2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

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ryot
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by ryot »

Good enjoyable match,,,, Rhode had every chance with the first minute (10 seconds ??) goal but 3 costly misses at the end...

Edenderry were probably just a shade better and so deserving winners......

All the best to them in Leinster,,,,,,,,,,

kingscounty
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by kingscounty »

Well done Edenderry great win , much the better side , younger, fitter, hungry for the win. Derek Kelly's goal was sensational , Rhode are too small in a lot of areas in particular centre back where Darby couldn't handle Kelly at all . Rhode are still relying on Niall to much , I can see Edenderry winning a few more in the next few years , for me it's the end of the road for a lot of the Rhode players who have been wonderful champions over the last 15 years .

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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by kingscounty »

Well done Edenderry great win , much the better side , younger, fitter, hungry for the win. Derek Kelly's goal was sensational , Rhode are too small in a lot of areas in particular centre back where Darby couldn't handle Kelly at all . Rhode are still relying on Niall to much , I can see Edenderry winning a few more in the next few years , for me it's the end of the road for a lot of the Rhode players who have been wonderful champions over the last 15 years .

italia90
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by italia90 »

Best team won. I tried to convince myself that Rhode were going to up there game for the final but having watched the match I think they are slowly on the decline. Today they were overly reliant on niall McNamee and came off second best in too many areas. Could well win a championship next year but there days as the top dogs is under threat. Will always have a chance with McNamee on the field and are after been great ambassadors in the club championship but I think they need a plan b now and the underage success is drying up a little.
Edenderry were very good and have a well balanced and organised team. they brought great pace to the game and broke the tackle well and often. with a young age profile they are going to be contesting a lot more finals in next few years. definitely have four or five players who would offer the county options and be interesting to see how many will commit to the countys cause in 2016. for now though well done and best of luck in leinster, home to rathnew of Wicklow.
no sweepers in action today and it was an entertaining game. anyone know who got official man of the match I was gone before announcement

ah lethimoutwithit
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by ah lethimoutwithit »

Well done to Edenderry on their victory yesterday.
On the balance they just about deserved it. Couple of bad misses by Rhode in the first half by Niall and Niall Darby proved costly prior to Derek Kelly's stunning goal.
Another 2 bad wides by Niall and Anton close to the finish left them wondering what if, (also the county board who would b delighted with a replay!!).

Rhode fought to the finish but they had too many of the same type of player and were found out to be too small physically, fought to the death and have been great champions over the last few years. Niall Mc's poor second half left them very threadbare up front. Thought they might have moved him out the field during the second half as he did well out there in the latter stages of the first half.
Dave Hanlon, the No 7, Richie, Derek Kelly stood out as key men, but Edenderry were better balanced throughout the field and should move on from this to become a better team in the coming few years.
Young Mcdonnell got some great ball in but struggled to do anything with it, however he should improve and if he can physically use his size then he will be a hard man to handle.

Say it was a big night of celebration, but hopefully the Reds can regroup and get through the first round and see where they go from there.

Offaly1982
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by Offaly1982 »

Match Report on RTE website:
http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2015/1011/7 ... ty-finals/
Well done to both teams. Give the lads a few positive comments on the rte website, just in case they don't read this site for some reason! :D

jimbob17
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by jimbob17 »

Thought Edenderry were much the better team and nearly threw it away. Rhode were a lot more efficient up front as Edenderry dominated around the middle. Dalton and Guing edged midfield while Derek Kelly was excellent and bossed Brian Darby. Edenderry seemed to be getting a lot of ball through half forward line but aside from Sean Doyle who was excellent, they werent as potent as they could have been for all their posession and could have scored a lot more. They had easily 3 goal chances that they could have taken but took only a point from these opportunities. Rhode were found wanting in half back line and were overun by a youthful and energetic Edenderry. That said they nearly threw it away and Sullivan and McNamee had a few good chances at the end between them but didnt convert. Overall, credit to both teams for serving up a right good game of football in a year where the football championship was mediocre at best
jimbob

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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by mickey »

Rhode looked tired.rhode are much better than this as last year's leinster run showed.i feel getting to a leinster final took its toll on them this year.they be out for revenge next year and be much sharper I think.edenderry were best team in championship this year and well deserved it.wats yer opinions on there leinster championship run? I think they will beat rathew handy enough but that could be that

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Silken Thomas
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by Silken Thomas »

Ever since the messiah cleared the temple, the town have really been producing miracles. For how else can two County titles in five years be explained? All under the all too real threat of another excommunication!

Under the gaze of Caesar and son, Edenderry fought brilliantly to annex their greatest title yet! Brady must take a bow to begin. A football brain was not gifted to everyone. Colm Byrne, Derek Kelly and David Hanlon manned the centre expertly. Yes the same apostle who was left marooned in the full back line for too long in the past.

Derek Kelly can walk on water! The no. 11 jersey is his for club and county for the foreseeable future. Hanlon was the force that all town supporters have waited patiently to see! The Offaly football panel will no doubt be welcoming back a prodigal son or two. We all saw Richie targeting Methuselah's mobility. Pride of place must go to Sean Doyle. Veni, vidi, vici.

No need to crucify Pat either. Rhode will return suitably rested and ravenous. Niall's technicolour brilliance will elevate this team again. Old foibles reared their ugly heads. One foot forwards, free taking vertigo and physical fallibility. The Darby's had better days too. It's usually vice versa for Brian and county panel membership does not guarantee confidence for Niall.


Solomon himself could not of foreseen what that judgement five years ago would lead to. Many of the moneylenders have deserted Ballyfore and it will be Junior football for Coffey Country. Edenderry meanwhile rightly man the throne, for 12 months at least. :D
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The Magpie
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by The Magpie »

In the depths of Winter early in the afternoon, when shadows grow long and tilt slightly, does the small village of Rhode cast a north-easterly shadow over the town of Edenderry? It would be almost impossible, wouldn’t it, for a satellite to relegate a larger gravitational body to darkness? In the world of Gaelic Games there is little regard for the Seasons, the Earth’s axis or the topography of land – or even for that matter, probability. And as the Moon eclipses the Sun, leaving (it’s neighbour) the Earth in darkness, so too have Rhode eclipsed and haunted their near neighbours of Edenderry - and never more emphatically than over the last 15 years.

During that period, Rhode have won 7 Dowling Cups and appeared in 3 Leinster finals, while Edenderry have been relegated to the Intermediate Football Championship, then re-emerged to win a surprise Senior Championship (2011), but have failed to beat Rhode in Senior Championship Football – in all that time. It would be unfair to detract from Edenderry’s success in 2011, but facts are important – they did not have to beat Rhode to win that championship. That was probably a good thing, as results before and after between the two suggested that they were not ready.

Remarkably, that 15 year period is book-ended by Dowling Cup success for the Reds (with Rhode the losers in both finals), but the differences between the Class of 2001 and the Class of 2015 are striking. In 2001, Edenderry (as we would later learn) were in decline, but supremely confident. In 2015, a young Edenderry team were coming of age, but struggling to believe in themselves.

When Edenderry faced Rhode in August of this year (in what we should probably now call the “regular season”), the first signs of change were evident. Rhode were probably a little complacent (having battered Clara the previous week) and were possibly taken by surprise by the efficiency and directness of the Edenderry forwards – perhaps too by the aggression that one of Edenderry’s backs-men was willing to bring to the game. The Reds peppered the Rhode goal (scoring 4 times), but failed to supply a healthy points return (scoring 4 times). They were presented with an opportunity, but failed to land the knockout punch. A once-healthy lead was eroded, Edenderry circled the wagons and inevitability was King. Ruairi McNamee tied-up the scores at 4-4 to 1-13 with a courageous and sweet left-footed point that was the final kick of the game and Edenderry left the field crouched, the Green and Gold monkey still firmly on their backs.

But Rhode didn’t win. Edenderry had faced their ghosts in the darkness of the Eclipse and there was hope. Derek Kelly and David Hanlon had both served warnings that evening that they were key-men – the beating hearts at either end of the field. They helped to force a little bit of doubt into the minds of the Rhode footballers who incredibly had ghosts of their own to face. Paradoxically, the Rhode omens are those that come with success. The failure to win back-to-back Championships in 10 years. The failure to win an Offaly County Championship in the year that has followed a Leinster Final appearance. And the prospect of getting so close to Tullamore again (the Offaly Senior Football Championship roll of honour) and failing. We each will judge which team was faced with the greater mental barrier.

When the ball was thrown-in on Sunday, Edenderry desperately needed a steady start to continue moving on that positive belief trajectory. Rhode wanted a fast start to unsettle the new believers and to focus their minds on the game, rather than the task. The game was about 20 seconds old when Darren Garry sliced a deliberate skyward pass towards Niall McNamee in the Rhode forward line. It was clear that Niall was going to win it, but David Hanlon decided to follow him into the air knowing that he could not win it. On the ground Alan Pender froze while Ruairi McNamee anticipated the brain of his elder cousin. By the time Niall had palmed the ball downward into Ruairi’s hands, there were no footballers between him and the goal-keeper. Ruairi McNamee dispatched into the net easily and his selection ahead of Paul McPadden looked to be a wise decision.

This was not according to Peter Brady’s plan. This was not a start that would promote belief in any team. But Edenderry responded immediately, as Sean Doyle signalled his intent to give Jake Kavanagh a difficult afternoon. A fine point from the stand-side of the field calmed the nerves both on and off the field. Although Niall McNamee quickly opened his account at the other end, Edenderry were back on level terms (1-1 to 0-4) in a number of minutes through a combination of scores from play and frees.

Rhode surged ahead again with two points (Conor & Niall McNamee) but it was starting to become clear that Edenderry had strength in key positions. David Hanlon was marshalling the full-back line very well, playing very much on the front foot, while the Edenderry half-backs all looked comfortable, none more so than centre-half back Colm Byrne, who was calmness and intelligence personified. Adam Mahon was growing into the game and willing to run directly through Rhode bodies between the two 40s. Richie Dalton was edging midfield, as Alan McNamee’s attempts to counteract his fielding from the ground (using his strength) started to fail. Up front, Derek Kelly was showing well for the ball and relying on his great strength to receive the ball in crowded areas, while Sean Doyle was the blue-chip in the full-forward line.

The next 10 minutes were telling. Both teams traded points with Niall McNamee looking sharp and moving out on to the 40 to try to re-assert some dominance in that sector, but missing an easy chance to point off his favourite foot, while a couple of frees kept Edenderry in touch. Then came a seminal moment in the game. A 50-50 about 30 yards from the Edenderry goal on the stand-side of the field saw David Hanlon and Alan McNamee bounce off one another, but Hanlon came out on top. These are challenges that Super rarely loses – but the Reds had found Kryptonite to the Super-man from the Village. Hanlon set-off at pace with the ball to initiate a play that would end in one of the great County Final goals. Hanlon has physically matured to great effect since a young attack-minded full-back burst onto the Offaly Football scene in 2011. The bearded, beefed-up version (Hanlon Mk2), with his apparent unconventional short-step sprint, really does look a little demented when he runs with the ball. He’s got that combination of horsepower and torque that could very easily seem him as comfortable on a Rugby pitch. Hanlon’s run ended some 50 yards later with a hand-pass to Derek Kelly, which almost bettered the Edenderry centre-forward, who had to stretch out his right arm to drag down the slightly over-hit pass. Kelly had already given us a preview as to the potency of his left-boot when he winds-it-up with an earlier point attempt that reached surprising altitudes but was eventually wide of the mark. This time his aim was true. He veered left to avoid his marker, wound-up his left leg as if it were tightly sprung and unleashed a thunderbolt, scoring an absolutely stunning goal from 20 yards out, with the ball ricocheting into the goal from the under-side of the crossbar. Edenderry were in front (1-07 to 1-05). We didn’t know it at the time, but they would not relinquish that lead again in this football match. Before the first half concluded, Rhode came back within a point of the Reds and Richie Dalton missed the opportunity to re-establish a 2 point gap in the Reds favour from a 45.

Judgement at half-time was that both teams could improve. Edenderry’s high-ball tactic into the full forward line (which needs to be re-examined) was paying reasonable dividends at best, but pretty much all of their players were in the game. Uncharacteristically, Rhode had kicked some poor wides (Niall Darby, Niall McNamee & Ruairi McNamee), their half-forward line was struggling, Brian Darby was losing the battle to Derek Kelly and Anton Sullivan was very much on the fringes of the game.

As the two teams emerged for the second half Pat Daly moved Anton Sullivan to his favoured roving half-forward role in a bid to energise both his half-forward line and the player himself, while Edenderry replaced the dependable Oran Lawton with the pacey Ciaran Hurley.

Niall McNamee quickly tied the scores up at 1-7 apiece and the tension started to build. And tension is pretty much what the second half would bring, as scores dried-up and chances were missed. Sean Doyle sent over a brace of inspirational scores (the point from near the dug-outs was exceptional) and Sean Moriarty temporarily rectified Edenderry’s long-range free taking problems. At the other end, Darren Garry and Ruairi McNamee pointed. With 15 minutes to play, the game was very much in the balance. Anton Sullivan’s trademark lung-busting runs resulted in only busted-lungs and became truly counter-productive. His unorthodox role (and ultimately his absence from the right-half forward position) elected Sean Moriarty as Landlord to a large patch of ground in front of the dug-outs – and he took advantage very effectively. At this point, it felt like Edenderry could feel the warmth of the Sun, but still weren’t ready to step out of the shadows. Although dominating the game, they became a little introverted, played a lot of side-ways football and started to waste chances - a good goal chance being very well blocked by the leg of Paul McPadden.

As the game entered it's final quarter, another goal chance fell to Jordan Hayes almost directly under the Rhode crossbar, but cool as you like he stepped back and hand-passed the ball over the bar (1-11 to 1-09). Rhode would’ve raised a green flag – Edenderry will have to be more ruthless if they are to sustain success at this level. In the closing minutes Niall McNamee tagged on another point to leave the bare minimum between the teams and a draw really did seem inevitable. However, McNamee then importantly missed a difficult 45 and quite an easy chance after that to level the game. Anton Sullivan too missed a chance to level and there was a level of panic amongst Rhode, perfectly captured by the surprise late introduction of Paschal Keeleghan as a substitute. Numerous kick-outs and small plays followed before Edenderry got a break-away chance to point through substitute Gary Blong. The body language of the Rhode players captured the moment – that point at which one-point hope becomes two-point finality. The referee blew the final whistle and the October Sun shone on the Reds. Funny, in a year in which Peter Brady’s high demands suggested a predictable separation, his team produced their best performance of his long tenure.

It’s too early to write an obituary on the Village. The Rhode class of 2015 show high mileage and are fading, but are not ready to bow-out just yet. They must find a more permanent home for Conor McNamee, perhaps find a new role for the ageing Alan McNamee, who remains physically strong and always ensures the shortest path to Niall McNamee, help Anton Sullivan to fulfil his vast potential and look towards Brian Darby and Pauric Sullivan for Indian Summers. But the 15 year old Niall McNamee has turned into the 30 year old Niall McNamee – his governance of Offaly football will soon decline. Players like this come along rarely – it’s hard to ignore the parallel with rare astronomical events – some are once in a lifetime.

To the Champions go all the plaudits. Derek Kelly and David Hanlon should lead a talented group forward from here. But with the Sun shining on them now, this Edenderry team are advised to seek out their reflection in dark water. Only they will know what they see. They might well see an image of the Rhode team of 2001 – a hungry team struggling to believe in themselves but fiercly committed and (as we have since learned) on the brink of many honours. They must decide if they will emulate or better that team or if this is a fleeting appearance before returning to the Dark Side of the Moon.
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substandard
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by substandard »

Two very eloquent, almost poetic, synopses there- love the classical overtones!!
Afraid this will be a much more mundane affair- a very enjoyable game, with Edenderry taking the game to Rhode from the off. Edenderry barely blinked at the concession of the early goal- a sign of a team that knew what they were about, and were intent on executing their game plan. Ultimately, doubt vs resilience decided the outcome, although Rhode were the ones that doubt affected in the closing 10 minutes.
One slight concern I'd have for Edenderry in a Leinster campaign would be that in those last 10 minutes, the movement in the forward line deserted them. This reduced their options moving the ball out of defence, and cost them opportunities at creating chances. The subs used should be providing continuity by bringing fresh legs and fresh impetus to build on the work done by the lads they replace.
Hanlon's power and drive was immense- I'd imagine it'd cause huge problems for any team further up the field, but a great team performance for what looks overall to be a young squad.
As I said already, a hugely enjoyable game, but, with absolutely no disrespect to Edenderry, I'd hope that they don't end up with a procession of titles over the next few years. Or if they do, that at least they are pushed hard to do so by a number of competitive teams, for the long-term benefit of the game in Offaly.

mickey
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by mickey »

28/1 for leinster?good odds considering all games in tullamore.a handy start I think v rathnew then it's st loman's who are no better than rhode.than it's the dublin champs which is the rgt time to play them Garry castle should of beat them st same stage last year.final would be first away match which would probable be against an aging portlaoise team

Heshs Umpire
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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by Heshs Umpire »

mickey wrote:final would be first away match which would probable be against an aging portlaoise team
Not that I'd be too sure Portlaoise would get to the final but I'd hardly call them aging.

Bruno McCormack at 33/34 was the oldest guy to start the semi final recently, John Delaney's around 31, Rogers and Healy around 29, Dillon 27. The rest of the team are under 26.

As well as that the final would be at a neutral venue. No reason Edenderry can't have a good run and 28/1 looks nice alright.

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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by NewEra »

Well done to Edenderry! It is always nice to have a change in the county and that is no disrespect to Rhode whatsoever who have set the standard and have been great ambassadors for Offaly over the last number of years. It also sets up next years championship nicely!

I'm hoping a few Edenderry players will answer the call for Offaly for 2016. Offaly needs them.

Best of luck to Edenderry in the Leinster campaign.

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Re: 2015 SFC Final - Edenderry vs. Rhode 11/10/15

Post by allstar2010 »

mickey wrote:28/1 for leinster?good odds considering all games in tullamore.a handy start I think v rathnew then it's st loman's who are no better than rhode.than it's the dublin champs which is the rgt time to play them Garry castle should of beat them st same stage last year.final would be first away match which would probable be against an aging portlaoise team
Mickey, I think you might be getting a bit carried away. How do you come to the conclusion that Rathnew will be a handy one for Edenderry? Have they played before? How many games in the last 10years have offaly teams won in Leinster not including rhode? I don't think there is too many victories.

I'd imagine the bookies are safe enough at 28/1. Don't get me wrong I'd love to see them go all the way.

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