St Nicholas bring home the crown!
ST NICHOLAS were the pride of Wicklow at the weekend as the young men from the west returned home from their weekend in Cavan with the Féile crown.
It was a resounding win and a remarkable achievement for the young players and their mentors made all the more impressive in that it was the second Féile title in a row for many of the players and third in two years if you include the hurling Féile title they picked up last year as well.
The team was hosted by the Kingscourt club in County Cavan and both players and staff cannot extend their thanks to their host club enough for the brilliant treatment which they received throughout their weekend away.
In total teams were only allowed to name 24 players on the playing panel for the weekend which gave the Nics mentors the harrowing and unfair task of cutting down the panel.
However the whole squad travelled up together and though some may not have played in the games the support which they showed and the memories they’ll carry with them from what was a great weekend will no doubt spur on those players to have great playing careers themselves and their contribution to the weekend was invaluable.
St Nicholas began the weekend with a group match with Tyrone lynch pins and club team of the great Peter Canavan, Errigal Ciaráns.
However, the lads from the west were in no way over awed by their illustrious opponents and turned in a brilliant display winning comfortably in the end.
Next up in the group phase was Cavan team Laragh. St Nicholas picked up from where they left off against Ciaráns and came away with another resounding victory to lead the way in the group after two matches and with a healthy score difference in tow. A notable feature of the wins and throughout the rest of the tournament was that the management rotated around their side and everyone got a fair shot at the action.
The penultimate group game pitted the young stars against their hosts Kingscourt in what was a crunch match in their bid to reach the knock out stages of the cup. St Nicholas knew that a win would guarantee their passage to the quarter finals and although the local side offered stiff resistance and the match was in the balance for long periods the Wicklow lads prevailed with four points to spare. The match was fiercely contested but played in great spirits by both sides and afterwards the lads in Kingscourt were very gracious in defeat to their visitors.
Having won the group St Nicholas were drawn against Dunboyne of Meath, who are managed by another GAA legend and multiple All Ireland winning manager Seán Boylan.
In a cracking game St Nicholas edged home to victory and booked their place in the semi-finals, which was to be played the following morning. After the game Seán Boylan congratulated all the lads and gave them some invaluable advice which was a great moment for both players and mentors a like.
Throughout the game St Nicholas received great support from their hosts Kingscourt. Later that evening a club mass was held in Kingscourt and they also organised a disco for both teams where great craic was had. The Nicholas players had a fantastic time and they were all back in their host houses at a reasonable hour as they had a serious job of work ahead of them on the Sunday in the knock out stages.
Things didn’t get any easier as the St Nicholas faced Fermanagh team Kinawley Brian Borus in the semi-finals. After a shaky start where things didn’t go their way in the opening half the lads showed great composure and went on to win the game reasonably comfortably by 6-8 to 5 points to ensure an incredible second successive Féile final.
The final was an all south east affair as Carlow opponents Graigcullen stood in the way of yet another Féile trophy for these young lads. But on the big occasion St Nicholas were absolutely magnificent and showed no signs of nerves. Jack Keogh scored 1-2 inside the opening five minutes which was the catalyst for what was to come as they ran out comfortable winners in the end on a score line of 3-12 to 3 points.
There were jubilant scenes after the match as players, mentors and supporters celebrate what was a hard won and thoroughly deserved win and a great weekend in general regardless of the football.
Huge credit must go to the mentors Mick Murtagh, Ger Reid, Eddie Eager and James Geoghehan for the work they put in with the lads and the job their doing at underage level in general.
Also to Dunlavin and DonardThe Glen clubs for all their support financially and otherwise for making the trip possible and to all the parents who helped as well.
The biggest congratulations of all however must go to the players who behaved immaculately all weekend and were a credit to their club and as representatives of their county.
To win one Féile title is no mean
feat but to back it up and repeat the success the following year is brilliant and shows the talent that is at underage level in Wicklow.
The heroes returned to a well-deserved home coming and the trophy will be shown around schools in the local area to cel- ebrate what was a magnificent weekend and hopefully inspire some of the younger generation into starting up the game.
It really is an inspirational achievement and one which should live long in the memories for all involved.