Fermanagh Football & Hurling

[Gold]

Would that fella Maguire not be worth a crack at the county team? (Derrygonnelly no. 14)

Just saw highlights on TG4 and he looked pretty good.

I think the player you're on about is Derrygonnelly's full forward Kevin (Kevs) Cassidy. He's one of best forwards in Fermanagh club football but I can't remember him ever playing for the county. I think he has been asked on a number of occasions to go to trails but he hasn't shown any interest. He's 30+ now so unfortuantely we'll have to look at alternative options to cure our problems in the forward line.

Listen, he was the best scoring forward on show yesterday  bar none. He may be 33 but he would be fit to play a year--if he played this year they may have beaten Kildare and maybe Armagh, who knows they may not have and he may not be good enough, but if i was Fermanagh manager id be round at his house asking him to play.

Cadden looked to have seriously bulked up and looks the part too, Eamonn Maguire also looked to have bulked up and was much to strong for Harps backs trying to stop him.

[118cmal]

Hey guys, can anyone see anyone knew breaking into the fermanagh XV next year?  I didn't get to see a lot of club championship games this year so don't really know who stood out but some people have talked about paul ward from Derrygonnely very highly.

Still doesnt appear to be any solution at FF though.  If we had another midfielder then perhaps we could throw murphy in there. 

Whats the situation with Owens??

[ExiledGael]

Heard recently that Barry Owens' knee was a lot more damaged than originally thought. The op was more complicated and the recovery will be also. Ligaments were almost ruined. But he'll be back, believe his wedding is some of these weeks and he's really dedicated to the game and the county.
As for potential call-ups we've discussed a few in the last few pages here. Kevin Cassidy could be worth a look up front as could Seamus Quigley from Roslea but Cassidy (Derrygonnelly) is in his thirties now and Quigley (Roslea) has a few wild oats to sow before he'll settle enough for county football.
Paul Ward has a real chance as does Pat Cadden from St Pat's, both very incisive, skillfull left footed forwards, possible Cadden having a bit more strength about him. St Pat's midfielder Paul Cosgrove was by all accounts their player of the year but was cynically taken out at the weekend in the final and has a badly broken collarbone. He's young though and will get a real look in for the county, needs to maybe add a few stone though he has plenty of time on his side. Tempo and St Mick's forward Daryl Keenan, brother of Ryan, is another certain to get a trial at least, but he too had his collar bone broken lately. Looking at him in the MacRory final he seemed a very clever player, perhaps even a playmaker, though that may have been as he was held back by injury. Certain future county player though.
Apparently James Sherry has been in superb form for Roslea lately, papers locally proclaiming his performance in drubbing Ederney as his finest ever for the club. He's playing around the middle and could grow into that position, but as I've said before I'm not sure he's anywhere near hateful enough for the midfield battles in Ulster.
Ryan Carson (blobby) has started playing well for Newtown of late as they've picked up a few results and maybe O'Rourke could talk him into playing but think his work prevented that in the past. Undoubtedly a Fermanagh player if you could get him committed.

[FermPundit]

From all the club games I have seen this year there hasn't been too many players that have stood out. In addition to the players mentioned already I would like to see Daniel Kille get at least a trail. I was disappointed in his performance against Donagh in the championship semi final but by all accounts he has played all year so he's probably worth a look. Shane O'Brien from Belleek was impressive in the intermediate final so I'm sure he'll get a trail as well. Seamus Quigley would be an excellent option to have up front but we have talked at length about his lack of commitment so I'm not 100% sure if Malachy O'Rourke will be giving him a call. Enda Ferris is Ederney's best forward so I'm sure he'll get a trail as well. Given our limited resources and small player pool I don't think anyone will slip through the net. Malachy O'Rourke was had most championship matches so I'm sure if there are any players worthy of a call up he'll give them a call.

[118cmal]

Cheers guys.  I really don't think Ferris has what it takes to be an inter-county footballer, and I also agree that James Sherry is nowhere near nasty enough.  However, I could certainly see him doing a job at FF.  He is a great fielder.

Hopefully Owens will be back for the championship next year.  We also will have Bogue and Ciaran O'Reilly back as well (Both underrated IMO).

I just feel once again the FF will be a problem.  No-one has been able to fill the role since Stevie Maguire left the panel, and to be honest maybe there's no-one in the county capable of doing that job as effectively as he did.

I know there's a separate thread for the ulster championship draw but from a purely Fermanagh perspective how do we feel?  I think Down will be difficult, but if we do get passed them then another final appearance could be on the cards.  I know people wished we weren't in the preliminary round but perhaps it will be to our advantage to have played another championship game if we meet Donegal in the semis.

[FermPundit]

SFL Division One

Enniskillen 0-13 Tempo 1-12

[FermPundit]

Belcoo 0-13 St. Patrick's 1-11

SFL Division Two

Derrylin 0-02 Kinawley 1-13
Erne Gaels 0-09 St. Joseph's 2-10

[ExiledGael]

What the hell were Derrylin at for 70 minutes? Ederney seem to be really flying, will be interesting to see them in the top flight next year.
Great result for St Pat's but absolutely essential. How many teams go down? Thought they could be a bit the worse for ware after the past week.

[FermPundit]

What the hell were Derrylin at for 70 minutes? Ederney seem to be really flying, will be interesting to see them in the top flight next year.
Great result for St Pat's but absolutely essential. How many teams go down? Thought they could be a bit the worse for ware after the past week.

A bit of a row at the end of the Derrylin v Kinawley match. 4 men sent off apparently.

Two teams relegated from divison one, Brookeboro already gone. Roslea and Ederney promoted from Division two.

Lisnaskea 1-09 Devenish 1-11
Brookeboro 0-07 Newtown 1-12

[FermPundit]

Teemore 1-11 Derrygonnelly 1-04

SFL Division One

Devenish  13   20
Tempo  13     17
Enniskillen  13  15
Belcoo  13   15
Newtownbutler  13  14
Teemore  13  13
Derrygonnelly  13  12
Lisnaskea  13   12
St. Patricks  13  10
Brookeboro  13  2

SFL Division Two

Roslea 0-11 Aughadrumsee 1-06

Roslea  11  20
St. Josephs  12 18
Kinawley  11  14
Irvinestown  11  10
Derrylin  11  8
Erne Gaels  11  6
Aughadrumasee  11 2

[FermGael]

SFL Div 1
Brookeborough   0-10        Enniskillen 2-11

Leaves the table looking like this

Devenish  13   20
Tempo  13     17
Enniskillen  14  17
Belcoo  13   15
Newtownbutler  13  14
Teemore  13  13
Derrygonnelly  13  12
Lisnaskea  13   12
St. Patricks  13  10
Brookeboro  14  2 

As far as i can see.  Brookeborough are relegated.  Devenish are the only other team safe from relegation.
Really anybody else can still make the league final or get relegated       

[ExiledGael]

I presume it's 18 games apiece? Should be some Championship type games over the next few weeks.
Apparently Marty McGrath has been called up to the International Rules team after Bernard Brogan pulled out, don't know whether that's good or bad news for Fermanagh but congrats anyway. What a year he's had, the man could write a book.

[Fermanaghandsam]

Any results from todays games?

[ExiledGael]

Heard nothing so far but seen this today and thought it was worth posting. I'd post it on the main thread but it seem more in keeping with the man not to draw too much attention.



Iron man's toughest test
Kieran Shannon Gaelic Games Editor

HE was the coolest man in all of Omagh. Fermanagh had just stunned the national league champions Derry and the entire football world to qualify for only their fourth-ever Ulster final. Yet as that wave of humanity and emotion crashed onto that pitch, Marty McGrath just calmly paved his way through to underneath the main stand.

At half-time, though they trailed by two points, Malachy O'Rourke had told them they were going to win and that once they had they were to take it in their stride and avoid over-celebrating; their target all year had been to win an Ulster final, not reach one. Then, over by the tunnel, he came across team trainer Leo 'Dropsy' McBride. For all McBride's training-ground intensity he had an earthy, imperturbable manner that made it easy for players to relate to and confide in him, so with all this hysteria about the Ulster final already swirling around them, McGrath let McBride in a secret.

"I don't know if I'm going to be about for this Ulster final, Dropsy."

Minutes later in the dressing room he informed O'Rourke. Around the time of the Monaghan game he'd noticed that there was "something a bit tender around there". Then, the Tuesday before the Derry game, he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and told that he'd have to go for an operation urgently. Only management was to know. Outside them, only his immediate family, fiancé, and team doctor, Tom Kiernan, knew. Roisín couldn't even tell her parents, let alone McGrath tell his teammates. He didn't want anyone getting unnecessarily upset or distracted by some 'will he-won't he play' saga. O'Rourke and McBride could have been forgiven for immediately thinking the impact it would have on Fermanagh's Ulster title hopes but their thoughts centred around the player. His welfare, his stoicism, his courage.

That week he would have trained and played knowing he had cancer. That evening he had won the toss yet elected to play against the wind; the way McGrath had figured it, that would turn it into a real battle which was what he and Fermanagh relished. Just minutes later Enda Muldoon had thundered into him with a ferocious side-to-side challenge that caused both men to fall to the ground and the whole of Omagh to shudder, but though it left McGrath rattled for most of that first half, it would become very clear as the evening transpired that Muldoon had come out second best in that collision.

Then, of course, there had been his heart surgery, and, as he puts himself, "the fight with a digger which I lost badly". Now this. About the only tender thing about McGrath was the area that was causing him concern, everywhere else the man was clearly made of granite, but how much more could he endure?

McGrath dealt with it the only way he knew. To keep it in perspective, keep cool and keep his sense of humour. He once said of those heart operations, "It's strange looking round and them operating. They have you relaxing at the start. I looked at my pulse and it was 46 and I was thinking, 'Jesus, I must be fair fit.' Midway through I looked at the pulse again and it was 240. I was glad I got through the second one because it was tough but sure that's only at the time."

As for that famous fight with the bucket of that JCB on the home farm? At first he thought the driver had lobbed some of his lunch at him so he roared back, "What the f***k are you throwing apples at me for?" When he arrived at the hospital, the doctor didn't know what a digger was and wasn't going to do a scan as it would mean calling someone in on a Saturday evening. "Glad he did though," McGrath would later recall, "because it [his jawbone] was fractured."

That's why he wasn't and isn't "going to make a big deal out" of his latest health scare.

"It wasn't a particularly nasty form of cancer, it was a treatable one. It had been detected in good time and there was a good recovery rate so I wasn't that concerned. Probably the worst part was that Roisín had no one else to talk to about it but I never thought for a minute that it would kill me or anything. In fairness to the management, they were saying 'Look after yourself first' but I said, 'Well, football is a big thing to me too.' The operation was pencilled in for the Wednesday after the Ulster final. Win or lose, McGrath would be on that table.

A couple of minutes into the second half a Ronan Clarke goal left Fermanagh trailing Armagh by eight points but then McGrath landed a couple of monstrous points and catches to inspire one of the comebacks of the year and force a replay. The operation was pushed out for another week. Then, after the manner of that defeat, for another two weeks. The Monday week after Fermanagh's loss to Kildare, McGrath was successfully operated upon in a Derry hospital. It would only be after he'd won the Ulster Player of the Year award that his summer condition became public.

By then he was trying out with the International Rules team. A few weeks after the operation Anthony Tohill called wondering why he hadn't shown up at any of the trials. The simple truth was Tohill's call was the first he had been told about them, but as he was recovering from the operation, "that suited me the best, especially with me being a bit wary of this scar". The following week McGrath was down in Parnell Park, battling again with Dermot Earley on that field, while learning off it how Earley himself had battled the same form of cancer.

Two weeks ago a wrecked McGrath took a call on his sofa from Sean Boylan. He was only on the standby panel for Australia. It was something of an achievement when neither Earley nor his own countymen Ryan McCluskey and Mark Murphy had made that, but McGrath couldn't help feeling "a bit disappointed", especially when he'd made the team in 2004. Last Thursday at three o'clock though it was Boylan again. Bernard Brogan was staying home to help his club win the county championship. McGrath was heading Down Under.

It meant a frantic 24 hours, getting the passport sent up to Croke Park, securing the visa, getting work to cover for him, all before dashing down to the Citywest for the All Stars. He'll miss Barry Owens' wedding too. On Thursday night Mark Little texted him that Fermanagh were on the look out for a new captain, now that he was going to be missing Owens' big day. McGrath quipped back, "I never liked that boy anyway!" but the truth is no one else in football can empathise with Owens more. Between their heart surgery, Owens' cartilage and cruciate operations, and McGrath's fight with that digger and cancer scare, they've been knocked down time and time again. And yet, they keep coming back, living strong, dying hard. It's the way these two Fermanagh men are. Not nearly men but iron men. Until they win Ulster they won't rest.

"If you look at where we were this time last year, a vast improvement was made in 2008. But at half-time of the Ulster final replay maybe all that talk you'd heard among your own [community] about the wides the first day seeped through and we made Armagh believe they could win more than ourselves. When we again wasted so much possession against Kildare, it wore boys down. But that's something you learn from, to keep playing through those bad patches like we had in earlier games. Maybe if we had that second week we'd have been fresher but we didn't and that's football.

"Boys are looking forward to going back to it a lot more than they were this time last year. I thought we, especially Clucker [McCluskey], should have won an All Star but maybe it's good we didn't because it makes boys hungrier. Fermanagh still isn't recognised yet. We have to get that Ulster title to get that respect."

For now he has two imminent opponents – Australia and cancer. This Irish team mightn't have the flair that the 2004 side did with players like Ciaran McDonald and Brian McGuigan, but it's mobile and strong and in runner Sean Marty Lockhart has a wealth of knowledge about the hybrid game that McGrath hugely values. As for the cancer, he'll go for a check-up every three months for the next year; then, hopefully, every six months. That's all he can do, all he can control.

"This summer it really helped to have the football. It helps you appreciate what you missed. Football has always been there for me. Those other things, sure you always get over them and get on with it."

So don't feel sorry for him. As he'd say himself, it's no big deal. If anything reserve your sympathy for that poor old digger, cancer and Muldoon – and maybe the odd misguided AFL footballer this next fortnight.

kshannon@tribune.ie

[FermGael]

Newtownbutler    0-9   2-2   St. Patricks      
Teemore    1-11   1-8   Devenish          
Tempo    -   -   Derrygonnelly    Tempo   Not played
Lisnaskea    1-9   1-9   Belcoo    

Leaves the League table looking like this

Devenish  14   20
Tempo  13     17
Enniskillen  14  17
Newtownbutler  14  16
Belcoo  14   16
Teemore  14  15
Lisnaskea  14   13
Derrygonnelly  13  12
St. Patricks  14  10
Brookeboro  14  2

Rounds of games  left to be played:

Enniskillen    -   -           Newtownbutler          
St. Patricks    -   -   Lisnaskea       
Devenish    -   -           Tempo          
Belcoo    -   -           Teemore       
Derrygonnelly    -   -   Brookeboro

      
Derrygonnelly    -   -   Enniskillen          
Devenish    -   -           Newtownbutler          
Belcoo    -   -           Brookeboro          
St. Patricks    -   -   Teemore          
Lisnaskea    -   -           Tempo
         
Tempo    -   -           Teemore       
Brookeboro    -   -   Lisnaskea          
Newtownbutler    -   -   Belcoo          
Enniskillen    -   -           Devenish          
Derrygonnelly    -   -   St. Patricks

Belcoo    -   -           Devenish          
Lisnaskea    -   -           Derrygonnelly          
St. Patricks    -   -   Brookeboro       
Tempo    -   -           Newtownbutler          
Teemore    -   -           Enniskillen    
   
And the one game in hand is

Tempo    -   -   Derrygonnelly