Navan club president is looking forward to new season

RUGBY Preparations continue at Balreask Old

Great to be back. That was the sentiment around Balreask Old on Tuesday night of last week as the club's senior team put in place the final preparations for the start of the 2021/2022 All-Ireland League (AIL) season.

Tuesday night is training night for a number of the club's teams and the various floodlit pitches at the venue were occupied by players going through their paces - just like it was back in the day before the word Covid came to do its worst.

Navan will start their AIL Div 1B campaign away to Malone this Saturday followed by a home tie against Highfield on Saturday 9th October.

However, Ray Moloney's side have already played a number of competitive games as part of their pre-season.

Among them was a clash with Wanderers in the Leinster Senior Cup a few weeks ago at Balreask Old - and for club president Rosemarie Meegan that turned out to be a special occasion.

"It's just absolutely brilliant to be back and have rugby on the pitches again," she told the Meath Chronicle.

"Our first home game against Wanderers a few weeks ago was like a family reunion.

"Everyone was in good form, the banter was great and to see rugby live again with a crowd watching, it doesn't get any better, does it? It was truly marvellous," she suggested.

Not that Covid restrictions are all abolished - just yet.

The club president pointed out how the club's Covid officer Alan Kennedy and his "army of compliance officers" were still ensuring that the required steps are taken to counteract the pesky virus - until further restrictions are lifted.

The resumption of rugby means the machinery involved in running a large club like Navan can, once more, start creaking into action.

"I want to wish all our 24 teams the very best of luck from our under-6 team all the way up to our tag teams which has players close to the 60 mark, some of them! "

Rosemarie Meegan made history when she was appointed Navan RFC's first female president in July 2020 a few months after the pandemic struck.

She was appointed at a club AGM held through Zoom, also a first in the club's 96 years.

Yet even during the various lockdowns the wheels involved in running a club like Navan continued to turn.

"We continued to work behind the scenes, the executive committee met monthly by Zoom, the entire time we were planning to improve our facilities, both indoors and our pitches outside, to make everything ready for everybody coming back," she added.

Navan RFC chairman Eddie Lyons also paid tribute to the committee for their efforts throughout the pandemic, for keeping the show on the road.

That was vital, but in recent weeks the club chairman has witnessed an even more heartwarming sight.

"It's just great to see people back on the grass where we can see the benefit of the work that has been done in the background over the last year or so," he said.

He also added how the support provided by others was crucial.

"The sponsors have stood by us and we are very grateful for that. There were also various grants and subsidies from the Government and the sporting bodies that made it easier for us."

There are, however, always challenges of one kind or another.

"Finance is always an issue, you are racing to break even and as a AIL Div 1 club the costs go up.

"You have coaches, strength and conditioning, you have transport and so on.

"Getting players back into match condition is another issue, after a long break they are going back into contact and niggling injuries are a strong liklihood for the next couple of months," he concluded.

Problems and challenges aside, the club chairman too was delighted to see players on the pitch preparing for match-day.

That, above all else, was irrefutable evidence the game, finally, was on the way back.