Amsterdam Tournament 2009 – Benelux, Rd 1

The Belgian GAA team had an inauspicious start to the 2009 season on the first Saturday of April as they returned empty handed following the 2 hour trip to Amsterdam. Observers of the days events may have thought the Belgian lads had sampled some of the city’s famous wares the night before but, alas, no such excuse can be given for the three defeats suffered by the defending pan-European champions. However, it was the first time for many of the team to play together and hopes will be high that performances will improve from here on in.

The first match for Belgium was the old foes, Luxembourg. Belgium started with a new-look team with debuts for the likes of Johnny Phelan, Martin Crowley and Oliver O’Callaghan. However, optimism was high as the team was backboned by a number of last years’ star players including Stephen ‘Cluxton’ Kearney, Olof ‘Brolin’ Gill, Eoin Sheanan and Micheal O’Floinn. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was the appearance of Sheanon in the backs – presumably in the hope that he would be more likely to pass rather than try to run the ball over the line all by himself from the half-back line.

The change in personnel affected Belgium though, as they were very slow out of the blocks and were picked apart after only a few minutes by a slick Luxembourg move which ended with Cluxton picking the ball from the net. Showing great spirit however, the lads rallied well towards the end of the first half to trail by only a point at half time following some fast interplay between Messieurs Sheanon, O’Floinn and Gill. A large number of changes at half-time, however seemed to affect the balance of team as Luxembourg kicked on while Belgium were unable to put their normal fast game. While trying to push forward, Belgium were caught on the break on a number of occasions – the most notable break bringing a second goal which effectively ended the game.

Next up was Den Hague – where it was obvious the men in yellow were eager to make amends for their two defeats to their rivals in the final tournament of 2008 in Maastricht. And so it proved as Den Hague played some excellent football, taking full advantage of the inexperience in the Belgium ranks to score four unanswered points for a comfortable half time lead. The second half saw more of the same with Belgium competing in the middle third – with Micheal O’Floinn again prominent, but unable to build any momentum and often being found out in possession. The defence was under severe pressure and only for another storming performance from Captain Phil Cushen, the damage could have been far greater. Den Hague, on the other hand, were moving the ball very well and took their chances when they came to ensure a final result of 8 points to no score.

The final game was against Amsterdam and also counted as the 3rd/4th place play-off. This was a keenly contested affair between two well-matched sides with plenty to play for – Amsterdam aiming to claim a significant scalp in their home tournament and Belgium aiming to avoid a whitewash. Amsterdam had the best of the first half however with Belgium again failing to click into their normal fast game and the lads found themselves down by a point at half time. Stirring words from the injured Davy Barrett at half time did the trick though as Belgium roared out of the blocks in the second half with 6 great points. Micheal O’Floinn and Sheanon were again prominent while Mikey Keane also popped up for his customary vital point. At this point though Belgium took their eye off the ball and let Amsterdam in for a soft goal suddenly balls started to go astray and runners failed to pick out supporting players. Then disaster struck as Amsterdam snuck in for a second goal and suddenly the game was wide open. At this stage though, the ‘Dam had their gander up and struck for a couple more points towards the end as a tired Belgium pushed forward. Despite our best efforts to get back into the game it wasn’t to be, as the hosts held out for a good victory over the boys from Belgium.

And so Belgium had only the wooden spoon to show for their efforts on the day. However, as was pointed out after the game, there was no disgrace in this defeat as Belgium fielded a team with as many as six players making their debut over the course of the day. Much was learned over the course of the three games and certainly players like Johnny, Martin, Mattie, Oliver, Ruairi and Dominic learned much that ever could be learned on the training field of Parc Cinqentanaire. Last year’s players too learned that there a number of newer lads pushing hard for their places and that performances will have to improve if places are to be kept.

Next up is the second round of the Benelux Championship in Den Haag on May 2nd. The aim there will be to have a number of players back as well as some newer lads such as Eoghan Kelly and Ciaran Hudson, in making an extremely competitive panel. We hope also that this will give us the numbers we need to enter 2 teams to carry the Belgian flag. Unfortunately we will not be joined by Galway’s own Ryan McMenamin – aka Kevin Keary, who is stationed back in Cork canvassing for a job.

Finally, congratulations to Micheal O’Floinn who picked up the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award (his second in only three tournaments!!) in recognition of his outstanding display on the day. A special word also to Conchur deBarra who, having left the field injured against Amsterdam, found out afterwards that he will be in plaster for two minutes after breaking bones in his ankle. He can be comforted by the thought that Eoin Sheanon has kindly offered to go round for a cup of tea and a chat about Dublin football. The lucky fella!

Craobh Rua abu!

Belgium GAA’s lads get their legs waxed

Date: Friday, August 29

Time: 9:00pm.

Venue: De Valera’s Bar, Flagey

Subject: “Belgium GAA’s lads get their legs waxed”

Belgium GAA’s finest have volunteered to once again go through the pain barrier for the “Cause”. It is, however, not the cause of making Belgium GAA the best in Europe but a fundraising night to raise money for the Niall Mellon Township Trust. www.irishtownship.com

Keith Stephens has volunteered for the charity and will be going to South Africa with the township building houses. He just has to raise €5,000 by November. He is also running the Dublin marathon in October 2008 and the Connemara marathon in March 2009 to raise much needed funds for the charity.

It promises to be a great night which will live long in the memory (painful memories for some)!

For further information please contact:

Keith Stephens

0032475493280

keithstephens1@gmail.com

What happens in Munich stays in Munich

…it’s better left behind

Well it really was a weekend that promised so much and delivered so little-a bit like Paul Cafferey’s reign as Dublin manager. Most of the team got the Lufthansa flights while some of us were testing out Cluxton’s driving ability on our way to Cologne and by the way he is not a nervous driver. Davy Barrett’s motivational speech at training on the previous Thursday had us all wound up-especially Keary who was not impressed with its Cork sub plot.

We were of course without our Captain who didn’t turn up because of some minor event, and the nearly fit again Pat Ahern was also marked absent, despite undergoing a course of intensive physiotherapy in an effort to make the travelling panel.

The Night Before

Once we arrived, it was an early night all round as Captain Fantastic, the Clare Island Express Olof Gill had us all warned that he would be on the prowl waiting to catch anyone out. Fancy-Dan Phil Roche did not heed Olof’s advice and attempted to order a simple “Weiss-Bier” until he voluntarily cancelled after he received a quiet friendly word in the ear.

Meanwhile Mikey Keane found a quiet corner in which to skull a pint or two. Of course this indulgence did not affect in any way his performance on the field the next day.

The morning of the tournament started well. Everyone was on time, thanks to Ger McMahon for leaving his breakfast. We arrived early, all singing all dancing. The Three Weshtern Tenors were in flying form, with lead singer Olof doing his best attempt to completely ape Ronan Tynan in more ways than one, giving himself a bad dose of gangrene by tumbling down an incline, mid chorus of the Wesht’s Awake. Latest reports suggest his legs haven’t fallen off yet, but there a horrid whiff of rotting flesh off them.

Round 1:

Up against the Lux boys! We got our blood boiling early with some heavy duty tussles with our beloved rivals. However the day was also a scorcher so there were a lot of hot heads all around! A few skirmishes culminated in the Bucko getting very friendly with the Blondey Mayoman for Lux, before being laid out with a haymaker from No 14, whose day was ended with a straight read. Keary somehow managed to escape sanction, after throwing in a few retaliatory slaps to the same No 14.

We again came mighty close after conceding an early goal but despite some solid performances we fell short by the narrowest of margins. There really is nothing between these two teams, with the head to head for the season so running 3-2 to Lux, so Belgium were bitterly disappointed to lose this game.

The two man combo of Big Ger and Phil the Crusher Cushen really shun through in this match. The only thing tangible we could take from the game was that Stephens was in with a shout for an Oscar after his performance in getting the Lux forward red carded.

Round 2:

The Paris boys finished off our final dreams despite a great speech by Davy to get us going. Fancy Dan Phil Roche really came into his own in this game and the Clare Island Colossus scored a sensational point after Alec had poached a goal.

Belgium however were in a collective day dream as our defence was torn asunder for the first time since the Amsterdam tournament all the way back in April. We conceded two goals, which was unprecedented for such a miserly defence.

Stephens and Gill worked hard at midfield, Davy Barrett played intelligently and Wolfey made a good debut contribution, but our second half rally was not enough to haul us back into the game. Injury to Kevin Keary more or less brought his tournament to an end, leaving us with only 11 fit men (and Keary in agony on the sideline getting treatment from our physio).

To sum this game up, the one armed bandit stole the show and kept Belgium GAA’s sexiest man, Mikey Keane scoreless.

Round 3:

We finally showed what we could do. We upped our performance here when we smelled blood-we really wanted to hit Den Haag when they were down after their poaching antics in Lux.

Immense dynamism was displayed from Rochey and Gilly, who sliced through the Hague defence on numerous occasions like a knife through butte.

Phil Roche, Davey and Olof all kicked some lovely scores ably assisted by Bucko at midfield. The score of the game was without doubt by Belgium’s latest hop-along, our new corner forward sensation and cunning linguist Kevin Keary, who swung his left boot around the ball and poxed a point, ably set up by the Bucko. This was a point forged in the heartlands of East Galway. The final score was 3-7 to 3-1 with the Dutch boys making a late rally with a couple of majors.

Round 4:

This game summed up our day-so close but yet so far. We were without 2 points at half time and had them rattled but an early goal settled their nerves early in the second half. Davey popped up with a nice few scores and Cluxton kept us in contention with some fine saves.

All in all, it was not a success but what did we learn from it….concentration is what we need to improve on but one thing we have is a passion and a will to win that will burn even stronger in Budapest.

Above all, Munich overcame us due to their bigger squad. The same could be said for the Paris and even the Lux games, when fresh legs were introduced at crucial times. Meanwhile, we were left with 11-12 men who could kick ball. The lesson learnt here is that continental GAA, whilst technically 11-a-side, is really in fact a 15-18 man game.

We won it in Maastricht with 16 fit men and Pat Ahern, and we lost it in Munich with only 12. So a message to all lads who put the hard work into training – the craic is savage on tour, so book yer tickets for Budapest and Rennes and we’ll go with a big strong panel to take the top prize.

Congrats to the girls on their win and thanks to big Máirtín and John for running the line and being general bainisteoirí throughout the day.

The Aftermath

That evening, we repaired to a Banqueting Hall for refreshments, and then on to the Shamrock Bar and Torture Dungeon, where unmentionable sins against decency, decorum and civilisation in general were committed. Really and truly, this correspondent can never repeat what he saw going on there as football careers and lives would lie in ruin. So what happens in Munich, stays in Munich.

On a completely unrelated point, Davy Barret said he wanted to be able to tell his grandchildren about Munich well Davy, you can tell them what happened after the Shamrock!!!

On a final note, how can a certain Blondey Mayoman keep getting player of the tournament when he is constantly kept scoreless by a certain player????

Belgium Takes the Prize in Maastricht

21.06.08 – BENELUX Regional – Maastricht

Belgium Gaelic Footballers won their first tournament in Maastricht on 21st June last. In what was a hard-fought victory played under a blazing mid-Summer sun, the Belgian boys announced their arrival on the Benelux and European scene, and now sit pretty atop the Benelux league as they face into the first round of the European County Championship in Munich on July 26th next.

On the day, a panel of 17 fit and healthy men, plus Pat Ahern, travelled to Maastricht in the usual convoy of Saabs and Jettas. However, there were some notable absentees to the previous tournament’s panel. Diminutive talisman, trainer and general inspiration Davy Barrett was marked absent due to important business in Spain, token Swede, wild Mayoman, Olof “besht in the Wesht” Gill’s fine fetching hands were fetching something else, Keith “the Bucko” Shtephens was partaking in violent assault elsewhere and our beloved Bainisteoir and general all-round salt of the earth Dub Conan MacOscair was also unfortunately absent.

Nevertheless, the lads who travelled were determined to do their utmost to win for the lads who couldn’t make it, and also to slag them off of course.

A Depressingly Familiar Start

After a frustratingly habitual late show from Luxembourg, who ended up having to forfeit their game against The Hague, the Craobh Rua lads took the field against the unheralded Amsterdam. There was a sense of trepidation in the camp, as the same team had taken our scalp in the opening tussle of the Amsterdam tournament. Unfortunately, this was to be repeated.

The game started fitfully with both teams clearly short of match practice. The Dam’s Aussie giant forced an excellent save from debutant goalkeeper Stephen Kearney, who laid down an early marker to all and sundry that they were to have to work hard to beat him. Tom Lane opened the scoring for Belgium, picking off a fine score off his trusty left boot. Two points followed from the Dam, which left the score at Belgium 0-1 – 0-2 Amsterdam at half time.

Cross words were exchanged at the break as all men were unhappy with how things were going. Sloppy passing out of defence, lack of support play around the middle and rash shooting upfront needed to be addressed, and fast.

The harsh words seemed to have their effect as Alec Elliot, dynamic captain Emmet Devine and Tom linked up slickly to add to Belgium’s tally. However, the Dam came back with two points, with Enda Rice replying with a booming 45. It was not enough as the Dam took victory with the slimmest of margins 0-4 to 0-3.

The anger and disgust at a depressingly familiar start would have to be channelled positively into the next game, against old rivals The Hague.

An Improved Performance

Belgium took the field against The Hague knowing they had to win or else it was fighting for crumbs in the 3rd place playoff.

The first half was tight, with both defences on top. Phil “The Dog” Cushen was beginning to exert is immense force of will on proceedings, and Emmet was running around like a man possessed. Kevin Keary was his usual cynical self.

Half time it was no score, but Belgium were confident as they ran out for the second half.

Enda and Emmet really took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half, with the former scoring a cracker of a goal from all of 30 yards, and the latter picking off a brace of points, one of which was after excellent work from Alan Rowan, who held up the ball near the endline before providing a well-timed pass for the Devine Inspiration to finish it off.

However, The Hague came back into it with a late goal. It was to be the only time the miserly defence was to be breached all day. With the final tense minutes, giants of men like Gerard McMahon were showing tremendous hunger on the field. Meanwhile, off the field a similar hunger was shown as Pat Ahern frantically enquired to all present “Is it lunch now?”.

The game finished off with Belgium victorious on the scoreline of 1-3 to 1-0. A major improvement.

Pat got what he wanted and lunchtime came. The Hang Sangwiches were classic GAA fare. It was like we were all sitting out in Clonliffe College carpark. All that was missin’ was the flashk of tay and the boot of the car to eat them out of. Conchur de Barra manfully offered up the boot of his brand spanking new silver VW Jetta, however there was no room inside to plant your arse as there was a massive John Deere engine wedged within it.

Next up, Luxembourg

With everyone well fed and watered, we squared up against what are becoming our old foes, the boys of Luxembourg. Declan Hillary laid down an early marker of our determination with a searing run from deep before shooting narrowly wide. Enda, who was proving to be finest dead ball expert on the day, shot a 45 over the bar to open the scoring. A couple of defensive errors resulted in a point for Lux, leaving the teams all square at one apiece at half time.

The second half opened with a bang. Emmet caught the ball in midfield, tore down the middle like a like a Staffordshire Terrier after a postman, before laying off to Phil Roche, who cooly finished to the back of the net.

Emmet followed this up with a couple of points, which had Belgium running out winners on a scoreline of 1-3 to 0-2. This was a depleted Luxembourg side however, so the victors were not getting carried away with their accomplishment. Top dogs for Belgium were the tigerish Toyota men, Phils Roche and Cushen. Emmet was his usual manic self and there were fine contributions from Barry O’Sullivan, Declan Hillary and Alec Elliott, the latter two providing much-needed attacking impetus from the back. Darragh Cotter meanwhile was putting in a mature and measured performance at midfield.

Blowing hot and cold against Maastricht

The old flaws which were evident against the Dam reared their ugly heads against Maastricht, as Belgium struggled to beat the hosts on a scoreline of 0-4 to 0-2, after surviving a number of goal scares near the end.

Among the highlights were well-taken points from Rochey and Darragh, with the highlight being a point from Enda after an amazing 80 yard run from Phil Cushen, who bursted through the entire Maastricht rearguard with the effortless ease and grace with which his beloved home county Kilkenny saunter through Leinster on an annual basis.

In the end, as Belgium stuttered over the line, heads were angrily shaking and worried looks were cast at the Dam v The Hague to see who our rivals in the final would be.

The Final – A Mammoth Struggle

Belgium had a chance to gain revenge on the only team who defeated us on the day up until then, and we went out with all guns blazing. Adopting a man marking approach, with Darragh Cotter assigned the daunting task of marking the giant Aussie, whilst Kevin Keary was sent to do his usual hatchet job on the fast English fella, we took a couple of minutes to settle as unfamiliar positions were taken.

Phil Roche yet again proved to be the man to get us off the mark, with a point after excellent interplay between Alan Rowan and Tom Lane. At the back, a good interception and pass by Kevin, who delivered it into Tom’s breadbasket, the Mallow man being fouled before his fellow Corkman, the usually deadly accurate Mikey Keane, made a complete balls of the free. Mikey was obviously not his usual self and was clearly suffering from the absence of his tormentor, comforter and general soul mate, Mr Barrett.

Alec fisted a fine point and Captain Fantastic Emmet added a couple of his own to bring us in 0-4 to 0-1. One moment stood out as arguably the play of the tournament. The big Aussie fella fielded the ball in midfield, bursted through two tackles and was bearing down on goal with Kevin struggling to make up the yards on him. Next thing, just as 6′5″ Aussie was about to pull the trigger, 5′6″ Phil Cushen arrived and took man, ball, game, tournament and whatever your having yourself with him. It was such a magnificent move that a smitten Kevin declared his undying love to the Crusher there and then. Unbelievable stuff.

Half time it was 0-4 to 0-1 and looking good for Belgium.

Nevertheless, the boys from the Dam are never easily beaten, and they came out for the second half with a determination which Belgium struggled to cope with. Launching attack after attack, they brought the score to within a point. Some relief came for Belgium with Emmet carrying the ball into the dangerzone before drawing a foul. Mikey stepped up and shot a soul-destroying wide from 20 yards. Amsterdam raced up the field to level the game. The momentum was with the Dutch side and Belgian heads should have dropped.

But they didn’t.

Englishman Matt was clean through on goal before a last-ditch interception foiled him. Meanwhile, Darragh was beginning to dominate the otherwise irrepressible Aussie. The team was fortified with the introduction of dynamic Deccie Hillary. The Phils kept fighting in their Phil-like ways and the Big Tyrone Man got in some crucial tackles. But it fell to Enda Rice, the Carlow man with the golden boot and the nerves of steel, to step and kick the winning point, a difficult free from 30 yards out.

Victory for Belgium!

The final whistle blew and we celebrated like mad men, exhausted yet delighted with our day’s work. The mental fortitude, the hard fighting, the support play, the never say die attitude, the simple teamwork that brought us through was celebrated with gusto as we necked back watery Dutch beer.

To the presentation, captain Emmet stepped to receive the cup with a fine victory speech. Then the Ref was called upon to name the Player of the Tournament. All eyes were on the usual suspects: would it be Phil Dog Cushen, for his immense displays in defence? Would it be Enda Rice for his steady nerves and his high scoring? Would it be Emmet? The ref called on Damien to come up, and everyone shook their heads in disgust. Who the feck is Damien? As it turned out, is was a case of mistaken identity as the Damo in question turned out to be none other than Mr Devine himself.

And deservedly so after he ran the opposition ragged, fielded crucial possession at midfield and above all, never ever gave up. It’s this spirit that all Belgium men will bring with them to Munich, as the great man himself is caught up tying the knot on that weekend.

It was a great day and a great victory, but there is always room for improvement. There were times when men didn’t support their team mate on the ball, when rash hospital passes were kicked out of defence giving no chance to the forwards to win ball, and above when the head was lost in front of goal when the ball was shot straight at the goalie, when a simple fisted point would have sufficed. Lessons to take with us to Munich.

Nevertheless, the meanness of the defence, well marshalled by Stephen “Cluxton” Kearney, which only conceded one goal all day, the hard work of midfielders and the snappiness of newcomers like Phil Roche proved a great boon to the upward curve that is Belgium Gaelic Football.

Let’s take this progress with us to Munich and onwards lads!

Belgium Gaelic Footballers first final !

31.05.08 – BENELUX Regional – Luxembourg

Well done to everyone involved, it was a great achievement to get to our first final, in only our second tournament. There were a number of highlights, the great comeback to beat Lux A in our first group game, having been 0-7 to 0-1 down at half-time. The game against Liberities turned into a score fest and we must remember they were poor.

Den Haag gave us plenty of motivation in the semi final (not that we needed it!) by poaching one of the best midfielders at the tournament from Liberties and playing him against us. We drove them into the ground and the fact that some of their more prominent players had to come off in the second half was a result of our relentless harrassing and running.

Unfortunately we fell just short in the final. 0-2 to 0-2 at h/t but they hit us with that killer goal in the first minute of the second half. We didn’t lose believe though and the last kick of the game saw us loft a free into their square which could have as easily ended up in the back of the net and we would be celebrating today.

Our football has improved, our aggression was good and our fitness is getting there. Not one Brussels player went down with cramp but many of our opponents did. Had Olof and Keith not got injured (both had to go to hospital yesterday…Keith will be out for a few wks but Olof should be ok) we may have had enough to get over the finishing line.

We improved massively from the Amsterdam tournament and hopefully will continue the trend going into the Maastricht tournament on June 21. We have plenty more to do in the coming weeks so hopefully numbers will continue to be good at training.

Martin, our Hurling trainer, summed it up best when he congratulated us on breaking the Lux & Den Hague bogeys but emphasised the need to drive on from here in the coming weeks, in both hurling and football.

Well done to our Bainisteoir Conan, John O’Donnell and Mairtin. Its great to have lads there to support & help out and it shows there is good spirit in the camp.

Fresh off the presses…

Take a look at our latest newsletter. Contains an overview of events and affairs within Belgium GAA for the month of July 2008.

Page 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25451621@N08/2613314076/sizes/l/
Page 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25451621@N08/2612481611/sizes/l/

Night at the Races! Wed 25 June 2008 – Old Oak Pub

Hello All!

Race Night at the Old Oak Pub promises to be a fantastic night of fun and frolics!

Here’s your chance to show your true support for the club and all you need to do is to show up, place a few bets, collect the winnings, and odds are, you’ll have fun!

Form guides on all the races will be available from 18.30. So the sooner you get there the more time you’ll have to read up on the odds! Races will start from 19.30 onwards. (At least 6 races to punt on.)

For those of you used to the finer things in life why not treat yourself and some friends to a really special night and book one of the very limited VIB (Very Important Better) boxes. For a mere 48 Euro (tables of 6 max) you’ll receive a prime spot to watch the races (and manly challenge! More on this later), dedicated bar service (no queuing), personal book maker-ette who will come to your table to take your bets & pay your winnings as well as a welcome drink when you arrive. Book at mullanshauna@hotmail.com

Hope to see you all there!

Amsterdam Tournament – Saturday, April 26th

Back Row: Joe McHale, Mairtin O’Coinceanainn, Kevin Keary, Pat Ahern, Paddy Condon, Tom Lane, Aidan O’Sullivan, Al Rowan, John O’Donnell, Darragh Cotter, Conán Mac Oscair (Bainisteoir)

Front Row: Olof Gill (Captain), Conchur deBarra, Mikey Keane, Dualta Doherty, Dave Barrett, Declan Hillary

Amsterdam Tournament – Saturday, April 26th

Belgium’s Gaelic Footballers travelled to Amsterdam on Saturday last in fine fettle. With a travelling party of 19, hopes were high that we could announce our arrival on the European scene with a reasonable amount of plomp! However, the day didn’t start well when our Bainesteoir Conan woke up to find Betsy (his 10yr old fiesty) had been nicked. However, completely unshaken by this trauma, he headed on up to Shuman. Seating arrangements were adjusted and the bleary eyed travellers set off shortly after 7am. Deccie and co spent the journey teasing The Kid about whether he knew who Radiohead were and whether he remembered the 1990 World Cup. The blank look on his face suggested not. They even fitted in a game of Gaelic Football whilst waiting for their McMuffins en route. One observer did note that it was the highest quality of football the four managed all day. A less enjoyable journey was had by Conan, Joe, Micky and Alan. They were stopped by the police outside Antwerp and Alan’s car was repossessed as he didn’t have all the required papers!! Of all the lads, he should know better! So the lads were left stranded at the side of the road to walk to the nearest train station. They eventually arrived via a train to Amsterdam Central and a taxi to the pitch.

With their delay we went into the Amsterdam game a few men down. Our opponents had the benefit of having played once already and it showed. We were sluggish and ragged. Despite this ‘The Kid’ did manage the first goal of the game but the dam reacted quickly for a goal and point of their own. Too often we looked for the back of the net and after kicking a few scoreable frees wide the dam took control to finish us off 1-4 to 1-1 with ‘The Kid’ getting our other score, i think. Darragh Cotter had showed well at midfield and Olof was his usual self despite some close attention.

Heads were down after this but the calvary arrived just as we started our game against Maastricht. This proved a straight forward assignment as Dave Barrett pointed early. Pat Ahern then chipped in with a couple of scores before ‘The Kid’ missed a penalty. Tom Lane knocked one over and I reckon Olof tucked one away too. Patrick Condon, on his debut showed some nice touches and linked the play well at times. Not sure who got the goal but Micky knocked over a few good frees. Final score of 1-7 to 0-0 was a little flattering as we did everything we were asked not to do during the game and our opponents were made up mostly of Dutchmen.

Luxembourg were up next and despite their quicksilver forward line, they had been struggling to kill teams off. Not us though as we gifted them 3 early goals. Defensively, we were all over the shop and our lack of experience caught us badly. Despite this, Kevin Keary did a good marking job on one of Lux’s most dangerous forwards and Conchur de Barra was demonstrating his much improved tackling. At the other end, Dave and Micky tacked over a couple of points. Half-time score was 3-1 to 0-2. We rallied in the second half and got a goal through Olof (i think). This was followed by a Tom Lane point and then one from Dave. Micky’s free taking continued as it started but unfortunately these scores were nearly always sandwiched between Lux scores. We were in earshot of a few Lux subs who were making some smart arse comments about Gaelic Football in Belgium and we are sure to bank those for another day. Hopefully the sub who made them might be on the pitch next time rather than on the bench after getting a bit of a roasting from his man!!! Anyway 4-5 to 1-4 was how it finished but it highlighted alot of our weaknesses so we can take that from it at least.

Last group game was against Den Hague and with not a whole lot riding on it, each side rested a couple of players. Micky’s early frees were giving us hope and it was not long before our opponents sprung their aces from the bench. With the score 0-2 to 0-2 at half-time we brought ‘The Kid’ into the fray. We also released the beast John O’Donnell into the full forward line in this game and his ball winning was a revelation. He was an example to the rest of us in terms of showing for the ball and laying it off. Scores from Tom and Dave and two Micky frees had us leading 0-6 to 0-3 with time up. However a lapse of concentration from a twenty yard free with the last kick of the game cost us the win as the hague rattled the net to gain a draw. Highlights in this one were Deccies breaks from the half-back line and Kev’s harassment of anyone and everyone who came near him.

Despite the disappointment of not sealing victory we had a steely detemination to get revenge against Amsterdam in the 3rd/4th place playoff. We started off at a canter after Olof got a well deserved belt in the nose. This riled him into action and he fittingly blew two balls wide before tucking over the opening score. This was quickly followed by a tremendous score when Dave planted a 40 yard blazing shot into the top corner, ha hmm…its how you choose to tell it. This gave us a handy lead but of course the terriers from Amsterdam wouldn’t lay down. Our backs were well up for it though and Dualta and Bull were unbeatable at the back. Couple this with Kev’s trademark defending and with Dec now in full swing, it was hard for the dam to see the light. Micky and I think Tom, got the scores to drive us home in a tight second half on a scoreline of 1-4 to 0-5.

3rd place in our first outing wasn’t bad and in some ways its good that we came home disappointed as it means we are not content with playing poorly and not competing well. The day highlighted alot of areas to work on but also showed at times that we can move the ball well and create openings. So its heads down now and with an even stronger panel expected for the Luxembourg tournament, we will look to improve on the weekends performances and try to give the likes of Den Hague and Lux more problems.

After tournament activities saw a split in the camp as some stayed but some had to return to Brussels. Those who stayed got off to a good start but upon arrival at the hostel it went t1ts up. The hostel was overbooked and the story goes astray there! Those who returned to Brussels joined in a party at Dec’s before heading to two of the FC Irlande lads birthday party (Sigve and Alec). Whilst there Olof was seen falling asleep as Kevin ranted and raved and Davy was seen trying to charm the soccer lads into playing a bit of gah, in his own little way!

The End.

Roving Report

Belgium GAA: first club night out of the year

Folks,

Brussels G.A.A. was formed a number of years ago, catering for organised Hurling and Camogie and some ad-hoc Gaelic Football. The onset of the 2008 season saw the club take some significant decisions:

1) Changed the club name to Belgium G.A.A. to appeal to a wider audience (Antwerp, Leuven etc)
2) Set up as an “asbl” non-profit in Belgium
3) Relocated to the Military Pitch to makes ourselves more accessible and purchase full sized portable goals
4) Added organised Men’s and Ladies Gaelic Football
5) Developed a new website (www.belgiumgaa.com) and club branding dedicated to all sports

The season is now up and running for one month. The Hurlers have already hosted and competed well against a team from Ireland. The Camogie girls participated in and finished runners up at a tournament in London. Ladies & Men’s Football are training hard despite the disappointment of a couple of canceled tournaments. Despite less play than anticipated, the Men’s Football team can celebrate their first victories over Amsterdam and Maastricht. And the new website is up and running, has had over 1300 hits, and is complete with photos of all the latest club and sports events.

We are approaching 50 Members this year and expect it to increase further. With the season now up and running, we would like to invite you to our first club night out of the year, details below.

Location: De Valera’s, Place Flagey

Date/Time: April 12, 8pm

We hope you can make it out; and of course friends and family are invited as well. All current and prospective members are welcome, even if you haven’t been able to make it out to training or have yet to submit your membership form to Becky.

Best Regards,

Belgium G.A.A. Committee

Belgium boys triumphant in season opener!

The newly formed team travelled to Maastricht last Saturday to compete in the first round of the inaugrual Dutch 7-a-side Championship. The competition includes Den Haag, Amsterdam and Maastricht. In an effort to provide our players more competitive football during the season we requested to be allowed participate and the request was kindly accepted. The competition is structured in a league format with home and away fixtures.

So after two postponements due to waterlogged pitches, it was with much enthusiasim we journeyed to Maastricht. The heavy rain on the way down left us all a little worried about the possibility of a third postponement but upon our arrival we realised everything was good to go. As always, Maastricht G.A.A. had their pitch in pristine conditioned, with goalposts in place and the pitch perfectly lined.

Having commenced training on March 1, we are still very much at the building stage, trying to attract players, gain fitness and improve our skills. In that sense, we couldn’t be sure how our first day would go but we were determined to put in a credible performance in our two games, with Maastricht first up.

Belgium 2-9 Maastricht 0-2

The foundations for victory were laid early in this tie as we found our scoring touch quickly. Olof Gill and Aidan O’Sullivan pointed early to settle their side. The game, and the first half especially, was rife with handling errors and poor decision making. The nuances of 7-a-side and the lack of match practice really hindering us. However, we grew into it as the minutes past and a couple of quick-fire goals, with the first a low drilled shot from Olof and the second coming when Willie Cashin finished off a great move to raise the green flag. This scoring burst knocked the wind from our opponents sails and they received little encouragement when they attacked due to the sterling defensive work of Conchur de Barra and Emmett Devine. Olof was well and truly in the groove as he hit two more points to send us in at the interval well on top.

Maastricht came back at us early in the second half scoring early. However, another point from Olof sandwiched between scores from Tom Lane and Mikey Keane settled us down again. Meanwhile, Kevin Keary was playing a blinder in the full-back line snuffing out the opposition and launching Belgium attacks time and again. It was clear we were taking a liking to the 7’s format and the best example was Conchur de Barra’s point when he came forward from full-back.

Still, we continued to make basic errors such as punching when we should have caught the ball and running with the ball instead of moving it on quickly. This coupled with the 9 wides gave us plenty of food for thought before the Amsterdam game. Never the less, a good start to the day.

Scorers; Olof Gill (1-4), Willie Cashin (1-1), Aidan O’Sullivan, Tom Lane, Mikey Keane & Conchur de Barra (0-1 each)

Belgium 4-8 Amsterdam 0-4

We had a short break before turning around to play Amsterdam in our next game. As they had yet to play a game in the 7’s format we were hoping to catch them on the hop by putting what we had learned in the previous game into good effect.

We flew out of the blocks with Olof launching a big kick over the bar. It was nip and tuck in the early stages but Olof and Aidan were doing a great job at midfield. Aidan especially linked the play very well and kept a good eye on one of Amsterdam’s key players. Emmett and Conchur were doing a tidy job in defence but it was again Kevin who really caught the eye with some tenacious defending. Only once was the backline breached in the opening half but Davy Barrett was on hand to make a good save.

From the let off at our end we worked the ball up the field with a good passage of play. The final ball fell to captain Emmett Devine who unleashed a pile driver to the back of the net. Mikey then hit a quick double as he snuck a goal and kicked a point. The 2-2 to 0-2 interval score left the result far from certain.

We came out in the second half determined to get on the score board quickly and points from Tom and Olof were just the tonic. Emmett took over the goalkeeping duties as Davy moved into the forward line. And it was Davy who then combined well with Aidan for two successive scores which satisfyingly mirrored a training ground exercise of Thursday night. Another Mikey goal put us home and dry. Emmett pulled off a spectacular save late on and we had another let off when they hit the post but the job was done and we took home the points.

Scorers; Mikey Keane (2-2), Tom Lane (1-1), Emmett Devine (1-0), Olof Gill (0-3), Davy Barrett (0-2)

Man of the Day; Olof Gill was a clear winner with Kevin Keary and Aidan O’Sullivan taking 2nd and 3rd. Much more difficult days lay ahead but we tucked into the Vedett in the Hairy and the Oak afterwards and enjoyed our first victories of the season (as well as celebrating Alan Rowan’s 30th Birthday!)

Back Row: Joe McHale, Olof Gill, Tom Lane, Aidan O’Sullivan, Willie Cashin, Kevin Keary, Conán Mac Oscair

Front Row: Mikey Keane, Dave Barrett, Emmett Devine (Captain), Conchur deBarra