The Gaelic Gear Euro League Round 8 was held in Amsterdam on September 3rd 2005

The sporting jamboree that is the Gaelic Gear European Football League visited the cities of Amsterdam and Paris in September. After the serious under performance of the Den Haag Mens' team in Copenhagen a "home" tournament in nearby Amsterdam offered a chance of redemption and an opportunity to close the gap to Paris at the top of the table.
The soul searching, team talks and "Any Given Sunday" quotes from Denis had the lads pumped up for the first match against Maastricht. The boys from Limburg, in their first year of competition, bore the brunt of a fired up Den Haag team. The intention was clear from the off as slick passing set up a number of early points. Two goals for Maastricht were not enough to close the gap as Den Haag ran out comfortable winners. Forwards Mick Breslin and Des Breen made notable contributions while Orson "just give me the ball" McMahon for once let his feet do the talking.
With "big guns" Munich and Luxembourg deciding not to travel a place in the final was the very least that Den Haag expected. The solid start against Maastricht was built upon with other impressive performance against a Groningen/St Killian's combination. Mick Lawlor and Derek Butler offered great support to the forwards whose passing and movement was too much for their opponents.  
Copenhagen offered a much sterner challenge in the next game and while the Den Haag boys earned a hard fought win it came at a high price. Denis Reidy, who had been a central figure at the hub of Den Haag attacks, limped off following a clash with a Copenhagen player. Denis spent the rest of the day hobbling around as he coached both the Mens' and Womens' teams before eventually going to hospital where they discovered that he had broken his kneecap. Denis recently had an operation on another injury suffered in the Den Haag cause so we all wish him a speedy recovery.
A "Nederlands Klassieker" (well sort of) between Den Haag and Amsterdam was the next game. With Den Haag needing one more win to guarantee a place in the final they tore into their local rivals. Goalie Declan Reilly and full backs Graham Merriman & Mike were rock solid all day. Canadian Mike returning from Scotland for the weekend showed that the deep-fried mars bars and crap weather of Aberdeen had done nothing to dampen his enthusiasm for the game. Den Haag won a tight match but an injury to another key forward, Rory Linton, was to prove to be a cruel blow.
A final against Paris was what Den Haag had looked forward to at the start of the day but the injuries suffered along the way left them short of attacking options. The imposing figure of Padraig McCloskey ensure that Den Haag wouldn't lack a target man but Paris, leaders of the European League, were to prove to be formidable opponents. There was little between the two teams in the early exchanges but a goal for Paris shortly before half time gave them a lead they would never lose. Den Haag came storming back in the second half largely due to the performance of their mid-field. Matt Ball, an Aussie who has only been playing football for five months, covered every blade of grass on the field and made a huge contribution. He was more than ably supported by his midfield partner Willie Hempenstall who deservedly won the player of the tournament award. Willie was an inspiration to the rest of the team and showed that there is plenty of life left in the old dog.
Despite all of their efforts Den Haag never managed to peg Paris back but they battled to the very end and gained much consolation in the manner of defeat. The spirit that had been lacking in Copenhagen was evident and there was a real sense of purpose about the team. However yet again Den Haag came up short but Paris knew that they had been in a game.
The success of the Netherlands Ladies as the leading European team in the tournament helped them to consolidate their position at the top of their league.