Proud Pappy over the moon after win
NORTH WICKLOW GAELS manager Pappy Frawley was bursting with pride in Aughrim on Sunday afternoon as he watched his sons play a massive role in his team’s county ‘A’ Minor hurling final success.
North Wicklow Gaels have been the story of the Mionor championship this season and together with Bray Emmets they delivered a thoroughly entertaining and quality ‘A’ decider that was in the melting pot right until the latter stages when Michael Shannon buried the ball in the back of the Bray net after Gavin Rochford had bulged the Gaels onion sack seconds beforehand.
‘It was fantastic. Bray are a fantastic team. We were expecting a really tough match and that’s exactly what we got. It was very entertaining. Not good for the heart, though, on the line. Great bunch of lads. They never let us down, haven’t let us down in years, I knew they wouldn’t let us down today.
‘I was just afraid the auld nerves might have got to them and it’s absolutely fantastic to be county champions,’ said Kilcoole’s Frawley whose sons Charlie and Luke were on the field with Luke sharing the man of the match award with the outstanding Bill O’Brien.
Joint captain Shane Collins said in his captain’s speech that many of this talented panel were close to walking away from hurling altogether a few years previous but that here they were on county final day as champions. Pappy Frawley expanded on that point.
‘With the changing to 15s and 17s from 16s and 18s, that changed big time, and we lost a couple of lads. But we went
knocking on doors and we got them back. Shane Collins was one, he was captain today, centre half back, he was immense today.
‘We’ve two lads from Pat’s, Bill and John O’Brien, and they’ve been superb all year. The same for the lads from Greystones. It’s a combined team. We went to Féile a few years ago and they had a fantastic time, and they gelled. This is the culmination of all that. They’re a great bunch. We were training from last November. And then the lockdown came and we could do nothing, but today is brilliant,’ he said.
Luke Frawley and Bill O’Brien shared the man of the match
award. Pappy agreed that both were excellent.
‘He (Luke) made two great saves in the first half that kept us in it. In fairness to Luke he’s been excellent all year. And the same for Bill,’ he said.
What were the big moments in the game from his point of view?
‘We switched Joe Prendergast back out to midfield and it sort of nullified Finn Treacy and them in the midfield. He gives us great firepower up front but, unfortunately, we had to bring him out. We got goals at the right time. Bill got a great goal. He just pulled on it. If there had been no net it would have been in Ballinglen.
‘Michael Shannon came on, great kid, came on and got 1-1 in a county final. You can’t ask for much more than that can you?’ he added.
It’s a significant win for the north of the county with many of these players going on to play for the Kilcoole, Éire Óg and St Pat’s Senior teams in the very near future all going well.
‘This is everything. For the Kilcoole club alone – we don’t have a team of our own but they’re coming behind us. These lads will go on and play Intermediate and Senior please God and it’ll be brilliant. This will drive the young lads on. Success breeds success.’