Nenagh Hockey Club
Munster Men’s League Division 3: Nenagh’s Men’s team travelled to Midleton for their opening fixture in the Munster League but fell to a 2-1 defeat.
With several new players in the squad, Nenagh were looking to put in a strong performance against the Cork side. It wasn’t to be their day, however, and Midleton were the victors despite Nenagh having had numerous chances to equalize. A goal by Colin Stanley at the end of the second quarter raised the hopes of a comeback but despite being arguably the stronger team in the second half the Nenagh side were desperately unlucky. Some solid goalkeeping by the Midleton goalkeeper as well as several prime goal scoring opportunities going too high or just outside of the posts meant Nenagh became increasingly frustrated as the time wore on.
A green card for Stanley gave the home side a two-minute advantage in the third quarter which they failed to capitalize on. Nenagh had several more chances in the final minutes that went awry and Midleton looked visibly relieved when the whistle blew to mark the end of the game.
Despite the narrow loss, there were lots of positives from the game from a Nenagh perspective with several younger players getting an opportunity to play and new faces to the squad togging out for the men for the first time.
They will be looking to build on their solid performance in the coming weeks as they prepare to face Cork Harlequins away on October 18th.
Munster Ladies Division 6: Nenagh’s Ladies firsts team took to then field in the Thurles sunshine to play their second fixture of the Munster League and were absolutely dominant against a Cork CofI side that looked rudderless at times, recording a 12-0 win.
The Nenagh forwards looked unstoppable when superbly weighted passes were given by a strong and tenacious midfield. Aoibhinn Murphy who played in the forwards last year, reverted back to an attacking midfield position and took her score beautifully. It was the forwards however who seemed to have endless time on the ball and caused trouble for the CofI defence. Beautiful individual skill for Kayla Shorten yielded her several goals and she made numerous deft passes to other players in several assists. The game was unfortunately one-sided as a spectacle but with several tougher contests coming up, Nenagh will be looking to keep up the intensity at training to ensure they are match fit for stronger opposition.
Under 16 Girls: Nenagh got off to a great start on Saturday in Thurles when they won 3-2 against Cork CofI.
With several new players stepping up from the U14 squad and others finding their feet in unfamiliar roles, this opening fixture was always going to be an interesting test for the squad's potential.
The nerves were soon forgotten as the girls started well, with quick clean passing allowing them the field position to begin pressing the CofI goal. Lizzie Ryan made her mark at centre midfield by directing and distributing good ball up to the forward line. All the girls were passing and supporting each other well and it paid off as Hollie Clarke showed super individual skill to work the ball from the midfield right up into the back of the net.
CofI started to grow into the match as the quarter wore on. Lilly Delaney, continuing where she left off last season, was immense in defence as she dominated the mid three quarter line, backed up solidly by Robyn O'Sullivan playing her first game. The attacking play from Nenagh paid off in the second quarter when they were awarded a short corner and Lilly Delaney stuck a cracker of a shot from the top of circle to bring the score to 2-0.
There was new intent from CofI after half time as they launched attack after attack. Nenagh's energy had flagged a little and they found themselves defending stoutly. Despite the best efforts of defence and goalie, Aibhlinn Cantwell, two goals went in, one from play and one from a short corner. But that was the oppositions best quarter.
The Nenagh girls went back on for the final quarter, dug deep and sent wave after wave of attack into the CofI half. Some great gutsy play by Rebecca Connor and Eve Gunning on the left wing kept the pressure on with some lovely passes into the D giving scoring opportunities. The Cork goalkeeper had a strong match and worked hard to keep the attack out until Lizzie Ryan finally found the back of their net with a goal which was more than deserved following her work-rate throughout the game.
"I am delighted with the girls’ positive attitude and work-rate,” said coach Hilary Curley.
"When the score was two all, the girls upped their work-rate and showed they wanted to win which is just great to see. We have some new faces up from the U14s this year and each and every one of them did so well today, blended in beautifully and put in a great effort. We have lots to look forward to in the season ahead".
Under 14 Girls: The U14’s game marked the first outing for the girls on a full-sized pitch, playing an 11 aside game. In the absence of a full-sized hockey pitch for the girls to train on in Nenagh, adapting to the larger size for the first time proved challenging in the opening minutes. The defence was caught out on a number of occasions when a considerably older and more experienced Belvedere team found some open space around the D. Despite the best efforts of the defence to scramble, Nenagh conceded three goals in the opening quarter.
To the girls credit however, they returned to the pitch after the quarter break and settled into the game to hold Belvedere scoreless for the remainder of the game. Nenagh played well, particularly in the second half with Siena Jackson and Emily Harmse creating chances and going on strong attacking runs. There were several chances in the final quarter to reduce the deficit only to be held out by a strong Belvedere goalie. The game ended 3-0 to the visitors but was a valuable experience for the Nenagh side who will look to start more solidly when they travel away to Midleton on Sunday.