Saturday. If you can drag along a few more family members
and relatives, so much the better!! We also have to thank Mr. Kearns,
Mr. Farrell and Mr. McDonagh who at various stages during our campaign
either refereed games or did umpiring. However, these acts of unselfishness
weren’t always appreciated as Mr. Kearns will testify-he having
had an altercation with the very vocal Kells manager after he offered
to do umpire in Simonstown recently!!! ___________
Report from
last year’s final in which the girls team were defeated by Kells.
Report title: St.
Oliver's girls meet their Waterloo against Kells... The St. Oliver’s girls glorious run in the 2004 Cumann na mBunscoil girls competition came to a somewhat disappointing end on Saturday last in Páirc Tailteann. Going into the game Oliver’s had beaten nearly every other team in the competition at some stage. We had being beaten earlier in the campaign by Dunboyne, Ashbourne and Kells. However, we had convincingly beaten Ashbourne in the semis who had beaten everybody, including Kells. We had defeated Dunboyne last week in a challenge. The only defeat left to be overturned would be against Kells. It still remains to be overturned!! Going into the final we were reasonably confident. We had, of course, only marginally lost to Kells earlier in the competition and had made huge improvements since. So had they, obviously!!! Our preparations for the final had gone well. It had been a disappointment when the match was cancelled on the first Saturday but the challenge against Dunboyne during the week had helped to keep us on our toes. However, from the throw-in against Kells we were out-fought, out-scored and out-manoeuvred. When it looked like one hole had been plugged another appeared. Before we knew it we were three goals down and fighting for our lives. By half time, for the first time in all of our campaign we had failed to register a score. We were being given a footballing lesson by a quicker, more skilful team. For a brief spell in the second half we looked like we might make a fight of it when Amy Naughton goaled along the ground and Rachael Flynn scored a point. However, those were to be our only scores in the contest. Kells went on to get two more goals, the last goal epitomising Kells’ flamboyant, confident style as their no 11 soloed for nearly thirty metres before letting fly with an unstoppable shot. Kells had not looked too threatening the day of their semi final win over Dunboyne. Appearances are clearly very deceptive! For most of the squad it’s the end of their footballing road in St. Olivers apart from the mini-seven’s competition which will be held later in the year. A big thanks to those who took the risk and despite hardly ever having played gaelic competitively before gave their all in every match of the campaign. Performances of note in the campaign to date, of note, from players who had hardly kicked a ball in the campaign prior to the final include that of Clare Droney in the semi-final who kicked 1-2 and the excellent “woman-marking” job done by Aoife Davis and Basrait in the semi-final against the Ashbourne player, who in our previous encounter, had been somewhat of a goal-scoring machine. Well done to our captain Shauna who couldn’t actually made the school team last year but who through sheer determination and huge effort certainly became one of our most influential players this year. However, it is very unfair to single out players, as in all honesty every member of the panel gave of their best for the entire campaign and all performed admirably. This massive commitment made it a lot easier
for Ms. O’Neill, Ms. Furey, Mr. Carley and Martin to work with.
For Rachael, Nicole and those starting out on the footballing ladder
there are, no doubt, lots of bright footballing days ahead in St. Olivers.
Both Rachael and Nicole tried their hearts out on Saturday. Hopefully
the experience of having played in final will stand to them and this
time next year will have helped to give them the confidence and belief
necessary to help to make St. Oliver’s the champions once again
in the girls competition, for the first time since 1997.
Members of the Ollies girls squad celebrate with manager Ms. O' Neill after their great win over St. Pauls
St. Oliver’s
2-5 Dunboyne 1-5
The day had gotten off to a bad start when news arrived to the camp that the rock of the defence- full-back Nadia Smyth had to go home after contracting a type of 24-hour bug. It looked as if she would miss the game. However, Nadia is made of sterner stuff than that and by 2-30pm she was togged out along with the rest of her team-mates. Despite feeling very tired as a result of the sickness she still went on to put in a barnstorming display. However, sister Heather was not so fortunate and was consigned to watching the game from a car after she had gotten the bug later in the day. Oliver’s won the toss and Captain Niamhy
Connaty opted to play with the strong wind blowing down the field. The
game started very brightly for the team when Rachael Flynn got a goal
in the opening minutes. Nicole Hanratty then went close with a shot
which tailed narrowly wide before Niamh Connaty scored a fine point
and this was followed up by a good point by Nicole. It looked as if
Oliver’s were about to build up a huge lead. However, that scenario
did not transpire. Instead Dunboyne pulled themselves back into contention
with first a point and then an opportunistic goal which they somehow
managed to scramble over the line. Suddenly it was game on. The Oliver’s
team then hit five wides in succession and at half time were only leading
by a single point with the prospect of playing into a stiff breeze in
the second half facing them. Oliver’s will have been delighted to
have won this game but will also know that they will need to up the
level of their performance if they are to avenge last year’s defeat
and beat Kells in the final, who defeated Ashbourne in the other semi-final.
It will be a tall order but the team is definitely capable of going
all the way. The only worry from this game is that the girls found it
hard to procure scores. Admittedly, it was a strong Dunboyne back line
but the Kells defence will be equally formidable in the final. Jessica
and Elanor Lane worked very hard in the forward line. However, for long
periods of the game they were living on scraps as the ball often wasn’t
coming in to the full forward line often enough. Aoife Davis and Niamh
Connaty did very well in midfield and Niamh Hughes did well when she
came on as she was given the job of curtailing the danger player for
Dunboyne- their number 5. As in all of the games Orla Donegan did a
fine job in goals and dealt well with any shots from the opposition.
However, she could have done nothing about the goal as their were about
ten players in the box at the time it was forced over the line.
Match six St.
Olivers vs St. Pauls Final score- Olivers 1-7 Pauls 3 points Action from last year's final-can the Ollies girls make it 3 final appearances in a row? St Olivers won their sixth consecutive match today after defeating St. Pauls in St. Pauls on a pleasant, sunny Thursday afternoon. This was a good performance overall by the team, especially by the defence who never gave the Paul’s forwards any time on the ball. Also, Danielle Connolly did very well to curb the influence of the Paul’s number 10 who would surely have caused more damage had she not been no closely marshalled. However, the team will not have been overly happy with their shooting in either half. At half time Olivers led by four points to one. Two of these scores came from excellently taken frees by Nadia Smyth. Rachael Flynn and Captain Niamh Connaty also popped up to get good scores. Despite the lack of scores the opening half was enjoyable to watch and this was largely due to the referee who, for the most part, gave players the benefit of the doubt and didn’t blow for many free-kicks. But, considering the sheer amount of possession which the Olivers girls had they were generally having trouble finding the target and a lot of target practice will have to take place before next Thursday’s semi-final. Some players were kicking for points from too far out the pitch when they might have taken another solo and tapped over the bar. Others (no names mentioned!) were afraid to have a shot and passed it to other team-mates when less than five metres from the posts. In the second half Rachael Flynn scored a good point and took a very good goal to put real daylight between the sides. Jessica Lane also put over a good free and Niamh Connaty also got in on the act scoring a terrific point after a thirty yard run. However, the girls will feel somewhat annoyed at a number of dubious refereeing decisions made in the second half but nevertheless they managed to keep their discipline and never complained. There were a number of contenders for player of the match but overall the management were impressed with the team effort and with the way players selflessly offloaded the ball to players in better positions to score. Best for Ollies were Nadia Smyth, Rachael Flynn, Sinead Butler, Sophie, Niamh Connaty and Danielle Connolly while Clare Brennan, Elanor Lane and Heather Smyth all did well when they entered the fray. It will take a massive effort from the team to overcome Dunboyne next Thursday in Dunshaughlin. Dunboyne will feel they were unlucky that one or two of their scores in the last game went over the bar and not under and will surely be looking for revenge. For Olivers the game represents a chance to reach a third consecutive final and to meet either Ashbourne or Kells. A win next Thursday would offer a chance to make it back to another final with the opportunity of exercising the ghosts of the previous two final outings….an opportunity for redemption… an opportunity to make history.
St. Oliver’s vs Dunboyne Thursday, 13th of October Venue:Dunboyne The St. Oliver’s girls team edged their
way into the school’s third consecutive semi-final in a row with
a somewhat edgy win over Dunboyne, in Dunboyne on Thursday, the 13th
of October. Perhaps due to complacency after their big win over Kells
the team never quite matched the levels of playing intensity that were
achieved on the previous outing when a much vaunted Kells team were
almost completely smothered. Against Dunboyne, the team struggled in
the first half. The opposition, buoyed by a large home support threw
everything at the Olivers defence and by half time had a goal and five
points to show for their efforts. The extremely tight pitch perhaps
didn’t aid the Olivers team who prefer the wide open expanses.
Dunboyne won themselves a number of frees in this game resulting from
sometimes silly and unnecessary fouls from our defenders. Their free-taker
didn’t hit a single wide from any of the chances presented to
her in the match. But for two Nicole Hanratty goals in the first half
and an opportunistic goal by Niamh Connaty just before half time Olivers
would have gone in at half time well behind. As it was, they could consider
themselves very lucky to be ahead. It certainly would be a great boost for football in the school to have two county finals to look forward to as we head into the Halloween break!!
St. Olivers vs Kells Final Score: Olivers 2-3 Kells- 0-3 The St Olivers girls secured their fourth victory on the trot on the 6th of October when they defeated a highly fancied Kells team in Simonstown. Having been defeated on two occasions last year by Kells the girls were determined not to make it three in a row. Their determination was evident from the outset. They put in their heads where Kells players were not prepared to put in their boots!! Jessica Lane played extremely well in the first half and bagged a goal and two points for herself while Niamh Lyster also grabbed a goal. In the second half Oliver’s only managed to score a point in the entire 20 minutes while Kells made somewhat of a comeback. However, apart from conceding two points the defence have to be commended for the diligent, focused and disciplined manner in which they handled a highly dangerous Kells forward line. Danielle Connolly and Kirsty Hayden did very well to handle Kells’ danger player who was switched on to Kirsty in the second half having been marked out of it by Danielle in the first half. However, Kirsty simply took over where Danielle had left off and managed to keep the same Kells player largely out of proceedings. Half-forward Nicole Hanratty won player of the match for the intelligent, selfless manner in which she took the ball from the midfielders and the defence and passed it in to the full-forward line. However, in truth a number of players could have won this accolade- Nadia Smyth, Jessica, Kirsty, Danielle, Aoife, Orla, Sinead and Sophie were all outstanding. Everybody played their part in this fantastic win. So one more win next week against Dunboyne and the girls will be facing into a semi-final. If they can keep up and improve upon the level of performance witnessed in the Kells game, especially in the forward line then they’ll surely be in with a shout.
St. Oliver's vs Trim Final Score: St. Oliver's 9-3 Trim 1-3 The St. Oliver’s girls won their third match on the trot in the Cumann na mBunscoil competition when they defeated Trim by 9 goals and 3 points to 1 goal and 3 points. This was a fine display by the Ollies. However, it must be noted that this was a mediocre Trim side who struggled to do anything with the ball when they gained possession. Trim actually got off to a better start and were the first to score but then Rachael Flynn got Ollies on the score sheet with a fine goal. She also got the next goal to put Olivers comfortably ahead. Jessica Lane decided to get in on the act and netted the third goal about midway through the first half. By this stage of the game Oliver’s were in control and any time Trim went on the attack the defence held strong and cleared the ball. When Niamh Connaty arrived (eventually!!!) she also got on the score sheet with a fine point while Rachael and Jessica grabbed more goals in the second half. All in all this possibly wasn’t ideal preparation for a game against the highly fancied Kells side who St. Oliver’s entertain in Simonstown on Thursday next in what promises to be a keenly contested affair. Oliver’s will want revenge for the two occasions last year when Kells defeated them- both in Simonstown in the group stages of the competition and then again in the final itself. The team will be hoping for lots of support for the game.
Match 2 St. Oliver’s vs St. Mary’s, Ashbourne 22nd of September 2005 Final score Oliver's 5-4 : Dunboyne 0-5
Niamh Hughes, Clare Brennan all came on as subs during the game and contributed to the victory. Niamh was most unfortunate not to get on the score-sheet having had a goal denied after she was deemed to have fouled the Ashbourne keeper. Meanwhile, her second shot led to a fine save from the opposition keeper. The defence deserve great credit for keeping Ashbourne scoreless in the first half. In midfield Aoife and Kirsty patrolled the park well while the forwards seemed to work better together than in the initial outing against Duleek. Next up for Olivers will be St Marys from Trim, on Thursday next the 29th.
Match One Sept 15th 2005- St. Oliver's vs Duleek Final Score:St. Oliver's 4-4: Duleek 0-0 Some images from last year's final which the girls team lost The St. Oliver's girls team got their 2005 campaign off to a very successful start today in Duleek when they defeated Duleek by a scoreline of 4 goals and 4 points to no score. The Oliver's girls could have won the match by a lot more had they taken more of their chances. Nevertheless, it was still good for the team to get their campaign off to a winning start. Going into the game Ollies were without Emma Naughton and Grace Dillon who will be both be available again for the next match so their abscence gave those who came in for them a chance to stake a claim for a place. The Ollies backs were never tested too severly during the game but anytime the ball did come in their direction Clare Brennan, Nadia Smyth and company comfortably dealt with any threats. In the middle of the park Niamh Hughes and Aoife Davis gave some great passes into the forwards and Aoife even grabbed a couple of scores herself. Rachael Flynn, Elanor Lane and Niamh Lyster all got on the scoreboard in the forwards and Eadaoin Keys and Nicole Hanratty did very well too. All the subs who came on contributed to the win as well. Next up are St. Mary's from Ashbourne who will surely present a far tougher challenge!
The St. Oliver’s Senior girls Gaelic team 2004 campaign reports and information St. Oliver's girls meet their Waterloo against Kells... The St. Oliver’s girls glorious run in the 2004 Cumann na mBunscoil girls competition came to a somewhat disappointing end on Saturday last in Páirc Tailteann. Going into the game Oliver’s had beaten every other team in the competition at some stage. We had being beaten earlier in the campaign by Dunboyne, Ashbourne and Kells. However, we had convincingly beaten Ashbourne in the semis who had beaten everybody, including Kells. We had defeated Dunboyne last week in a challenge. The only defeat left to be overturned would be against Kells. It still remains to be overturned!! Going into the final we were reasonably confident. We had, of course, only marginally lost to Kells earlier in the competition and had made huge improvements since. So had they, obviously!!! Our preparations for the final had gone well. It had been a disappointment when the match was cancelled on the first Saturday but the challenge against Dunboyne during the week had helped to keep us on our toes. However, from the throw-in against Kells we were out-fought, out-scored and out-manoeuvred. When it looked like one hole had been plugged another appeared. Before we knew it we were three goals down and fighting for our lives. By half time, for the first time in all of our campaign we had failed to register a score. We were being given a footballing lesson by a quicker, more skilful team. For a brief spell in the second half we looked like we might make a fight of it when Amy Naughton goaled along the ground and Rachael Flynn scored a point. However, those were to be our only scores in the contest. Kells went on to get two more goals, the last goal epitomising Kells’ flamboyant, confident style as their no 11 soloed for nearly thirty metres before letting fly with an unstoppable shot. Kells had not looked too threatening the day of their semi final win over Dunboyne. Appearances are clearly very deceptive! For most of the squad it’s the end of their footballing road in St. Olivers apart from the mini-seven’s competition which will be held later in the year. A big thanks to those who took the risk and despite hardly ever having played gaelic competitively before gave their all in every match of the campaign. Performances of note in the campaign to date, of note, from players who had hardly kicked a ball in the campaign prior to the final include that of Clare Droney in the semi-final who kicked 1-2 and the excellent “woman-marking” job done by Aoife Davis and Basrait in the semi-final against the Ashbourne player, who in our previous encounter, had been somewhat of a goal-scoring machine. Well done to our captain Shauna who couldn’t actually made the school team last year but who through sheer determination and huge effort certainly became one of our most influential players this year. However, it is very unfair to single out players, as in all honesty every member of the panel gave of their best for the entire campaign and all performed admirably. This massive commitment made it a lot easier
for Ms. O’Neill, Ms. Furey, Mr. Carley and Martin to work with.
For Rachael, Nicole and those starting out on the footballing ladder
there are, no doubt, lots of bright footballing days ahead in St. Olivers.
Both Rachael and Nicole tried their hearts out on Saturday. Hopefully
the experience of having played in final will stand to them and this
time next year will have helped to give them the confidence and belief
necessary to help to make St. Oliver’s the champions once again
in the girls competition, for the first time since 1997. Oliver's girls resistance wins the day... Saint Oliver’s girls vs Trim
8th/10th/2004 Saint Oliver’s took on Trim today in their fourth championship match on a sunny and pleasant afternoon in Simonstown. It was vital that Saint Oliver’s got a win to keep alive their hopes alive of reaching this year’s semi-finals. They had lost the previous two matches to both Kells and Dunboyne. However, despite the losses it was evident to management and supporters that the girls were making steady but definite improvements from game to game. This overall progress in general play and in attitude was hugely in evidence at today’s game. Saint Oliver’s tore into the game from the off and for the next forty minutes, or so, of action they were totally relentless, focused and single-minded in pursuit of victory. Oliver’s had heroes all over the field and what was most satisfactory for management must have been the fact that players who previously might not have shone were today playing and contesting for every ball as if their lives depended on it!
Ashbourne full-forward crushes Oliver's defence... Saint Oliver's versus Ashbourne Saint Oliver’s went into this game against Ashbourne needing a win to progress to the semi-final and they ended the game still needing a win to progress to the semi-final. However, the girls went into the game minus midfielder Shauna McGuinness who is away for the week. Ashbourne had won all their games to date (3) and so were guaranteed a semi-final position irrespective of the result. The team’s mentors Ms. O’Neill and Mr. Carley were therefore slightly anxious before the game about their team’s ability to compete but they needn’t have been. Saint Oliver’s tore into the game from the start and played in the first half as if their lives depended on it. Rachael Flynn got Oliver’s off to a good start with the equalising score after only a few minutes of play, and things were starting to look very good indeed when Ciara Forde, Aoife Davis and Rachael all scored excellent goals. Aisling Waters, meanwhile, landed a free from a good twenty five metres which left Oliver’s leading at the break by four points. In the first half nearly all the Oliver’s players had been first to the ball on every occasion. However, in the second half it appeared to be Ashbourne who started winning these fifty/fifty tussles. Another smart move for them was to move their full-back to full forward. With her inspired move to the forwards- all changed, changed utterly! She netted five goals for herself in the second half from every angle!!!! She was the difference between the sides. She appeared unstoppable when in possession but was still never guilty of over-carrying. A succession of markers from Aisling Waters to Aoife to Basra all struggled to cope with her. Oliver’s managed to get another goal in the second-half, again from Ciara Forde who is improving with every game. Leighanne did very well in goals considering the threat posed, especially in the second half. Rachael Traynor also won a lot of possession in the game. So now to the final game. St. Pauls in St. Pauls on Thursday, after school. With Shauna McGuinness returning, from her training camp in Spain, Oliver’s have every reason to be optimistic that they can cause an upset on Thursday and reach the semis. It can be done!
Kells girls snatch victory..... 30th September 2004 Saint Oliver’s played the third match of their championship campaign in Simonstown on a pleasant, if slightly windy Thursday afternoon, on the 30th of September against Kells. The omens for St. Oliver’s did not bode well coming into the match. They had been soundly beaten the week before by Dunboyne in Dunboyne by 1-8 to 1-2. Not surprisingly the team and mentors were slightly anxious at the prospect of facing a Kells side who had beaten that same Dunboyne team. However, if this game proved anything it was that previous results count for little. Saint Oliver’s tore into the game right from the off. Before too long the Oliver’s ladies were 1-2 to 1 point up. Aisling Walters was in the unlucky position of having to mark Kells most dangerous player but she did an admirable job. The score at half-time was 1-2 to 4 points. In the first half Oliver’s had the benefit of a strong breeze but in the second half this breeze would favour Kells. And so Oliver’s found themselves on the back foot for much of the second half as they tried to hold on to and also to build upon their lead. With less than ten minutes remaining Kells had pulled matters back to level pegging. Cue Shauna McGuinness with her second goal, a long range effort which found its way into the corner of the net. For the remaining minutes the Oliver’s ladies defended as if their lives depended on it. However, lady luck was not with them on this occasion and in the last two minutes of the game Kells pounced twice with goals and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Needless to say the St. Oliver’s girls were very disappointed but nevertheless their mentors, Ms. O’Neill, Mr. Carley and Ms. Furey will have been very impressed by the massive commitment shown by every player on the day. Next up- Trim girls, who already drawn with Kells. The Oliver’s team will be aware that they will have to find extra reserves of strength, skill and determination if they are to see off the Trim contingent on Thursday next. To do so would keep alive the team’s chances of making the semi-finals. Nothing is impossible.
Dunboyne too strong for Ollies ladies.... Cumann na mBunscoil Primary Schools
Competition
Despite having the wind in the second half Oliver’s were unable to build on the goal and only managed to score two points in the second period. Best for Oliver’s were Aisling Walters, Shauna McGuinness, our full back Sarah Conlon, LeighAnne Tierney- who was very solid in goals and also Rachael Flynn who got the side’s only goal. Saint Oliver’s will have to show a marked improvement in performance the next day if they are to progress to the semi-final’s of this year’s Cumann na mBunscoil competition but as there are only seven teams in the competition they will feel that they have a reasonable chance of progressing to the semi-finals, at least. Manager Ms. Emer O’Neill and coaches Mr. Carley, Ms. Furey will be hoping the lessons learnt from this performance will be put to good use in the matches ahead. Oliver's girls off to a flying start Cumann na mBunscoil
Primary Schools Competition
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