As the new GAA season is raring to go, Meelick GAA can expect further developments to be made. Even though there was no silverware for the intermediate hurlers and junior footballers, progress was made in both grades. The hurlers played with pride against teams with a strong hurling pedigree (Killanena, Clarecastle, Sixmilebridge, and Clooney-Quin). The team was very unfortunate not to make the latter stages of the Championship. New hurling team manager Michael O Neill inherits a talented squad from Conor Dolan. The footballers cemented their place as a Junior A outfit team. The team will still be ruing the missed chance of not going further in the competition. Knocked out by Eire Og in the quarter finals, the team must pick themselves up from the disappointment and grow from the experience. As loyal manager Pat O Rourke remains at the helm, it is a dead cert he will have his players hungry for the new season. There is an enormous amount of skill in both squads Moreover, for both grades, it is now time to stop saying to ourselves “we should have”. Let’s build on the experience accumulated and get the job done. Certainly, season 2009 is going to be an action-packed year for the GAA club. As we hear of the never ending financial crisis and worldwide countries in recession, Meelick GAA is confidently not going to go from boom to gloom. As a final note, Meelick GAA would like to offer to its members and parish, all the best wishes for a safe, good health, content 2009.

Meelick fought off the challenge of a rugged Kilrush side and avenged a heavy league defeat to progress to the Junior A quarter finals. This match marked the final match of the group stage where Meelick had previously seen off Kilkee and Miltown Malbay. Qualification however was by no means assured as Meelick knew a win was needed to cement their place in the knockout stages.

The match started scrappily as both teams tried to assert their dominance. It was Meelick however who proved the more attack minded and quickly turned possession into scores, notching up the first few points. Shane Daly then found himself at the acutest of angles and managed to fire the ball into the back of the net with a fine finish. Daly’s finishing, however, would not be as consistent as the game wore on. A rare and well taken Kevin Hartnett goal extended Meelicks lead along with a well taken goal from Brian O’Neill on top of some fine scores from the Meelick forwards which saw Pat O’Rourkes side dominate. Meelick were well and truly in control going into half time.

The second half saw an expected gallant effort by Kilrush to get back into the game but Jamie O’Sullivan soon crushed any hopes of a revival with a splendid goal from distance. Jamie’s scoring has been pivotal for Meelick throughout the group stage. Meelick remained strong going into the closing stages of the match introducing numerous substitutes into the game to freshen their attack. Meelick finished with a score of 4-13 winning by a margin of 15 points.

Player Watch
David Moloney – 7 – A solid performance from the Meelick no.1 which saw him keep a clean sheet.
Gary “Reynolds” Kennedy – 7 – Sturdy display from Reynolds in his return to the side after his trip around Europe
Barry Hartnett – 8 – Excellent display from the younger Hartnett who played most of the game with an injury.
Sean Cooney – 7 – Solid as ever, Sean rarely but a foot wrong in the Meelick backline.
Stephen Hayes – 7 – Another tenacious performance from Skip whose energy levels often saw him attacking from the full back role.
Ian Griffin – 7 – The versatile defender held his marker solid and was often at the root of attacks with important link up play.
Michael “Mickey” Kelly – 7 – The captain didn’t give his marker a moments peace nor a sniff at goal and like Skippy, posed an attacking threat at times.
Greg Daly – 8 - Arguably the find of the season for the footballers, Greg gives yet another powerful midfield performance.
Barry Dolan – 7 – Good game from Barry who was at the root of several Meelick attacks as well as winning the ball well throughout the match.
Gary Moloney – 7 – Good performance from Gary whose clever play, direct passing and well taken scores contributed to Meelick’s victory.
Kevin Hartnett – 8 – Reminiscent of Cesc Fabregas in the centre forward role, Kevin was at the heart of everything today, barely putting a foot wrong with excellent passing, marvellous link up play and a well taken first half goal.
Shane Daly – 7 – A well taken goal and strong attacking presence throughout, Shane gave his marker a lot to deal with in Meelick’s victory
Tommy Finucane – 7 – Tommy’s passing and clever link up play was a joy to behold at times. Tommy’s marker was punished for allowing the forward even the tiniest bit of space.
Brian O’Neill – 7 – Often the playmaker, Brian was on hand to deliver some important passing and some well taken scores as the Kilrush defence struggled to deal with him.
Jamie O’Sullivan – 9 – Wonderful passing, electric pace, frightening movement off the ball and altogether scintillating finishing made Jamie an absolute nightmare for the Kilrush defence. Another goal and several points sees Jamie spearheading Meelick towards the knock out stages of The Junior A championship.

Subs
William O'Shaugnessy - 7
James Duffy - 7
Oisin Troy - 7
Eoghan Sheehan - 7
Michael Butler - 7

Meelick footballers took a big step towards the Junior A championship quarter finals with an excellent win over Miltown Malbay.

The match marked Meelick footballer's first match since the passing of long time player and friend Alan Boyce. Tributes were paid to Alan before the match as the players warmed up wearing number ten red t-shirts with Boycie written on the back. Also the players sported black arm bands as a tribute throughout the match.

Meelick found themselves under pressure from the start as Miltown Malbay burst forward eager to get the first score. However despite several promising free kicks, the west clare side were unable to register the first point. The Meelick defense held strong and before long Meelick found themselves in strong attacking positions and before long were able to take a two point lead. Not long after Jamie O'Sullivan found himself in the clear and after fantastic burst of pace he found himself burying the ball past the Malbay keeper to register Meelick's first goal. The remainder of the half saw points from Barry Dolan, Kevin Hartnett and Gary Moloney give Meelick a commanding lead at the break.

As expected the second half saw Miltown Malbay exert constant pressure on the Meelick defense and Meelick found themselves conceading a goal from a free kick mid way through the half. However a fine defensive display and two more scores from Jamie O'Sullivan saw Meelick hang on for an emotional and well deserved victory.

After the match the footballers presented the Boyce family with a frame of Alan's number ten jersey. It was also announced that the jersey would be retired for the remainder of the season. The match and performance was dedicated to the memory of our friend and team mate Alan Boyce who will be missed sorely and remembered always. Alan's playing abilities and motivation to win have been present in Meelick GAA for many seasons and the Meelick footballers were extremely motivated in getting the job done against Malbay to honour his memory!

A very special thank you goes out to Brendan Healy for providing the warm up jerseys and the framed memorial.

Team: David Moloney , Barry Hartnett , Sean Cooney, Eanna Mulvihille, Mickey Kelly, Ian Griffin, Stephen Hayes, Barry Dolan, Greg Daly, Shane Daly (Alan Hayes 42mins), Kevin Hartnett, Gary Moloney, Tommy Finucane, Biran O'Neill, Jamie O'Sullivan.