The Gaelic Gear Euro League Round 4 was held in Luxembourg in June 2005
Netherlands Ladies win !!
Above: Celebrating after the final whistle, the Netherlands Ladies Football team, winners of Round 3 of the European Football League are:
Back Row (L to R): Maria, Andrea (O'Brien), Marie, Liz & Helen
Front Row (L to R): Andrea (Ahern), Sunniva, Marian, Seppy, Micheala & Eva
Luxembourg Tournament Report
After the all too familiar last gasp defeats and "we woz robbed" sob stories of Rennes and Guernsey the Den Haag Mens Gaelic Football Team saw the tournament in Luxembourg as an opportunity to build on the progress made in the previous rounds and to finally get the tournament victory that effort and ability warranted.
While a shortage of players in Guernsey was a major factor in the lads not winning the tournament this wasn't going to be the case in Luxembourg. Den Haag travelled with a very strong squad even though notable absentees were Des Breen (baby-sitting, a valid excuse for a man who discovered too late that a hurling helmet wasn't the only form of protection) and Matt Morris (First Holy Communion in Ireland; not his). Another regular who didn't make the trip to Luxembourg was Mary Gavin and boy was she missed…
On Saturday morning the lads dragged themselves out of bed and got ready to go but without Mary's management skills things soon started to go awry. A convoy of cars set off "a bit later than planned" to go to the ground. We had "a fair idea" of the way and we had a "map" (one of those poxy ones you get off the internet, Eddie reckoned following the map was about as much good as "looking up a cow's arse!!"). About 45 minutes later after passing the same garage four times we finally concluded we were lost. Rory swears he saw a sign for Versailles!!
The lovely Siobhan from Luxembourg eventually came to our rescue but we arrived at the grounds five minutes before we were due to play our first game against Luxembourg B. Despite the poor preparation we got off to a solid start. With more or less the same side that did so well in Rennes the team settled quickly and secured a comfortable win. Mick Breaslin marked his debut with a few handy scores and Eddie Moulds, who couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo at training, looked like he might be coming into form.
Celebrating in "The Black Stuff" with the cup!
The second game against the Liberty Lads, a touring team from Dublin, again gave the Den Haag lads a chance to find their scoring range. Pat Mc Gloin joined stalwarts like Colm Doyle and Rory Litton on the score sheet.
The game against Paris was going to be the first real test. The full back line of Colm Brophy, Bernard Geraghty and Graham Merriman had yet to be tested but all indications were that Den Haag were going to be hard to beat. The performance against Paris, winners in Rennes, was formidable. The 2-8 to 0-0 win was no fluke. Den Haag were the better team in all departments. Darren Brophy and Willie Hemplestall lorded it in midfield, Colm Doyle scored a screamer of a goal and the team work was very impressive.
The final group game against Maastricht saw Aussie boys Andrew Napper and Matt Bell shine in other comfortable win against The Netherlands newest club. Den Haag topped the group, unbeaten and drew Munich in the semis.
The semi final against old rivals Munich had it all. There was never more than a score between two very evenly matched teams. The standard of football was excellent with both teams giving 100% in a fine game of football. Extra time couldn't separate the teams so it was going to be decided by penalties. Orson McMahon, the man who loses hundreds of Euro every night at training for letting in goals, proved to be the Den Haag hero. Three brilliant saves by Orson allied to Mark Gillette's cool finish sent Den Haag into the final against Luxembourg.
The team didn't need to be wound up for the game but this didn't stop team captain and Housewives Choice, Derek Butler, from out doing Fr. Jack Hackett in his use of the "f-word" in a pre-match team talk straight from D'Unbelivables.
Again Den Haag gave everything, Mick Lawlor and Colm Brophy were inspired in defence, Darren Brophy tireless in midfield and Eddie Moulds and Mark Gillette constant threats in attack. However Luxembourg, looking to win their own tournament for the fourth year in a row, weren't going to give up their title without a fight. Den Haag led through most of the game but a late goal by a fresher team gave Luxembourg a win by just one point. Again it was a case of what might have been. On a blistering hot day Den Haag played 30 minutes more football than their opponents in the final. This was due to playing an additional group game and the extra time against Munich. In a game where there was little between the two teams the extra "legs" Luxembourg had in the final minutes was crucial.
While there was obvious disappointment at again missing out on overall victory there were many positives to be taken from the weekend. Second place in the tournament was enough to move Den Haag to the top of the European League and with two of the four tournament (that we will play in) being held in The Netherlands we are in a strong position to challenge for the European title. The performance against Paris showed what the team was capable of and there was great squad bonding in "The Black Stuff" later that evening. The brilliant contribution of Eddie Moulds was also recognised as he won a thoroughly deserved "Player of the Tournament" Award.
The real stars of the weekend were the Netherlands Ladies. They won the tournament, beating the Luxembirds in the final, winning all their games and playing brilliant football. Den Haag girls Suniva Smith, Liz Hilton and Marie Sheehan (continuing her fine family tradition by winning her first GAA medal) all made huge contributions to a historic first ever tournament win for Netherlands Ladies.
The progress being made by all concerned with Den Haag GAA club is there for all to see. It is due in not small part to the effort and commitment being shown in training where the dedication of coaches Willie and Orson is inspiring all to put in the extra effort.
In the next few weeks the focus switches to hurling in preparation for the tournament in Munich in July and to the club's own Sevens Tournament which is attracting great turnouts every Thursday evening. Anyone interesting in joining in can get all the details on the website.
