The only team that Dunderry Gaels have at Senior Level is the Hurling Team ,which tells its own story.
Both the Intermediate Footballers and the Intermediate Camogie Ladies are facing their destiny on Saturday.
The Ladies field at 1.00 p.m.in Trim against Boardsmill in the Final.
History of sorts has already been made by this Team as we have never figured in an Intermediate Final before.
We did play at Senior level before ,I'd guess around 1989 when we got there by winning the Junior Championship,there being no Intermediate Championship at the time.
Boardsmill will be expecting to win this as all their home born players have transferred back from Trim to push their native Club over he line.
My perspective is different however.In 2009 an under 14 Dunderry Team beat Na Fianna in a B.final after a massive contest.Na Fianna have since established themselves as credible Senior contestants.
That Dunderry Team is the bedrock on which the present Team is built.Since then we have had a multitude of very successful underage teams and have produced many extremely talented players to augment those girls.
In fact it is a bit like Kilkenny hereabouts as on any given day you could meet several girls with All Ireland medals in the bag.
Although we are denied the services of Labaoise Martyn,Tara and Rebecca Scanlon and some others I would be surprised to say the least were we not to land the Laurels in this vital Final.
G.T.Troy, supremo in recent years, and our own selectors Evelyn Griffin and Tracey Fitzsimons carry a huge responsibility in their hands on Saturday to produce the goods and I have no doubt and a huge expectation they will select a winning team.
Oremus.
The Intermediate Football team play old adversaries Trim in Athboy at 5.30 I think in the quarter Finals of the Inter Football .
We have been unsuccessfully trying since 2005,when I was Manager,to return to Senior ranks.
Men of considerable experience ,some as inter county selectors, some who played that year ,have tried since to steer our footballers back to Senior and failed.
These included Tommy Dowd,Barry Callaghan ,Stephen O Rourke ,all of whom had a cut for a few years each and failed to advance .
In fact Sean Kelly had a cut at keeping us up prior to 2005 but threw his hat at it,so all of the guys who took the job on since 2005 have had the benefit of his considerable coaching nous.
This would include present Manager Kevin Dowd who recently managed the Hurlers back to Senior status and is trying for a double of sorts.Together with his backroom team of Mickey Molloy ,who was a neat wing back in his day,Lee Mulligan ,whose playing career was cut short by injury and fellow Dub.Paudie Brady .And of course former inspirational colossus Phil Fay,we have just about stumbled through from match to match.
Our cause hasn't been helped by the career ending injury to our Finn and the recent breakage ,as far as I know ,to Conor O Sheas ankle.Both these guys made huge contributions to getting us here in the first place.I don't know whether the injury Lukie Martyn got with the Meath Hurlers has fully mended.
I do know that there is always very little between Trim and ourselves in recent years.
I also have observed that the form of out two County men,Simon Carty and Paddy Kenneally is not of the standard I would expect from County men,and suspect that their confidence has been adversely affected by the lack of match practise the got with Meath .
However the few matches they got with Dunderry lately has brought noticeable improvement and this will need to be ratcheted up considerably if we are to win on Saturday.
Of course two men do not a team make and the ordinary less heralded club players who slog it out for the club all year around cannot be forgotten and it is to these we look for inspiration in the main.
Here's hoping.
Of course were things right there would be a double header of both matches at the one venue on Saturday.
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