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Weekly Notes - 1st November 2006A gem of scheduling!! Of what does one speak? It is of the Ladies County Board's decision to fix Éire Óg's league-determining game against Baltinglass for Sunday last at 7.30pm in Baltinglass that one speaks. Admittedly nothing could be done about the venue - it was a home match for Baltinglass - but the time! That the 4 hour excursion involved - Baltinglass is the best part of 50 miles from Greystones - had for the most part to take place in darkness, made it a singularly unattractive undertaking for players and mentors and discouraged all but the most intrepid of supporters. The journey, amidst the encircling gloom, was definitely not calculated to have our ladies in the best frame of mind taking the field. And it showed.For much of the first half they were at sixes and sevens and the opposition took full advantage of their disarray. They pulled our backs out wide and opened up channels which afforded the Balto attack unimpeded access to our goals, of which they fully availed. Approaching the interval the Éire Óg girls began to play with some semblance of their true selves and this improvement continued into the second period. In particular, our back division tightened up considerably and the Balto girls found it much more difficult to find a path to goal. Meanwhile the forwards began to get scores - points in the main. An unfortunate tendency on the part of the forwards to crowd the goalmouth made majors difficult to come by. Then misfortune struck and our improving cause was dealt a deadly blow when Balto's account was credited with a goal that wasn't. Deirdre Walsh played literally to a standstill - a steam deficit eventually caused her to be replaced. She performed outstandingly in the 1st half and had a major role in keeping Balto's interval lead to a "we still have a chance" level. Lorna Fusciardi became much more influential after the break and, consequently, the forwards were afforded a more plentiful supply of ball. Áine McCarthy and Fiona Lavelle made welcome returns to the panel. A note of disappointment: It is important for the future of the Ladies' Gaelic that referees and mentors act to ensure that the game be played in a truly sporting manner and that it not become contaminated by some of the less desirable aspects of the men's game. On Sunday Caoilfhionn Deeney was targeted - she still had a very good game - and was subjected to extremely risqué (with respect to rules) attention. An Éíre Óg player mentioned this to the referee who agreed and said he had noted same. But that was where the matter rested; he never even cautioned the player. All in all an unsatisfactory end to a season which held much promise. Individually, players have shown great improvement but as a team we seem to lack some vital ingredient for championship success. Saturday, a day to rival any of the season itself for the designation 'summer'. A day to heighten our awareness of the glorious rus in urbe (urbanised countryside) environment that is that of the Greystones of to-day - are we on our way to destroying the thing we love? What better place to enjoy these advantages than Éire Óg's grounds with the added value of pleasant company and an entertaining league match between Éire Óg and Ashford. B'aoibhinn bheith beo ar ocáid dá leithéid. The game, unlike the weather, had the air of end of season about it - it lacked the cut and thrust of those vital summer games but yet, there was still much to admire in the play of both teams. A close contest and a steady scoring rate ensured that spectator interest never waned. Éire Óg lost by a point or two but we could take a positive from the game in that the lads never gave up. Indeed they had the Ashford goal under siege for the last ten minutes. Definitely a winnable loss. Profligacy in front of goal was our downfall. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Oran Bambrick who suffered a shoulder injury in the game. |
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