Remember the team (9) ...
Mullingar Shamrocks: Adam Smith; Neil Hannigan (Ryan Blundell), James Ledwith, Jack Quinn; David Coyne (Mark Hegarty), Dylan McDermott, Darren Keena; Killian Daly (Joint Captain, 0-1), Ricky McCarthy (1-0); Dean Scally (0-1), Patrick Fagan (1-2), Conor O'Brien (0-2) [Michael Joyce], Dylan Cannon (0-1) [Nathan Smith], Neil Harrison (Joint Captain, 0-2) [Ciarán Mullen], Ricky Donoghue (2-4). Other Panellists: Simon McElvery, Gary Burke.
Management: Patsy Fagan, John Corroon, Davy Coyne, Kevin Daly, Robbie Harrison.
The Occasion: Westmeath Division 1 Under-14 football final played in Kilbeggan on 1 November 2008.
The Result: Mullingar Shamrocks 4-11 Caulry 2-6.
The Match: After fifteen uneventful minutes the teams were level at 0-2 each after fifteen minutes. The next fifteen determined the outcome as two goals by Ricky Donoghue and a long range effort from Ricky McCarthy made recovery very difficult for the Caulry boys. According to the Westmeath Examiner the third goal 'was certainly the pick of the bunch' as Neil Harrison flicked the ball to his Ricky Donoghue 'who rifled the ball low to the corner of the net. The goal was a picture of beauty and skill. The flick by Harrison was characteristic of his entire performance in this final. He may not have ended up with as high a scoring tally as Donoghue but his vision, passing skill and all-round team play was a joy to behold'. Another Ricky Donoghue point earned Mullingar Shamrocks an interval lead of 3-3 to 0-3. Points from Donoghue, Paddy Fagan and Conor O'Brien for Shamrocks and one for Caulry from Andrew O' Sullivan extended the lead to eleven points after ten minutes of the second half. A Mullingar Shamrocks penalty was brilliantly saved by fullback Michael McMahon on temporary goalkeeping duties and this inspired a Caulry recovery. A Caulry goal was matched by a similar tap-in score by Paddy Fagan. Andrew O'Sullivan scored a great individual 'goal' for Caulry but to the consternation of the Caulry players, mentors and supporters it was called back for a free that was pointed. In the fiftieth minute Michael McMahon beat several men to blast the ball to the net but points by Paddy Fagan, Killian Daly and Robbie Harrison secured the title for Shamrocks. The introduction of substitutes in the final minute added to the excitement as Shamrocks introduced six (only five allowed at the time); Caulry requested a recount but when the referee was finished his spot check the sixth man was back in the safety of the dugout. Caulry then introduced an extra man of their own while the calculations were taking place. Not the most stress free day for the referee who was also delayed on his way to the venue which resulted in a 30 minute delay before the ball was thrown in. All part of the fun and games that we are now missing in this era of lockdowns, social isolation and family devastation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Significance: Nothing in particular but this proved to be the beginning of the end of Mullingar Shamrocks success rate at Under-14 level. Only one more Under-14 title has been won since that victory against Caulry. The return from this band of players has been good with 5 of the team winning senior football championship medals, three going on to play senior inter-county (Killian, Paddy and Dylan McDermott for New York), one going on to professional rugby with Leinster and Killian also captaining Westmeath to win the O'Byrne Cup.
Question: Is Paddy Fagan our only player to score a goal for a winning Mullingar Shamrocks team in Under-14 and Senior finals. Any other candidates? ... a couple of possibilities out there.
