Race Night: Last Friday evening saw the Club hold their Juvenile Fundraiser in the Spinning Wheel, when the Silver Tongued MC Stephen Dignam give the race goers the off, the going was good to firm as anxious punters raced to place their bets with Melissa Conlon, Mickey Conlon and Brian Sherry. The last Race of the evening was the action race which again saw a huge flurry of activity, with Club Captain Dermot Malone leading the charge on the bidding but sadly defeated on each bid. Fair play to the Winner (Anthony McCann) and Runner Up (Adrian Irwin ) for donating their winnings back to the Club a gesture which brought a great big smile for Club Assistant Treasurer Paddy Conlon. A huge thank you to Damien Hughes for Sponsoring the evening, to all the parents, players and members who turned up for what can only be described in Blayney as “ a class night”.
National Feile Skills Competition: On Saturday morning Under fourteen player Joshua Mone and his under fourteen coach Mark O’Connor headed off to Portlaoise for the Feile National Skills Competition. The lads travelled hoping to enjoy the day but Mark as a player had made the final of this competition and had an idea what to expect , when the competition started it became apparent that Joshua was in with a great chance as his speed and skill stood up to the pressure of the Stop watch pressure, on his final skill test which included catching, soling and shooting he set a great target of 51 seconds to beat, all the other competitors tried in vain to beat his score and after a tense last session Joshua was crowned National Feile Skills Champion for 2015. When Joshua arrived back to St.Marys Park he was met by the Under Fourteen Management team and Club Officials for a small presentation to mark the occasion, well done Joshua.
Registration Day: The Club held their membership day on Saturday last with Melissa Conlon and Louisa O’Brien been kept very busy right throughout the day, from 9am starting with under eights through to the Senior Club Members people came to pay their annual subscription. We still have a number of players who will be required to pay their membership over the next couple of weeks, can we ask that you pay your membership directly to Melissa or your head coach. Membership must be paid by everyone within the club from player, to coach, to committee members to social member, it is in everyone’s interest to make sure that they are paid up members of their own GAA Club. Our membership rates are great value with Family Membership costing €30, an Adult membership costing €20 while an Juvenile Under 18 costs €10, so can you please arrange to get it paid.
Senior Team: The Senior Team travelled to Inniskeen for their league match last Sunday, on what was a beautiful sunny afternoon the Faughs started very poorly and trailed after five minutes by 1-2 to no score and as the first half continued Inniskeen’s confidence seemed to grow as they opened up a gap of nine points at half time, with the Faughs only registering a Martin McElroy Goal from a penalty and another point from a free in the first half. The start of the second half saw some positional changes and a more determined team take to the field, as they kicked six unanswered points to bring themselves right back into the game with fifteen minutes to go but a couple of points from Inniskeen Free taker Paul Meagan swung the momentum swing back to the Grattan before a late couple of Faughs point reduced the deficit to two. Final Score Inniskeen 2-10 Faughs 1-11.Next up for the Senior team is a home game against Clontibret on Sunday 28th of June at 12.30pm
Reserve Team: The reserve team have an away trip this Saturday the 20th of June to Tyholland at 7pm, let’s hope the boys can secure the two points which will keep them top of their league.
Girls Under 8: Twelve of our budding stars fielded on Saturday morning at an U-8 girls blitz hosted by O Neill Shamrocks in Cremartin. Four matches were played against Scotstown, Magheracloone and O Neill Shamrocks. All of the girls got a run out and enjoyed the experience. Congrats to all involved and from mentors, coaches, referees and most important the girls themselves who can’t wait for the next outgoing. Training continues every Monday evening 7-8pm in the Faughs Pitch. The Club are trying to get a few games for the girls over the next few weeks and we will keep you updated of the fixtures.
Boys Under 8: The Boys (Born in 2007) travelled to Cloghan last Saturday for an All County Go Games, we could field eight teams of boys who were under eight and they all played extremely well , while the boys were playing in Cloghan the Under Seven were training under the watchful eye of Senior Players, Liam Mc Elroy, Aidan Mc Elroy, Fergal Malone and Barry Hanratty. This Thursday night see the boys make the short trip to Donaghmoyne were they will play another round of Go Games against Donaghmoyne, Drumhowan, Toome, and Magheracloone. We will leave from the football field at 6.15 pm and return around 9pm, can we ask as many parents to travel as possible.
Boys Under 10: The Boys travel this Thursday night to Donaghmoyne were they will play another round of Go Games against Donaghmoyne, Drumhowan, Toome, and Magheracloone. We will leave from the football field at 6.15 pm and return around 9pm, can we ask as many parents to travel as possible. Training will continue on Saturday morning from 10am to 11.15am.
Girls Under 10: On Monday evening it was the U10’s turn as they played host to O ‘Neill Shamrocks. This was a competitive game contested by two well matched teams. The girls showed great skill and determination, scored some excellent long range points and some excellent defending when required. Well done to both the U8 and U10 girls and the management team of John, Catriona, Amanda, Pauline, Dympna and Fiona.
Boys Under 12: The Under 12 teams had two matches last Saturday against Emyvale, a great day was match by some great football played by both our development team and our senior under twelve teams. First up was our development team who were slow to start kicking a few wides before they settled into an attacking rhythm with Conor Ruddy and Ryan Mullen leading the forward line very well, they were given a very good supply of ball from Ross Maguire, Ultan Mc Mahon and Martin Joyce, while Ben Mallon impressed right throughout the game. Final Score Faughs 3-11 Emyvale 1-2 a result which now sees them top of their league. The Senior were next up and they set about their task quickly with a great strike from Leo Maloney finding the net followed by some great points from a very busy forward line which included Thomas Hughes, Zachary McArdle and the impressive Maloney. The defence was once again well marshalled by Bradon McCague who had a very strong defence in front of him led by Captain Padraig Heavin, Padraig Bolger and Joe Carey, the supply of ball into the forwards was excellent with Ethan Smith, Jodie Mc Quillan and Niall Rice catching the eye. The boys emerged victorious on a score line of Faughs 8-12 Emyvale 4-6. Next up for the development teams is a home match against Magheracloone while the development team take on Scotstown. Well done to both the players and coaches, great to see the improvement in all these players.
Girls Under 12: The Girls travelled to Doohamlet on Thursday last the 11th June 2015 for the next match in their League. It was very determined and strong performance from the full team with each and every one of them working tirelessly to the final whistle. The girls secured a fantastic win with some very high scoring involved. Our U12 Girls have a home game tomorrow night Wednesday the 17th June 2015 against Donaghmoyne with a throw in of 7pm and we wish them the best of luck. All support would be greatly.
Girls Under 14: The Girls had a home game against Eire Og last night Monday the 15th June 2015. Eire Og scored 3 fortunate goals early in the first half which left our girls on the back foot early on. However, the girls fought hard against a very strong Eire Og team to get back into the game and at half time they narrowed the difference to 5 points. Throughout the second half our girls continued to chip at the deficit and got within 3 points however, Eire Og scored another two goals late in the second half and unfortunately despite the hard work of the team it was enough to secure the win for Eire Og. It was a fast paced game with some excellent precision scoring from both teams. The next U14 match is a home match on Monday the 6th July 2015 at 7pm against Carrickmacross.
The grounds of St. Mary’s Park was a hive of activity yesterday evening as our U14 Girls were playing their match against Eire Og, the U10 and U8 girls were also simultaneously participating in challenge matches at home. It was great to see so many girls wearing the famous Faughs colours and there were many parents and family members spread around the grounds supporting each of the teams. It would do your heart good to see so many children outside enjoying the sunshine and each other’s company whilst participating in a sport they love. It is credit to the mentors, management and families of the Girls to see how far the Girls football has come on within the Club and we hope to see it continue for many years to come.
Girls Under 16: The U16 Girls re-start their league on Monday the 22nd June 2015. They take on St. Brigids at home at 6.45pm. Again all support would be greatly appreciated.
Girls Minors: Our Minor team have a home match against Doohamlet on Sunday the 28th June 2015 at 12pm. We wish the girls and their management the best of luck in their first competitive match of the season and hope they get off to a great start.
Cul Camp: The Boys in the boys National School had a very welcomed visitor last Thursday when County Goalkeeper Rory Beggan came into the School with Colin Malone to promote this year’s Cuil Camp. Rory did a questions and answers session in each class with lots of question ranging from “Why did you chose goals” to “How did it feel to lose to the Blayney Senior Team last week in the league“ but as usual Rory had an answer for all the children and even went along to watch the boys play in the Hardy Cup Semi Finals. This year’s camp will take place in Castleblayney on Monday 6th of July and run until Friday the 10th .Application forms have been sent out around all the local primary schools as well at Juvenile training .For an enquiries please contact Brian Sherry on 086 2334287 or County Coaching Development Officer Colin Malone on 086 3515950 or Developmentofficer2.monaghan@gaa.ie
Clean Up Day: In an effort to keep the Club grounds in good condition we are looking at holding a clean-up day in the football field, what we are looking to do is fix , wash and cut the area around the Juvenile Field we are hoping that people will volunteer their time for a couple of hours on Saturday 4th afternoon you never know we might even look at throwing on the old BBQ if we get enough interested parties. If you are interested in helping out please give your name to either Brian Sherry, Melissa Conlon or any other Committee member.
Best of Luck: The Club would like to wish Club Senior Dermot Malone and the rest of the County Senior Team the very best as they attempt to make it to the Ulster Final for the third year in a row when they take on Fermanagh in the Ulster Semi Final this Sunday in Kingspan Breffini Park at 4pm.Good Luck lads.