Moynalvey poised to make big impact

After a number of years in decline, Moynalvey GAA club are certainly enjoying the limelight in 2008 and they added another piece of silverware to their impressive haul of trophies when they won the Leinster JFC decider at Rochfortbridge on Sunday. Last September Moynalvey landed the Matthew Ginnity Cup for the JFC, a trophy they had won previously in 1981 during an era when they made it to the senior grade and were, for many years, one of the top teams in the annual race for the Keegan Cup. However, they endured relegation to the intermediate junior ranks in more recent years, but they have now turned around their fortunes and can look forward to a promising campaign in the 2009 IFC. The club also enjoyed success at under-age level this year and only last week added a u-15 FL title to earlier successes at u-14 and u-21 levels. Those statistics certainly augur well for the future. Last Sunday the club"s supporters travelled in large numbers to Rochfortbridge to cheer on their team against the home side, St Mary"s, in the provincial decider. There was even the spectacle of an under-age game at half-time between teams from both clubs. The fact that St Mary"s had the benefit of home advantage did not sit well with Moynalvey manager PJ Cummins, but he just got on with the job and at when Offaly referee Damien Brazil ended the contest at around 3.30 on a freezing cold afternoon, it was the men from Meath who were smiling after they had carved out a thoroughly merited victory for their Kildare manager. And this was not an easy task either. St Mary"s of Rochfortbridge had also experienced the trauma of relegation from the senior ranks, but their demise took place over the past two years as they were a senior team as recently as 2006. They took a big reputation into Sunday"s game and for long periods in the opening half they caused Moynalvey plenty of problems. But this Moynalvey team boasts a strong character with players of the calibre of Damien Dixon and Cathal Sheridan augmented by the Donoghue brothers and the exciting talent of wing-forward Mark O"Sullivan. Sheridan has a rich haul of medals from his inter-county playing days, but, as he admitted afterward, he hasn"t enjoyed too much success at club adult level until now. Last year he won a SHC medal with Kiltale and lost the JFC decider to Clann na nGael. Talk of retirement was, understandably, in the air. Moynalvey supporters were, no doubt, delighted, when Sheridan opted for another campaign. He could hardly have envisaged that he would still be playing championship football scarcely a week before Christmas when the race for the Meath JFC started with a defeat by Moylagh earlier this year. Now, Sheridan has to contemplate championship football in 2009 as Moynalvey look forward to the All-Ireland series with the next test looming on Sunday, 11th January. The Moynalvey players and management know that it won"t get any easier, but based on the evidence of Sunday"s performance, they have the credentials to keep this run going. More success would definitely put the village of Moynalvey firmly on the map again and don"t rule them of the equation when it comes to contenders for the Meath IFC title in 2009.