ROCKCORRY G.A.A.

CLUB NOTES

12^th February 2013

Annual Social & Presentation Night

The club victory celebration dinner was held last Saturday 9^th February in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan and there was an excellent crowd in attendance and it was an amazing and very enjoyable night.  We promised you a party and wow it was a fantastic occasion especially as the Vincent McAviney Cup was present alongside the under 12 & under 14 trophies. It was a great night and the party continued into the wee hours as family and friends gathered to socialise, recognise and acknowledge that magical moment back on Sunday 28^th October 2012 when our intermediate team secured promotion to senior ranks. Special guest Sean McKenna, representing Monaghan County Board, presented medals to the victorious intermediate panel and it was truly a surreal moment to witness the lads collect their medals. Speaking to Damien Matthews after he collected his medal he said “I feel great, it’s wonderful, it’s terrific to finally get my hands on a medal after many years of trying…it’s one of the highlights of my life.”  A special presentation was also made by Mark Daly & Keith Daly to the team management Jim Clifford and Cormac McFadden where they each received a framed photograph of the historic intermediate team.

Senior Player of Year

Special achievements were also acknowledged with presentations to players of the year. Stephen Lynch was named the senior player of the year and by all accounts was a very popular choice. Stephen, who has overcame many difficulties with injuries, had an outstanding year in defence and was certainly one of the key cogs in our historic campaign where the defence consistently marshaled their opponents and was a rock on which our success was built. Wearing the number seven jersey he had the uncanny ability to pop up all over the field all the time and in the league final against Doohamlet his crucial goal was brilliantly taken. A player with a first class attitude he is one of our most committed players and is certainly a role model for our younger players. Tenacious in the tackle and when the occasion required he stood tall, “thou shall not pass”. He delivered consistently strong performances throughout the season and contributed a lot of hard graft to our cause and fully deserves the award.

Reserve Player of Year

Given our defence was ‘Solid as a Rock’ all year it was no surprise that the reserve player of the year was given to Conor McGeough. It may have been a tough year for the reserve team and sadly due to small numbers we had to withdraw from the competition but one man who could be relied on was Conor. Wearing the number two jersey, on our senior team, he honed his skills and took to it like a duck to water and quickly earned the reputation as a no-nonsense defender where he hardly put a foot wrong all season as he snuffed out numerous attacks efficiently, quietly and effectively. Equally adept at making surging runs he has an abundance of pace and his displays during the year were eye catching and at only twenty years old his best days are certainly ahead of him wearing the green & white jersey.

Minor Players of the Year

Fergal McGeough and Lorcan Smyth collected the minor player of the year award after a very impressive year. Both players were members of the Monaghan minor team in 2012 and having come through the underage grades they have grown and developed into fine footballers with a ‘good head’ for the game. Both lads are supremely athletic and proved a valuable addition to the team causing plenty of trouble in opposing defences and bagged some vital scores from play and some beauties from placed balls during our historic journey to senior football.

Hall of Fame

Every club has their fair share of unique characters and we are no exception. It was no surprise that Billy Carroll was named this year’s Hall of Fame recipient. Billy, who now resides in Ballybay, represented the club with enthusiasm and inspired fellow team mates wearing the green & white jersey or I suppose back in those days it may have been the yellow & white jersey! On the field he always played with pride, passion and always performed with complete dedication and was a formidable opponent. He usually played in defence and had the ability to read the game very well and like his brothers Bosco & Jimmy he was fiercely competitive. During the sixties and seventies there was no such thing as proper playing pitches and in those times matches were played in meadows or other suitable pastures. Games were, let’s put it politely, physically demanding and most players were big, strong and would not stand back. This certainly provided Billy plenty of opportunities to showcase his ‘special talents’ because when the going got tough he was never one to be found wanting! One of his finest hours representing the club was reaching the Dr. Ward Cup final in 1969 however, sadly on that occasion they were defeated by Sean McDermott’s after a gallant performance by 1-6 to 0-5. Billy was a member of the club during a time when the existence of a club was very challenging. The club experienced some lean years on the football field during the early part of the seventies but a lot of hard work took place during that time to raise funds for a new sports field. In 1975 Billy returned as a member of the “Veteran Footballers” team that played a team of the day to officially open the Dartrey Sports field on 9^th August (for the record the team of the day won!) After his playing career he still took an active interest in the club and was part of the 1979 team management alongside his brother Jimmy and the late greats Gerry Cleary and Joe Patterson. Despite reaching the Dr. Ward Cup final they again sadly missed out on capturing the silverware when Killanny won by 2-3 to 1-3. The club is delighted and honoured to recognise Billy Carroll’s achievements and his contribution to the club during challenging times. We welcome him into our Hall of Fame and it’s a fitting acknowledgment for his involvement and influence.

Charity Auction

 

Last Saturday night at our Annual Social I have to acknowledge the extraordinary generosity of people who supported and bought items at an auction that was held during an interval and raised over €800.00. Our historic and victorious intermediate team signed two footballs plus a jersey that was worn by team captain Keith Daly during the intermediate league final and the items were put up for auction with all proceeds being donated to the Irish Heart Foundation.  This was a fantastic opportunity to own a unique piece of club history and sincere thanks to Sheila & Mickey Smith and Kieran Fitzpatrick who bought the two footballs and a syndicate consisting of Martin Carroll, Cathal Sheridan, Dwayne Rooney, Jamie Smith & Andrew Carroll bought the signed jersey.

Charity Fund Raiser

Oops, I have only gone and done it again and volunteered to do another challenge to raise money for the Irish Heart Foundation. This time following in the footsteps of the great explorer Edmund Hillary and climbing the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, well actually it’s treking to Everest Base Camp. I will be holding a charity fund raiser to raise money, once again, for the Irish Heart Foundation (date to be confirmed). Unfortunately, each year nearly 10,000 people suffer a stroke in this country and sadly, we all know someone that has been affected by heart disease or stroke. Two years ago I was indebted to your support and I would be delighted if you could sponsor me to help raise funds to give vital support to people affected by heart disease and their families affected by this illness. The money raised will go towards vital research into fighting heart disease and the stroke campaign F.A.S.T.

Juvenile Presentation Night

The juvenile committee has advised me that our juvenile presentation night will take place on Monday 18^th February in St. Mary’s Hall starting at 8.15pm with registration of players followed by presentations of medals to the victorious under 12 and under 14 footballers. Special guest on the night will be the Sam Maguire Cup and it promises to be another great occasion.

Training

The last four months have been really special since winning the intermediate league and will never be forgotten. However, it’s now time to draw a line in the sand and start preparing for the year ahead. There are no official fixtures out yet but it is anticipated that the reserve league starts at the beginning of March with the senior league schedules to start at the beginning of April. We have a tough campaign ahead of us in the senior league so no stone must be left unturned as we get ready for the start of the season. Training continues every Tuesday and Friday nights and all players are requested to attend. If however, you are unable to make it please notify Jim or Cormac.

Monaghan GAA Winter Coaching Workshops 2013

A coaching workshop entitled “Games to Develop Football U16 to Senior” will take place on Wednesday 13^th February between 7:30pm to 9pm. The venue will be the Monaghan County Training Grounds located at Cloghan and the tutor will be Tony Scullion.

Spring Coach Education & Development Programme 2013

A Foundation coaching courses will take place on Friday 15^th and Saturday 16^th February (football only). Times – Fri 7-10pm Sat 9:30 – 4:30pm; Cost – €30.00; Venue – To be confirmed. Foundation Courses can be arranged for week nights and delivered over 3 weeks. If anybody is interested in this please get in touch as soon as possible. This course is open to beginner coaches of all age groups. Attendees are reminded that they MUST also complete a GAA Child Protection Workshop (Friday night) to fully complete their Foundation Coaching Award. Please log onto our website for a full schedule of courses and information at www.rockcorrygaa.ie

Top 4 Lotto Results

The numbers drawn on Monday 11^th February were 1, 2, 22 and 23. There was no jackpot winner of €1,700.00. The following won €15 each :-Aiden Sheridan (Junior), Aghabog, Derek Anderson, Newbliss, james Fox, Rockorry, Pat McCabe & Katie Boyle, Newbliss, Sheila Mullen, Cootehill, Tina & Stevie, Rockcorry, Aiden Sheridan, Rockcorry, Patsy Connelly, Rock-Anney. Next week the jackpot will be €1,800.00 and the draw will take place in the Maple Bar. Thank you for  supporting our Top 4 lotto draw.

Annual Top 4 Lotto Ticket

Don’t forget, you can now support the club’s Top 4 lotto by entering for 12 months, 6 month or a 3 month period. To play simply select your four numbers between 1 and 28 complete the form and you need never miss a draw again! Tickets cost €90 for the 12 month option. Your continued support is always much appreciated and we wish you good luck in future draws.

Club Membership

Club membership is now due once again and can be paid to our club Registrar Pat Brannigan. The annual subscription for adults is €20 with all juveniles under the age of 18 costing €5 and any student that can provide a valid student card the membership fee is €5. It is important that ALL players pay their membership as soon as possible otherwise you will not be covered under the GAA insurance scheme. Please note that club membership will close on Sunday 31^st March.

Happy Birthday
Congratulations and happy birthday to Garry Calvert & Bernie Calvert who celebrated ‘significant’ milestone recently and like a fine bottle of wine they are both improving with age. Happy Birthday folks and many more of them.

Sympathy

On behalf of the club I would like to extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the Treanor family on the recent passing of Ada Treanor. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this sad time and may she rest in peace.

Club Notes

If anyone would like to include anything within the notes please send the details by text (086-1041165) or email rockcorrygaa@live.ie. All notes must be with me before 9pm on Monday evening.