Mooney's men march on.

The Junior D's played tonight in the Championship in Bective and beat Dunshaughlin by 3=8 to 2=6 on a pitch that was wet but playable.
Bective are a progressive club and have two full lenght pitches in a fine grounds.The pitch entrance is a fine affair and proclaims the name of the Club as "Bective Cannistown".Is this correct ?
In any event there are great Gaels there as a gate was collected to cover the referee,no mean feat on a hateful and wet Monday evening.And the pitch was in fine fettle.Both teams had a plentitude of players  and the referee turned up and did the business.He is still learning his trade and fair dues to the players and mentors ,they kept stum all of the of  time and only gently protested a very odd time.
I have noted Donie Mooney training this team in the pitch a number of times lately and it is a great credit to him and his co-selectors,Liam O Farrell and Mick (West ) Newman that they produced such an enthuasiastic panel of players on such a bad evening.
Donie is doing the business and the undoubted football nous of Liam and the West,.learned on the playing fields of Meath in their distant youth (I remember them playing) ,and their extensive tactitical knowledge makes this managerial combination amongst the best in the county .
Signs on it as this victory is the second on the trot and well deserved.
There were three generations of Mooneys in the field,Danny and his wife,Donies' parents,Donie and his own son Shane,who played a vital part in the half forwards in securing this victory.
Danny avoids the limelight but supports Dunderry all of the time and is ,I believe a staunch supporter of the Meath Hurling Team,both at home and away.He certainly is a staunch supporter of his own family's GAA endeavours here and rarely misses a match.A Fior Gael.
Dunderry fielded as follows.


                                                            Barry Farrell

Joey Martin                               Martin lipple                            Fergal Maguire

Stefan Clarke                            Gary Fitzpatrick                       Kevin Daly

                          Martin Mc Keever                    Eddie Maguire

Joey Farrell                               Shane Mooney                          Davy Gilkinson

Stephen Brennan                        Damian Bruton                        Paul Curtain.

Nearly all these players are home grown,even Eddie Maguire ,who didn't take up the game with relish until he landed here.One exception is the full back a Cavan man who now resides in Lamby.He is a fair fullback,and no there was no need to play him for a minute in a hurling match to secure his eligibility.
The team is a combination of age and youth ,speed and cunning and they back each other up all the time , encourage each other and do not do moaning.At a wild guess I would say that the combined age of the midfielders would exceed four score .Both men are shining examples as they are as fit as fiddles and not bad footballers either.Both played well and more than broke even.Eddie scored a point to great acclaim  and I say this ,not as his father in law,but as an accurate record of the reaction to the score.Clearly he and his older team mates are well respected by the younger members and the supporters.
Barry had a good outing in goals and this does not surprise me as I mentored him as a juvenile and he was always good.He has definite promise and is capable of moving up the ranks with practise and application.If he stays at it this time around good things may happen for him..The full back line was solid and Joey Martin is one fit man.The half back line is tough ,Gary being as strong as an ox and Stefan forged forward to score a sublime goal,top left corner.  Kevin was under a bit of pressure fitnesswise but managed admirably until something snapped.Beidh se ar ais.
I have already covered the mid field and in the half forward line Gilky was a cut above buttermilk and is only back from injury.Billy Bligh,Kevin Keaveney and MIckey Casey were present will have designs on him,I have no doubt.Shane did very well and lofted over a few slick points and Joey is hungry for football and is showing glimpses of the form that earned him a place on a Feile under fourteen hurling team 16 years ago ,when we got hard to bring him back from Confey.
 Depite missing out on juvenile football in his youth Damian was a fearless full forward and played well.Stephen,whose father Tony walked the walk with Meath,Castleblaney and Dunderry,as player and Manager ,did his bit and is slimming down well and Paul,who I remember from my managerial days at juvenile level is adapting well from thedisciplines of the Garrisson game.
Mick Keaveney,who never misses a training session ,was introduced to goodeffect as was Kevin Clarke,Stephen O Donnell and Alan Caey            .
All in all an enertaining outing.Take a bow lads.