FR CASEYS GAA CLUB NOTES

Upcoming Fixtures
West Senior League
Fr. Caseys Vs Adare – Tuesday June 29th in Adare at 7.30pm
West Intermediate League
Fr. Caseys Vs Cappagh – Wednesday June 30th in Abbeyfeale at 7.30pm
County U17 Championship
Fr. Caseys Vs Mungret – Wednesday June 30th in Mungret at 7.00pm
Minor County Final
Fr. Caseys 0-11 Newcastle West 1-05
Last Friday night in the Gaelic Grounds, Fr. Casey’s wrote themselves into the history books claiming a third Minor county title in a row, the thirteenth time in total county minor honours have returned to Abbeyfeale. Two previous bids for a three in a row were stopped in 2008 and 2013 but despite a shaky start there was nothing standing in Fr. Caseys way on this occasion.
The opening quarter did not go to plan for Fr. Caseys with far too many wides and poor decisions in the final third. In contrast Newcastle West were taking advantage of their limited opportunities and raced into a two point lead. Finally on 14 minutes Eoghan O’Connell raised a white flag. Newcastle West restored their two point cushion and then on 21 minutes they burst through the Fr. Caseys defence and rattled the net. Trailing 1-03 to 0-01 this was the wakeup call that Fr. Caseys required and needing a big reply they kicked the final four points of the half with a brace from Jack Quinlivan, a point Sean Kilbridge and a pointed free from Eoghan O’Connell leaving the scores at 1-03 to 0-05 at the break. Fr. Caseys may had dominated possession and scoring chances but on the scoreboard it was Newcastle West in front and Fr. Caseys needed a big second half reply.
Five minutes after the resumption and the team were level with Eoghan O’Connell calmly slotting over a free from close to 40 yards. Next up stepped Ronan Quirke, fresh from his introduction he kicked two wonderful points to put Fr. Caseys in front for the first time. Another pointed free from Eoghan extended the margin to three points with 15 minutes remaining. It took Newcastle West close to 20 minutes to register their first point of the second half but now the margin was down to two points and a nail biting finish was in store. Fr. Caseys had come too far to be stopped now and two well taken points from Gearoid Scannell and Ronan Quirke gave the fealesiders the safety of a four point cushion. That safety didn’t last long and Newcastle West kicked their fifth point of the night to leave three points between the teams just as the injury time board announced four added minutes. A vital intervention by Calum Boyle stopped the final Newcastle West attack and from that point the team showed great maturity to keep the ball until the final whistle went. It may have been a worrying start but in the finish Fr. Caseys were the deserved champions. Each player giving their all for the jersey and a sign of the strong panel was that all introduced substitutes made telling marks on the game. From our senior players such as Shane, Sean and Eliah to the new kids on the block like Ronan and Culann, this is one of the finest minor teams the club has produced and a great deal of credit is due to the management of Sean O’Donnell, Ger Buckley, Michael Harnett and Tom O’Connell who left no stone unturned since the championship started last August. It may have been our longest wait to play a final but it was worth it and the club is extremely proud of all involved.
Team: Shane O’Connell, Cian Harnett, Liam Collins, Michael Kilbridge, Cathal Harnett, Sam Quigley, Diarmuid Buckley, Sean Kilbridge (Captain), Eliah Riordan, Conor Mullane, Morgan Scannell, Marc Nolan, Adam Fitzgerald, Eoghan O’Connell (Vice Captain), Jack Quinlivan, Kevin Lane, Gearoid Scannell, Ronan Quirke, Calum Boyle, Culann Quigley, Michael McCarthy, Cathal McCoy, Scott Harnett, Gearoid Stack.
Management: Sean O’Donnell, Ger Buckley, Michael Harnett, Tom O’Connell
Club Limerick Draw The fourth Club Limerick Draw of the year took place last Saturday June 26th. Well done to Martin Whelan from Askeaton Ballysteen who claimed the €10,000 jackpot prize and Stan Hurley St. Patricks who claimed the Exclusive Star Prize. Unfortunately there were no local winners in this months draw. The next draw will take place on Saturday July 31st with another €10,000 jackpot up for grabs plus an Exclusive Star Prize and a host of cash prizes.
Our club is extremely thankful to all club members who support this draw. With 50% of the entrant fee returned to local club, the Club Limerick Draw provides us with vital funds to maintain and develop our club. Those still wishing to join for next month’s draw can register via the new Club Limerick website @ www.clublimerick.ie.
Well Done Limerick
Congratulations to the Limerick Senior Footballers on their impressive 4-18 to 0-12 victory over Waterford last Saturday in the Munster Championship. This commanding win continues the positive momentum built this year and although holding the underdog tag they will have no fear of Cork in the Munster Semi-Final on July 10th in the Gaelic Grounds. Well done to Adrian Enright who put in a strong performance at wing forward.
Prior to the next Senior outing the Limerick U20 Footballers will take on Tipperary on July 8th in Semple Stadium in the Quarter Final of the Munster Championship. The 34 man squad for the U20 championship was announced last week and Fr. Caseys are delighted to have Dylan Quirke, Sean Kilbridge and Eliah Riordan included. We wish both teams the best of luck in the coming weeks.
Club Website Check out our club website at www.frcaseysgaa.ie for all the latest club news, fixtures, results and lots more. Our club website is updated regularly and is well worth a visit. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/frcaseysgaa and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/frcaseysgaa
Club Lotto
Fr. Casey’s GAA Lotto Draw continues each week with the Jackpot as of June 28th standing at €16,600 and rising by €200 each week not won. Since its launch our new Lotto has been a great success and we are extremely grateful to all our supporters both near and far for their generosity.
How do you play? Simply select three numbers from 1 to 30 and one bonus number from 1 to 10. If all four chosen numbers appear the jackpot will be won or shared. A match three prize of €500 is also on offer and applies to the 1 to 30 number selection not including the bonus ball. As an additional bonus we have 4 lucky dips prizes totalling €150 selected each week. The draw will run on a weekly basis, each Monday night (Tuesday on Bank Holidays) at 9pm sharp. All ticket sales must be completed prior to 8pm will the draw results shared from 9pm on our Club Facebook Page.
Where can you buy a ticket? Tickets cost €2.50 and are available in a host of local shops including Moss Harnett’s Spar, An Siopa Milseán, Kathleens Foodstore, Sheehy’s Hardware, Danny Scanlon’s & Lanes Foodstore. You can also play Online @ https://www.klubfunder.com/Clubs/FrCaseys/Lotto with the option of reoccurring draws, yearly tickets and Quick Pick function available.