2007 County football final day in Kilkenny

kilkennycat2004 · June 18, 2007, 06:10:17 PM

There was commitment, there was pride shown in the jersey by all four sides and there was at least 500 people interested enough to attend Nowlan Park to witness.
yes, it was county football final day in Kilkenny but as well as the "haves" there was of course the "have nots"..
There was no match programme, not even a team sheet.
There was no public address system in operation and it took 15 minutes of the intermediate final before someone decided it would be a good idea to switch on at least one of the ground's two scoreboards.
A ball landed in the old stand at one stage and to the surprise of some this was not regarded as a UFO arriving at county headquarters.
Yes, Kilkenny football just about existed to almost complete the 2007 championship. However the senior final ended in a draw and with one of the participants, Glenmore already having an outstanding Intermediate hurling fixture with Danesfort to slot in as well, its probably a case of don't expect a replay any time soon.

To the games.
INTERMEDIATE
The Village return to the senior grade, one they actualy won a s recently as 2003, with a deserved 2-10 to 0-08 victory versus Mooncoin in the opening game.
At half-time the Village led 1-03 to 0-05 the goal having been scored from close range by Eoin Larkin in the opening quarter.
David McCormack was the free taker for the Village although on several occasions in both halves the right corner back came the whole length of the pitch to take frees. Anyway David McCormack scored two points while this number two defender Joe

? got one point.
(*no match programme remember*)
The Village took over in the second half after Mooncoin had got two of the first three scores and when an unanswered 1-05 was registered there was only going to be one winner. The second goal was the first of these scores, scored by the centre forward after good work by Eoin Larkin and veteran Liam "chuck" O'Connor.
Soon afterwards there was a fine individual break upfield by Jackie Tyrell for a fine score. In my opinion Jackie was the best, most athletic and most natural gaelic player of the 70 plus participants who took part in the two games.
A fine speech by the Village captain, the fullback who praised coach Adrian Finan, how proud he was, dedicate dthe win to his late father & all involved in football with the famous city club.

SENIOR
Glenmore have 19 titles while Mullinavat were going for a first ever having lost last years final to Erins Own Castlecomer.
Horror of horrors for the KK fixtures commitee it ended in a draw , Glenmore 1-06 to Mullinavat's 0-09
Mullinavat started with two pointed frees by TG4 hurling underdog Andrew McGovern while at the other end Glenmore were guilty of wayward shooting.
By the interval Mullinavat led 0-06 to 0-03 with both sides showing a fear of shooting from distance.
The Vat men got the first score of the new half also but a Glenmore point and then a punched goal had them all square, 1-04 to 0-07.
Two further points each in the final quarter and it was only when the man from the football board moved to take away the cup for another day that people realised there was not to be extra time.(*no P.A.system remember*)
Probably a case of roll on November for the replay

The Real Laoislad · June 18, 2007, 06:14:34 PM

I remember one Kilkenny farmer telling me one day that he'd rather his son was Gay rather than for him to play football,In the next breath he said,"but sure if he did play football that would mean he was Gay anyways!"

Waterford Lurker · June 18, 2007, 11:42:56 PM

good to see the footballers causing a fixtures headache

the poor divils

Onlooker · June 18, 2007, 11:45:07 PM

I have often criticised the Kilkenny County Board for the way that they treat football, but never realised it was as bad as the fine report by kilkennycat2004 shows it to be. How could any County Board treat 4 Clubs, 70 players and the 500 spectators with such contempt. This kind of presentation of a County Final is not acceptable and not even the most blinkered Kilkenny hurling only official could attempt to justify it. I have never had any love for Kilkenny hurling teams, but certainly hope that they win nothing this year. Such a County Board does not deserve any success.

Hardy · June 19, 2007, 08:31:01 AM

Good report, Cat. Isn't it time for action against Kilkenny Co. Board for their efforts to kill a sport they're supposed to be promoting?

A friend of mine, a football man, is secretary of a club in a hurling county. His chairman is virulently anti-football, constantly giving out about football fixtures interfering with the hurling and proclaiming, in the manner of the worst hurling bigots that, given his way, he'd ban football altogether.

The chairman isn't too comfortable with writing speeches, so he gets the secretary to write his speech for the AGM. The price he pays is that the secretary puts in a few long paragraphs about how they're not doing enough for football in the club, that this year there will be a special concentration on football, etc. and the chairman gets to read it out, with passion.

mannix · June 19, 2007, 08:34:18 AM

At least someone there is interested in football if 500 show up and another man reports how the games played out.The great dj carey played for the cats against wexford a few years ago (obyrne cup ?) and said after the game that he actually likes football.
Perhaps they think they better not dilute the player base as its small enough anyway?

Donagh · June 19, 2007, 08:45:13 AM

Should this not be in the "local GAA" section?

leamtaighabu · June 19, 2007, 12:24:20 PM

THIS IS BASICALLY THE SAME EFFORT THAT APPROXIMATELY 20 COUNTIES GIVE TO THEIR OWN COUNTY HURLING FINALS...

magpie seanie · June 19, 2007, 12:26:55 PM

QuoteTHIS IS BASICALLY THE SAME EFFORT THAT APPROXIMATELY 20 COUNTIES GIVE TO THEIR OWN COUNTY HURLING FINALS...

Very little argument with that point.

BallyhaiseMan · June 19, 2007, 12:32:09 PM

do those 20 other counties field county hurling teams for the league and their championships though?

thebandit · June 19, 2007, 12:40:33 PM

Kilkenny should be banned fom the Hurling, Handball and all GAA championships until they field a team in football, at the very least in the league, with a deadline of 2011 to compete in the leinster championship.

The same penalty should apply to any county not fielding a hurling team

Saffron exile · June 19, 2007, 02:49:31 PM

All 32 counties field hurling teams in the NHL and All Ireland competitions.

rosnarun · June 19, 2007, 03:03:18 PM

If they are not interested who reqally cares . hurley is close enough to extintion with out trying to force the on place where it is essential to dilute the playing base. Im only amazed 500 people turned up .was there any ambiguity over wheter it was camogie or football.
Doubt if the Mayo SHC final would get 500 if it was held on its own

kilkennycat2004 · June 19, 2007, 04:12:52 PM

Quote from: rosnarun on June 19, 2007, 03:03:18 PM
If they are not interested who reqally cares . hurley is close enough to extintion with out trying to force the on place where it is essential to dilute the playing base. Im only amazed 500 people turned up .was there any ambiguity over wheter it was camogie or football.
Doubt if the Mayo SHC final would get 500 if it was held on its own

We had the National feile na gael finals on earlier so that kept a few about and the fact that the senior final was a local derby with two teams from the South of the county and the intermediate final had the city club James Stephen's involved helped.
The most amazing site of the evening was the American couple in the stand who recorded the proceedings on a camcorder and were overheard asking if any of the participants were on "sports scholarships like back home in the states."
By way of contrast the 2005 final was preceded by the local under 14 KK feile na gael hurling final between Dicksboro and O'Loughlins. That day only 200 stayed of the seven or eight hundred their earlier stayed for the under age hurling contest so local football in KK is on an upward spiral :-)

laoisgaa · June 19, 2007, 07:43:44 PM

I'd actually the pleasure of seeing some of the Kilkenny Intermediate final involving James Stephens as I was part of the 'spillover' from the Feile na nGael finals. I'd to leave before half-time of the first match due to work committments that evening but I have to say I was happily enjoying the 'football' until the game turned into soccer for about a minute. It was later explained to me that none of the players train for football (of the Gaelic variety!) It's no wonder that soccer is so popular in Kilkenny when Gaelic football is neglected.

And they didn't find the Mic for the PA system either! I was up in the press box since the feile finals and the officials coming up to the pressbox to realise they had no programmes or a mic was a little bit comic or was it!!!

It's a personal bug-bear of mine , how Kilkenny promote football - I'd only wish for Gaelic games in general that they would do something about it. They did contest the Leinster Junior football championship this year but failed to contest the shield competition, one which was created especially for them and the promotion of football in the county!