ALL-STARS: The Rock All-Stars and their coaches had another profitable morning in Connolly Park last Sunday. More fun again next Sunday at 11am at the Austin Stack Club in Connolly Park…a great morning of activities and fun in a safe space for any child with a diagnosis. How lovely to see the youngsters taking part in social games and enjoying and learning basic football skills. Fáilte Uí Cheallaigh roimh gach éinne. If you’d like your child to join our Sunday morning session just come along or, má tá ceist agat, contact Sandra (087-294 6658) or Sarah (087-281 0239).
BACK TO SCHOOL: ‘Hope everyone has settled into school….give it your best shot, lads! Isn’t it great being back! Go n-éirí go geal libh go léir!
PEIL FAOI 7 (born 2015/16/17): More football on Sunday morning and on Thursday evening i bPáirc Uí Chonghaile. Other teams still to be faced: K-O’R (The Blues) and Legion (The Greens). Our lads are preparing diligently for these upcoming challenges!
PEIL FAOI 9: (i) We’ll have exciting U9 football action at 11am next Sunday morning in Connolly Park when we’ll give a céad míle fáilte to Churchill. This is a return game….we return the favour of our first game of the season v Churchill in Churchill away back in March. Top-class football is expected…gan amhras! (ii) We look forward to travelling to Cork at the end of September for ‘The Barrs’ Tournament….always an outstanding trip; challenging football ahead! Keep up the hard work at our games/matches/training, boys, and everybody will be in tip-top condition for the 80 mile trip to Togher (Cork).
PEIL FAOI 11: These fine U11 Rock footballers had another very enjoyable football last week and great football was played by all. More good football this week! An Charraig Abú!
PEIL FAOI 13 – CENTRAL LEAGUE: This was a play-off game for our Division 1B boys. Scór…Team Amber: 5-10; Milltown/Castlemaine Team White: 2-3. This good result ensures a semi-final spot for Team Amber. The match was played at the John Mitchel Club grounds in Ballyseedy on Sunday evening last (4th). Victory was earned in a powerful first half performance in which, despite playing into a strong gusty wind, The Rock boys claimed 5 goals. 2 apiece came from forwards Nathan O’Connor and Jack Delaney. David Ahern struck for goal from midfield in his second successive game. In addition, some fine points and brave defending left the Rock St boys in a commanding lead…5-6 to 0-2…at half time. The second half was about controlling the game which the boys did with solid defending as well as fine goalkeeping by Seán McCannon. The scoreboard was kept ticking over and, so, despite a couple of late Milltown/Castlemaine goals, the result was never in doubt. Team Amber ran out well-deserved winners. Man-of-the-Match: All 19 players played their part but our captain on the occasion, Séamus Keenan, lead by example and gave a powerful performance of energy and determination that was topped off with a well-taken point. Well done, lads! A semi-final with Na Gaeil next Sunday in Killeen is the reward for Team Amber. So, boys, full commitment to training is a must this Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks to Milltown/Castlemaine for another fine contest. Thanks to the referee for his handling of the game. Team Amber: Seán McCannon, Ediart Topali, Oisín Cotter, Diarmuid Hennessy, Conor Murphy, Liam Swords, Alex Dafoor, Karol Kowalczyk, David Ahern, Noah Reidy, Oran O’Donoghue, Kyle Yoxall, Jack Delaney, Nathan Hurley, Séamus Keenan, Nathan O’Connor, Joe O’Halloran, Killian Coffey, Luke O’Connor.
PEIL FAOI 14 – LEE STRAND TOURNAMENT: Another great tournament took place on Saturday last (3rd). 12 teams, 18 qualifying matches and 3 finals were played at the resumed annual Lee Strand Milk/Denis O’Connor/Austin Stack Club Football Tournament at Connolly Park. Heavy downpours, some sunshine and thunder and lightning did not interfere with the progress of the day’s games! Mike Lynch and his hardworking team of volunteers had everything well-organised and nothing was left to chance. The Abie Allen Plate final was played between Na Gaeil and the Kerins-O’Rahilly/St Pats Clubs i bPáirc na mBan Rialta; Na Gaeil were victorious on a score of 3-6 to 0-3. Paddy Allen (brother of the late Abie Allen from Na Piarsaigh Club in Cork) travelled from Cork to present the plate to the winning captain, Cillian Griffin. The Man-of-the-Match award was presented to Gearóid Moynihan. The Billy Breen Memorial Shield final was played on the main pitch. That game was a local derby between our own club and Churchill; ‘well done’ to the Churchill boys who were 0-5 stronger. Lillian McMahon-Breen presented the Billy Breen Shield to the Churchill captain, Billy Clifford, and presented the Man-of-the-Match award to Seán Hickey. The Lee Strand Cup was up for grabs on the main pitch between Oranmore/Maree of Galway (who had defeated their Galway neighbours in the ‘cup’ semi-final) and Dublin’s Clontarf (having overcome Ballyboden/St Endas by a single point). This proved to be a ding-dong affair and there was only a kick of a ball in it at the end….the victory went to the Dubs (who were in the lead at half-time….1-2 to 0-2) on a score of 2-5 to 2-4. Clontarf won the Lee Strand Cup when the competition was last held in 2019 at Under 13 level. James Sugrue, of Lee Strand Milk, represented the Cup to the Cluain Tarbh captain, Luke Power. Paul and Denis Jnr. O’Connor (sons of the late Denis O’Connor) presented the Man-of-the-Match and Player-of-the-Tournament Trophies. Denis presented the Man-of-the-Match award to Clontarf player, Daniel Rush, and Paul presented the James Hobbert trophy for Player-of-the-Tournament to Clontarf’s David Barr.The Group games: In Group A, our lads defeated Nemo Rangers but were beaten by Oranmore/Maree. The Galway boys beat Nemo and qualified for the ‘cup’ section semi-finals. I nGrúpa B, bhuaigh An Ghaeltacht ar Na Gaeil ach bhuaigh Bóthar na Trá/Cnoc na Cathrach ar an dá fhoireann and qualified for the ‘cup’ section semi-finals. Churchill defeated Inis Díomáin but were then beaten by Clontarf; the Dubs then headed for the semi-finals of the ‘cup’ section. Ballyboden/St Endas were the victors in Group D with wins over the K-O’R/Pats combination and Waterford’s Sráidbhaile and they headed for the ‘cup’ semi-finals.The semi-finals: The Rock v Gaeltacht and Churchill v Sráidbhaile were the semi-finalists in the ‘shield’ competition. Our boys were defeated in that final by Churchill in a downpour and the Churchill lads happily took home the Billy Breen Memorial Shield.The ‘plate’ semi-finalists: Na Gaeil v Nemo and Inis Díomáin v K-O’R/Pats. The Oakpark lads beat K-O’R/Pats in the final and were awarded the Abie Allen Plate.We again thank Gearóid Linnane, Teresa Walker and all at Lee Strand for their great support for this worthwhile tournament. Participating teams/clubs: Club Aibhistín de Staic, Cnoc na hEaglaise, Club Uí Chéirín-Uí Rathaille/Naomh Pádraig, An Ghaeltacht, Na Gaeil, Inis Díomáin (An Clár), Oranmore/Maree (Gaillimh), Bóthar na Trá/Cnoc na Cathrach (Gaillimh), An Sráidbhaile (Contae Phort Láirge), Raonaithe Nemo (Corcaigh), Baile Uí Bhuadáin/Naomh Éanna (BÁC) agus Cluain Tarbh (BÁC).The Rock players: Seán Clifford, Conor O’Regan, Adam Johnston, Eoghan Murphy, Rian Walsh, Eoin Mangan, Ben Litchfield, Denis Brassil, Micheal Cotter, Alex Touhy, Aodhán Horgan, Brian Kavanagh, Rory Lynch, Jake Carmody, Jack Shanahan, Jack Diggin, Denis Griffin, Jay O’Connor, Rory Kavanagh, Paddy Lucid, Max Grzybowski, Jayden Moriarty, Vinny Moriarty, Darragh Lyons, Barry Laide, Gabriel Maszorek, Tadhg Falvey, Harry Murphy. The Rock mentors: Pa Laide, Morgan O’Connell, Joe Walsh and Ronan Kavanagh.
PEIL FAOI 15 – CEANTAR THRÁ LÍ: Austin Stack Club players featured in key roles across the pitch in a stunning display of football on Wednesday evening (31st) in the Kerry U15 County Championship Final when Tralee District claimed a hard-won victory against their Castleisland opponents. Rocky followers appetites’ were whetted by a pulse-raising West Kerry v Mid-Kerry curtain raiser as they filed into the hallowed ground of Austin Stack Park. Any fears of the following match living up to that standard were soon easily allayed as play commenced. Though Castleisland managed an early point Tralee gained composure and momentum as the first half drew on. Stack Club’s defenders Fionnán Ryan, Bao Foley and Liam O’ Connell felt the heat in the later sections of that first half and into the second as the Castleisland attack strengthened. The titanic Tralee crusaders could well have let the scoreline drift away once a gut-punch of a Castleisland goal burrowed its way into the net. Their resolve, their sheer will to win, however, was the winning factor. These young heroes forged on, sending four points over the black spot in quick succession. It was á tête-à-tête from that moment on. No score went unanswered and the scoreline remained stubbornly deadlocked. The lads had school in the morning and parents were growing concerned about extra time until Ronan Carroll sent a gem of a last-minute free kick sailing into the Horan’s End. Kerry’s Seánie Ó Sé would have been proud of such a score! This sealed victory for Gaiscígh na Carraige and this writer believes that there have been atomic bombs quieter than the roar of joy that came from the crowd. The celebrations from this stellar night are still continuing. Like the county minor championship final before it (Ciarraí Láir v Ciarraí Thiar) this was a tie to savour….an incredible display of what we have to look forward to on our future county senior panels! However, it has to be acknowledged that the Oileán Ciarraí boys also performed heroically agus nach raibh idir an dá fhoireann ach barr ribe (a hair’s breadth). Sea, bhí an t-ádh dearg le leaideanna an bhaile mhóir ach fós bhí an bua tuillte acu!We now acknowledge the incredible efforts of all involved….the players in playing and the coaches in training the panel….not least of all our own club members: Coach Morgan O’Connell and his Rock stars….Ben Murphy (captaen), Ryan O’Driscoll (leaschaptaen), Olivier Lata, Bao Foley, Liam O’Connell, Fionnán Ryan, Ronan Carroll, Gavin Casey, Cormac Bastible, Alex Tuohy, Max Maszorek, Rory Lynch, Leon Sweeney, Rian Walsh. Comhghairdeachas ó chroí libh, a bhuachaillí. Enjoy the celebrations and thank you for entertaining your supporters with your superhuman efforts! Thanks to all who gave good support to our boys and who certainly got their money’s worth! (Ó pheann Dháithí Uí Loingsigh).
PEIL FAOI 15 – AN CLUB: Now that the District/Divisional Area Championship is over, we can direct our attention to the U15 Central Region League games. Our club’s Division 1 team v Killorglin’s Laune Rangers in their Central Region League final is scheduled for this Wednesday (7th) and our club’s Division 5 lads will take on Ballymac in their final this Thursday or Friday. (Expect texts re dates/times/venues). And with the above-mentioned Rock boys in top form, we may grasp another cup of victory….or two!!
CLUB LOTTO: Thanks to all who support and promote our club lotto: (i) Barrys’ Supermarket, Upper Rock Street, (ii) Paudie Commane’s Bookshop, Rock Street, (iii) The Burger Shack, Monavalley, (iv) O’Flynn Interiors (Malachy Nagle), Lower Rock Street, (v) Kirbys’ Brogue Inn, Lower Rock Street, (vi) Husseys’ Deli, Prince’s Quay, (vii) Carmel O’Neill, (viii) Maguires’ Butcher Shop, Caherslee, (ix) www.austinstacks.ie (x) and/or on https://play.clubforce.com/play_newa.asp?ll_id=X529#Anchor
AN SIOPA: Items are available to order on www.oneills.com The Ganzee Club Clothing Collection is available in all sizes. Check out all the style ranges in hoodies, t-shirts and sweatshirts on www.ganzee.ie/austin-stacks-gaa-clubs/
CHAMPIONSHIP: Good luck and best wishes to the Austin Stack Club seniors in the Austin Stack Park v Na Gaeil on this Friday ag 8pm.
SCÓR NA SINSEAR: Kerry County Final: 7th October. Munster Final: 18th October. Senior Scór….disciplines required: 4-person table quiz, solo singer, ballad group, dancers (set and/or figure dance), ceoltóirí, sketch, recitation.