Undoubtedly the highlight of the year was the victory over Jenkinstown Gaels in the League final in Pairc Tailteann in May. It was great to see the happiness in faces of the players, their families and of their former mentors such as Kieran O’Brien, Mick Whelan, Shane O’Brien and Johnny Burke who had brought them along since they first started playing for Skryne.
That we also came within a goal of the eventual Division 1 champions in the Championship quarter-final showed how much the players had improved but should also give them great confidence for their futures with the club over the coming years – they are as good and better than most of their peers in Meath.
It was a long year which actually began before Christmas with one night a week spent with Trevor in the school working on some core strength. Our outdoor training session was in late January and then we played our first of five league games against Dunsany away in early February.
- Dunsany (away): Always in control and won without playing extremely well.
- Summerhíll (home): played very well early on before losing a five point lead late in the game. However, showed great character and composure by kicking three points in the last five minutes to win the game.
- Jenkinstown (away): On a very wet pitch in Monalvey we were out-fought by a strong J.G. team. Again we rallied well in the last 20 minutes to come from 11 points down to lose by just a goal. It was a defeat that proved beneficial later on.
- Dunshaughlín (home): Comfortably beat Dunshaughlin in a one-sided affair.
- Trim (home): A weakened Trim team came to Skryne knowing that the semi-final pairing was already in place for the same two teams. We won comfortably.
- Trim (semi-ñnal): A much stronger and very well organised Trim team proved a real challenge in their own backyard. However, after a pretty even contest we played some really clever and determined football to dig out a memorable victory. This made up for the two defeats to the same opponents in 2011.
- Jenkinstown Gaels (Final): On one of the best evenings of the summer in Pairc Tailteann the lads played some fast direct football in the first half which yielded a number of early scores and set a strong platform to ultimately win the game. A much stronger second half showing by J.G. led to them drawing level with two minutes to go. Then came the highlight of the year for me. Starting with a clearance off our own goal line, the team worked the ball carefully and cleverly down the field to create a goal chance which resulted in a penalty. This was coolly dispatched to the net by Conor and we held on for a great victory. This victory was a just reward for the work and effort the lads had put in and it was a fantastic moment for the 24 young men to share with each other.
After the break for the Leaving Certificate and with the Meath Minors on a successful run, numbers at training became unpredictable and ultimately the quality of work required for Division 1 Championship was not possible throughout these months. However, when things resumed in late September a big effort was put in which resulted in good showings against Simonstown (loss) and Kells (win). This led the team to the quarter final of the championship against Ratoath for which we had home advantage. However, due to inclement weather the game was switched to Ratoath where the team gave one of their best performances of the year to lose narrowly by a goal to the eventual champions.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know this bunch of players and their families. I wish them every success and look forward to watching them wear the blue of Skryne for many years to come. Our captain Harry displayed great leadership throughout the year and it was fantastic to see both him and Conor play in an All Ireland Final. Well done to you both.
As always it was a pleasure to work with Ray’ Mooney and Martin Kennedy. Two extremely loyal, hardworking and dedicated gentlemen who would have done anything for this squad of players. I would also like to thank Johnny Burke for his constant support and practical help with the team. Thanks also to Dessie Finnerty and his committee for their support throughout the year.
Mick O’Dowd
