Clondalkin Rugbyclondalkinrugby.com/pages/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Matchday... · which, while disappointing, were good performances. They face the current leaders, Wicklow, today

Clondalkin RugbyOFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

SUNDAY 4TH NOVEMBER 2018

WOMEN’S LEINSTER LEAGUE

DIVISION 2

CLONDALKIN RFC VS WICKLOW RFC

KICK-OFF 12:00PM – MAIN PITCH

PROUD SPONSORS

WOMEN'S RUGBY

SECOND XV

LEINSTER LEAGUE J1 – DIVISION 2A

CLONDALKIN RFC VS NEWBRIDGE RFC

KICK-OFF 1:00PM

FIRST XV

LEINSTER LEAGUE J1 – DIVISION 2A


KICK-OFF 2:30PM

TODAY’S MATCH DAY OFFICIALS

WOMEN’S LEINSTER LEAGUE DIVISION 2Eamon Timmins

J1 LEINSTER LEAGUE DIVISION 2AGlenn Sheridan

J2 LEINSTER LEAGUE SECONDS DIVISION 2ABrendan Molloy

All ARLB

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 04 NOVEMBER 2018

Acknowledgements

Editors: Gareth Steed, Gary Branigan and Vincent Quinn

Photographs: Sharon Flanagan PhotographyFacilities: Kevin LaidePrinted by: Tico Mail Works

Clondalkin RFC thank all those who contributedarticles to this programme and all sponsors andadvertisers for their very generous support.

For up-to-date details of all fixtures, results andevents, visit our website and various socialmedia platforms.

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WELCOME…A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF RUGBY

Welcome everybody to our Women’s fourthleague game of the season and the fifth forboth our Senior Men’s First and Second XVs.

Our women’s and men’s teams don’t normallyshare home fixtures so this is a greatopportunity for the men’s teams and theirsupporters in particular to experience aClonettes’ fixture and support their team.

I had 2 great years coaching the Clonettes withour current President, Ciaran Collins, and itwas an eye opener for me in the first couple ofgames to witness the level of intensity,physicality and commitment from the players.Even though the 2 years were tough in termsof results, there was never a let up incommitment and hunger and, in both years,the team finished the season strongly to reachthe plate finals.

This year the Clonettes have beenstrengthened with the return of a couple of‘old’ players and the new coaching team ofAilbhe and Al. A good win has beensandwiched between a couple of close losseswhich, while disappointing, were goodperformances. They face the current leaders,Wicklow, today and we are confident that,with home advantage, a win is on the cards.

I don’t like mentioning individuals but theinjury to Tiggy is a huge loss to the team andclub in general and hopefully we will see herback up in the club soon.

The Second XV maintained their 100% recordthis season in their last fixture againstPortlaoise but, disappointingly, the 1sts weredefeated in the dying minutes of their fixture.We expect a big bounce back this weekendagainst a Newbridge team who are level withus at the top of the table, so it will be a toughencounter.

It will be worth noting on the day the amountof organising that goes on in the background,including co-ordination of the minis in themorning, co-ordinating the handover ofpitches to the various teams, refereeing thegames, managing carparks, providing food andrefreshments not to mention the organising inthe week up to a fixture. And that is everyweek, not just this one.

All of that organising is carried out byvolunteers, both long-term members of theclub and very new members. It takes a hugeeffort, so any additional volunteers are alwayswelcome. Whatever your skills, we will find arole for you.

So, lets ensure everybody has an enjoyableday by supporting and respecting thevolunteers, match officials and players andhere’s to 3 big wins on the day.

Eamon StapletonDirector Of Rugby

2

MATCHDAY PROTOCOLSTá fáilte is fiche roimh chách go Cumann Rugbaí Chluain Dolcáin inniu – an luchttacaíochta, baill nua agus cuairteoirí - agus tá súil againn go mbainfidh sibh fíor-thaitneamh as na cluichí.

We welcome everybody to the club today, supporters, new members and visitors andhope everyone enjoys the matches on show.

It is important that we all respect the players and officials. They are amateurs and arehere to enjoy themselves as well.

Therefore, we expect that everybody behaves appropriately.

PITCH SIDE MANNERSDo support your team positively

Don’t abuse opposition players

Do remain silent when kicks are taken

Don’t use foul language

Do welcome opposition support

Don’t abuse referees or touch judges

Do restrict alcohol to patio area

Let’s hope for a good game and may the best team win.

Clondalkin RFC


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Women's XV - Captain's MessageI am so proud to be captain of the women’steam for the season 2018/2019 and to beteamed with Sara Phelan as vice-captain. Thiswill be my eighth season playing rugby for theClonettes and I have enjoyed every moment.On joining the club, I was amazed by howfriendly and welcoming the women’s teamwere. I have played for many teamsthroughout my life and I have neverexperienced this type of camaraderie andfriendship. To this day, Clondalkin ladies havemaintained that welcoming and positiverapport, according to all newcomers. I wouldencourage anyone - of any skill level - to giveClondalkin RFC a try.

During my time at the club, I have been veryexcited to see the Clonettes progress andprove themselves as valuable members ofClondalkin Rugby Club. We have built a goodreputation in the club for bringing homesilverware, our contribution to fundraisingand our team spirit. I am also delighted to seeone of our ex-players, Una Maguire, progressto club vice-president which is well deservedand testament to her dedication to the club.

I would like to thank Sandra Healy, our currentmanager, for all of her hard work sincestarting in this role last season. I would alsolike to thank Eamon Stapleton and CiaranCollins, our outgoing coaches, for everythingyou have done for us in the past two seasons,including getting us to two finals. We will missyou both. I am excited this season to have theexperience of our new coaching team, AilbheO’Nolan and Alan Hickey. Both have already

proven themselves to be excellent coachesand the girls have learned so much alreadythrough pre-season. We are all lookingforward to applying our new moves in ourupcoming league matches. Finally, I would liketo thank my lovely wife Nicola without whomI would never have even played rugby in thefirst place. You are the very best and Iappreciate all your encouragement.

I hope that this season will bring us manysuccesses and we will once again establishourselves as a force to be reckoned with!

Hon the Clon!

Naomi FynesCaptain, Clondalkin Women 2018/2019

5


CLONETTES SQUAD PHOTOS6


Currently there are 15girls training eachSunday, ranging in agesfrom 4 to 12. Everysingle one of them lovesgetting involved and,over the weeks, we canreally see them developand grow in the sport.The training sessions areall based around learningthrough fun games andteaching them the mostimportant skills of thegame. Every child isencouraged and praised.

GIRLS MINI RUGBYIn September 2018, Clondalkin RFC launched the club’s first all-girls’ minis section of the club.With coaches Úna Maguire, Sandra Flood and Catherine Keane, all 3 women have played for thesenior team and are Clondalkin members for many years.

The need for a girls’ minis section became apparent last season and the club would like todevelop a full girls’ section going forward. This will take time and persistence. The coaches onboard are committed to making this a reality.

I can’t recommend the sport more for a young girl to play. First hand, I can see the friendshipsbeing formed and young girls growing in confidence and ability. Rugby, and especially ClondalkinRFC, has a place for every young girl. I hear parents talk about how they have brought theirdaughters to other sports and hobbies and how rugby quickly becomes ‘the one’ for them, theone they look forward to.

Let your friends and family know that Clondalkin RFC has a girls’ minis section and encouragethem to ‘Give It a Try’. We train every Sunday from 10.30 – 11.30am. At the end of each session,we have a Clondalkin huddle and the sound of the ‘Clondalkin Roar’ brings the biggest smile toall our faces.

Úna MaguireVice President

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Why Choose RugbyRugby has never been more popular thanks to the successes of the Irish national team andLeinster Rugby. We not only compete in “Rugby's Greatest Championship”, the Six Nations everyyear but we challenge for the Championship and Grand Slam. Ireland are the current Six NationsChampions (2018) and have won the Championship three time in the past five years. Players likeRory Best, Tadhg Furlong, Peter O’Mahony, Keith Earls, Rob Kearney, Conor Murray and JohnnySexton are household names. And did I mention we are ranked Number 2 in the world?

In this article, I will list six reasons why everyone should play rugby.

Rugby Improves FitnessCurrent World Health Organisationrecommendations suggest that the averageperson should get around 30 minutes of mildto moderate exercise five days a week, butexpanding waistlines across the world indicatethat not everyone is meeting this goal. But it’snot just about avoiding getting fat. Physicalinactivity is the fourth leading risk factor forglobal mortality, taking the lives of 3.2 millionpeople each year. Playing rugby represents afantastic way to get off the couch and getactive. An intensely physical sport, rugbyrequires that players wanting to compete at ahigh level achieve a significant degree offitness. Depending on the level ofcompetition, rugby players can train up to fourdays a week using a combination oftechniques including skills, fitness-basedexercises, weights, agility training andconditioning. Through this rigorous exercise,players are able to improve their generalfitness and prevent a host of negative healtheffects associated with being overweight suchas diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Rugby Is Suitable For Anyone And EveryoneWhether you want to play socially orcompetitively, age is no barrier to the

enjoyment of this thrilling sport. Althoughrugby is a contact sport, the practice oftackling is generally only introduced toappropriate age groups. Younger players canlearn rugby gradually through modified andnon-contact versions of the sport. Whilst thevast majority of rugby players are men, thereis a growing number of women that areflocking to the sport, with female globalparticipation rates now eclipsing 1 millionacross 112 nations. No matter what your ageor sex, rugby is a great game for everyone totake part in.

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Rugby Can Ease Depression And Anxiety

There is a mountain of evidence proving thatsport has a positive impact on participants’mental state, helping those with depression oranxiety. Whilst picking up a rugby ball andjoining the local team is not being touted asthe singular solution for individuals that battlemental health problems, often sufferers ofdepression and anxiety report that they feellike their lives are out of their control. Rugby,like most team sports, is able to giveparticipants a sense of purpose and a placewithin the team that may be missing in otherparts of their life. In addition, the sense ofcameraderie with teammates can be animportant part of helping individuals movetowards a more positive frame of mind.Physical activity can be a huge aid to anymental health treatment regimen. Researchhas demonstrated that playing sport andphysical exercise can cause improvedconcentration, enhanced creativity and even abetter mood.

Playing Improves Cardiovascular HealthThe cardiovascular system is what transportsblood through the human body and isresponsible for bringing nutrients and oxygento your organs. Playing rugby regularly canresult in enormous benefits to thecardiovascular system, helping maintain ahealthy weight, reducing the risk of diseaseand increasing the body’s efficiency. Theintense demands of the sport mean thatplayers are constantly running, diving andtackling each other, which in turn requires ahigh standard of fitness. Whilst explosivespeed is not a requirement for back players, inmany matches a rugby forward can run up to20 kilometres in a game.

Playing Rugby Builds Discipline

Rugby requires a high degree of preparation,and, through participation in structuredtraining and playing a regular game schedule,rugby can develop key mental skills of self-control and discipline. Players learn theimportance of goal setting and can establish ablueprint for achieving those goals. This is anespecially important lesson for youngerplayers as they learn valuable life skills thatthey can take with them into adulthood.

Rugby Can Improve Behaviour In AdolescentsThere is a large body of scientific evidencethat has gone to show that kids whoparticipate in rugby and sports in general arefar less likely to smoke cigarettes or take drugsas they can see that doing so can have adetrimental effect on their health and theirability to perform. Interestingly, numerousstudies have also shown that pre-teen andteen girls’ involvement in sports has positiveimpact on decreasing teen pregnancy. Femaleteen athletes are less than half as likely tobecome pregnant than those that didn’tparticipate in sports. The girls in the studiesreported higher levels of self-esteem.

Vincent QuinnPublic Relations Officer


10

50 REASONS WHY

PARENTS SHOULD

ENCOURAGE THEIR

CHILDREN TO PLAY

SPORTS


WOMEN’S LEINSTER LEAGUE

DIVISION 2

CLONDALKIN RFC VS WICKLOW RFC

Aideen Grogan 1 Leah Fisher

Niamh McDonnell 2 Niamh O'Leary

Irene Tshiamala 3 Marleyn-Cristin Kallas

Emma Lewis 4 Caitlin Griffey

Shauna Healy 5 Andrea Petru

Dawn Keegan 6 Rachel Devlin

Naomi Fynes 7 Jessica Schmidt

Sarah-Jane Masterson 8 Rachel Griffey

Niamh Farrelly 9 Megan Parkinson

Brid Holohan 10 Hannah Rose Buckley

Amanda Madden 11 Leana Zielinski

Gael Stowe 12 Erin McConnell

Sara Phelan 13 Aoibhin Stone

Elaine Matthews 14 Megan McConnell

Ciara Meenagh 15 Amy O'Neill

Subs: Subs:

Lorraine McDonnell 16 Aoife Farrell

Caroline Conway 17 Shauna Soady-Murray

Chloe Flannagan 18 Edwina Sayer

Tracey McCarrick 19 Aoise Killeen

20 Kate Byrne

21 Mia Sheridan


LEINSTER LEAGUE J1 & J2

DIVISION 2A


CLON FIRST XV CLON SECOND XV

Kevin Dunphy 1 Robert Smith

Brian Doyle 2 James Kenny

John Allen Glynn 3 Stephen Keely

Marcus Doyle 4 Darren Moore

Paul McDermott 5 Stephen McKenna

Simon King 6 Ian Murphy

Karl Jebb 7 James Farrell

Eoghan Farrell 8 Aaron Donnelly

Thomas Ankers 9 Stephen Bracken

Mikey Russell 10 John Murphy

Niall Nolan 11 Clincy Mutanga

Ben Foran 12 Ali Collier

Mat Stapleton 13 Dave Gaule

Ryan Maher 14 James Murphy

Chris Jebb 15 Stephen Cunningham

Subs: Subs:

James Kenny 16 Darren Madden

Paul McCreanor 17 Ken McMahon

Tom Brady 18 Luke Mullen

Darren Madden 19 Aaron Kelly

Eoin Brady 20 Rae Connor

3

4 5

6 7

8

9

11 12

13

14

15

10

21

Irene TSHIAMALA

Áine COSTELLO

Shauna HEALY

Dawn KEEGAN

NaomiFYNESSarah-Jane

MASTERSON

NiamhFARRELLY

Brid HOLOHAN

Gael STOWE

Sara PHELAN

Elaine MATTHEWS

Amanda MADDEN

CiaraMEENAGH

Niamh McDONNELL

Aideen GROGAN


CLONETTES vs WICKLOW

Replacements

Lorraine McDonnell

Caroline Conway

Emma Lewis

Chloe Flannagan

Tracey McCarrick

15


Women's Leinster League Division 2

Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA Diff BPBP W

BP L

Ded Pts

1 Wicklow 4 4 0 0 141 29 112 3 3 0 0 19

2 Edenderry 4 3 1 0 69 29 40 3 2 1 0 15

3 Balbriggan 4 2 2 0 29 72 -43 0 0 0 0 9

4 Mullingar 4 2 2 0 58 74 -16 1 1 0 -2 8

5 Clondalkin 3 1 2 0 47 43 4 2 1 1 0 6

6GardaWestmanstown

4 1 3 0 44 115 -71 0 0 0 0 4

7 Gorey 3 0 3 0 26 52 -26 1 0 1 0 1

Current Women’s Fixture List

Date Kick-Off Home Venue Visitors

Sun11/11/18

1:00PM Garda/Westmanstown Clondalkin

Fri16/11/18

8:00PM Clondalkin Mullingar

Sun25/11/18

1:00PM Balbriggan Clondalkin

Sun09/12/18

1:00PM Clondalkin Gorey

Sun13/01/19

1:00PM Mullingar Clondalkin

Sun20/01/19

1:00PM Clondalkin Edenderry

Sun10/02/19

1:00PM Wicklow Clondalkin

Sun17/02/19

1:00PM Clondalkin Garda/Westmanstown

16


League Table Leinster League (J2) - Division 2A


BP L

Ded Pts

1 Clondalkin 4 4 0 0 164 54 110 0 - 0 0 16

2 Railway Union 4 3 1 0 89 72 17 0 - 0 0 12

3Wexford Wanderers

4 2 2 0 83 64 19 1 - 1 0 9

4 Portlaoise 4 2 2 0 74 115 -41 0 - 0 0 8

5 Cill Dara 3 1 2 0 47 69 -22 1 - 1 0 5

6 New Ross 4 1 3 0 37 91 -54 0 - 0 0 4

7 Newbridge 3 1 2 0 15 31 -16 0 - 0 -2 2

8 Mullingar 4 1 3 0 43 56 -13 0 - 0 -4 0

League Table Leinster League - Division 2A


BP L

Ded Pts

1 Clondalkin 4 3 1 0 128 56 72 3 2 1 0 15

2 Newbridge 4 3 1 0 104 62 42 3 2 1 0 15

3Wexford Wanderers

4 3 1 0 104 79 25 2 2 0 0 14

4 Portlaoise 4 3 1 0 88 79 9 0 0 0 0 12

5 Railway Union 4 2 2 0 94 88 6 2 1 1 0 10

6 Cill Dara 4 1 3 0 57 103 -46 2 1 1 0 6

7 Mullingar 4 1 3 0 72 104 -32 2 1 1 0 6

8 New Ross 4 0 4 0 36 112 -76 1 0 1 0 1

17


Current Men’s Senior Fixture List

Date Kick-off Home Venue Visitors

Sun11/11/18

2:30PM Clondalkin New Ross

Sun25/11/18

2:30PM Railway Union Clondalkin

Sun30/11/18

8:00PM Cill Dara Clondalkin

Sun09/12/18

2:00PM Clondalkin Wexford Wanderers

Sun06/01/19

2:30PM Clondalkin Mullingar

Sun27/11/09

2:30PM Newbridge Clondalkin

Sun17/02/19

3:00PM New Ross Clondalkin

Sun03/03/19

3:00PM Clondalkin Railway Union

18


Player Profile: Aideen Grogan

Q: How old were you when you started playing rugby?A: I started playing rugby at 17 when I started college in WIT.

Q: What was your first rugby memory?A: Ending up in A&E after a training session, collided head first with another team mate, she

got a head ache and I ended up with a very impressive black eye.

Q: Do you spend time with team mates?A: Yes, there are a few of us who would be quite close outside of rugby. Being from Wexford,

it’s great to have that group of friends outside of sport as well, even though rugby is howwe all met.

Q: Who is your favourite international rugby player?A: Me scuzzy, this could take a while….. I’ve always admired the All Blacks and Black Ferns as

teams, the standard they all play at is phenomenal so I would say Ma’a Nonu or Dan Carterand, without a doubt, Niall Williams from Black Ferns.

Q: What sport would you play if you didn’t play rugby?A: Probably camogie, or should I have asked if there are other sports?!

Q: How do you deal with nerves before a match?A: I try to think less about the other team and focus on what I’m going to do when I’m on the

pitch. That’s all I can really control, making sure I protect in rucks and make the first tackle.To play the game our way, as the Clonettes.

Q: When did you join Clondalkin Rugby Club?A: I joined in 2013, my sister had joined the team a few years

before and, since I was moving to Dublin, it was a naturalchoice. Plus my mam is from Rathcoole and I’ve family in thearea including 2 cousins who have played for Clondalkin foryears.

Q: What position do you play?A: Either side of front row, usually tight head but sure

I’m grand either side!

19


Player Profile: Niamh FarrellyNiamh joined Clondalkin Rugby Club in 2013 after she had finished a long spell at gymnastics.She was initially persuaded by her boyfriend, who also plays for the club, to give it a try. She wasvery nervous about coming up as she never played a team sport before but when she arrived atpre-season she was blown away by how welcoming the girls were and hasn't looked back since.

In her first season with Clondalkin, Niamh played on the wing. In her second season, she madethe transition to scrum half and has been making herself at home in that role for over 3 years.

Niamh is extremely honoured to be a part of such an amazing club and can't thank everyoneenough for being so friendly and supportive. She can't wait for the season ahead as theatmosphere this season has been electric so far.

Q: Favourite Player To Watch Growing Up:A: Brian O'Driscoll

Q: Favourite Cartoon As A Kid:A: The Wild Thornberrys

Q: When You Were Growing Up, What Did You Want To Be?A: A dancer

Q: Most Treasured Possession:A: My home

Q: Last Meal Would Be:A: Spaghetti Bolognese

Q: Favourite Holiday Destination:A: Orlando, Florida

Q: In The Movie Of My Life, I’d Be Played By:A: Jim Carrey..... he could pull it off!

Q: Stranded On An Island, What Are Your 3 Essential Items?A: My bed, my favourite mug and tea bags.

Q: What Would You Buy With Your Last €50?A: New Shoes!

20


Why Sponsor Clon Rugby?

From Little Things, Big Things Grow…. AtClondalkin Rugby we offer businesses theopportunity to reach our members, access oursupporters and grow, whilst supporting a localsporting club. Developing and running a club isrunning a business. In order to run a business,you must have valued partners who help eachother achieve success. We invite you tobecome part of our club, come to our gamesand events and work with us to develop thissignificant opportunity and achieve successtogether!

Sponsoring Clondalkin Rugby Club is anopportunity to associate your organisationwith a well-respected and large-scale localorganisation.

Rugby has never been more popular, thanks tothe successes of our national team andLeinster Rugby. Over the past year, we’vedoubled the amount of our mini and youthmembers so this will give you the idealopportunity to benefit from advertising in athriving club.We draw players and supporters from a wide

catchment area including, but not limited to,Clondalkin, Tallaght, Palmerstown, Rathcoole,Citywest, Newcastle, Johnstown, Saggart,Lucan, Blessington and Kill.

Our social media platforms are extremelypopular and currently are the 4th mostpopular within club rugby and regularly rank2nd for most engagements. It should be notedthat, with regard to engagements, we are onlyoutperformed by Leinster Rugby.

Whether through our website, field displays onmatch days, shirt sponsorship or brandpromotion, Clondalkin Rugby Club can offeryour organisation a huge amount ofopportunities to advance your business.

21


Player Profile: Karl JebbI was 8 years old when I first started playing rugby. Back then, the youngest team we had wasunder 12, so I pretty much spent two years on the sidelines as the team mascot.

My earliest rugby memory has to be that first Clon game against Seapoint RFC, during one oftheir notorious ‘Mini Blitzs’, you know the ones, where you got all four seasons in one afternoon.

I finally got my chance and was called to come on. In what felt like seconds I found myself as thelast man (man??? do I mean boy???) with the full back coming straight down my channel, whohad about two years and 3ft on me.

So, I closed my eyes, dropped my shoulder and next thing in knew I was being picked up, witheveryone cheering for me. He'd run me over but, in the process, knocked it on. I'd made my firstever try-saving tackle.

To this day I'm still not sure who it was that patted me on the shoulder and said ''good hit, nexttime, don't close your eyes‘’.

Family is extremely important to me and I’d have to say that my role models growing up weremy brothers, sisters, mother and father. But I can’t forget everyone else I've had the greatpleasure of playing with at my time in this wonderful club. I’d like to think I've learnt somethingfrom everyone I’ve played with and would hope they feel the same about myself.

Q. Favourite positionA. Back Row (I'm not a centre!)

Q. Favourite playerA. Me

Q. When you were growing up, what did you want to be?A. Pet Detective

Q. What I don't find amusing is…A. …when everyone grabs me and tells me to calm down (when has that ever worked in

calming anyone down?)

Fun Facts: I don't look good in yellow, but for some reason, I look dynamite in aClondalkin Jersey. I think it’s because of the blonde - it washes me out.

23


Player Profile: Eoin BradyI started playing rugby when I was 11, inspired by Winston Jebb, who watched us playingfootball for Rathcoole Boys where I played with Karl. After months of begging my mam, sheeventually agreed to let me come down to Clondalkin and she has loved it as much as me eversince.

After a few seasons where I was in and out of the senior team, through college, work andinjuries, this year already feels like it has been one of my best and I’m looking forward topushing on as the season progresses.

Current Position: 9

Favourite position: Back Row (at U12s)

First Coaches at CRFC: Frank Russell and Mick O’Brien

Favourite Memory Playing for Clondalkin: Winning the Lawlor Cup with the Seconds aftergetting the call up from the U19s team

Do you play any other sports?: Played anything and everything until I started college. Now it’sjust rugby and the occasional game of 5 a-side.

When you were growing up, what did you want to be?: A surgeon

Favourite player to watch growing up: Peter Stringer

Favourite cartoon as a kid: SpongeBob

What I don’t find amusing is: Missing tackles!

My last meal would be: Doner kebab, wings and a Guinness from the club bar

In a movie of my life I would be played by: A young Leonardo DiCaprio

Favourite holiday destination: Skiing in France

Stranded on an island, what are your 3 essential items?: Music, food and my teddy bear

24


Club Person of the Year

Philly Byrne

Youths Club Person of the Year

Gareth Steed

Women’s Player of the Year: Anne Marie Whelan

1st Team Player of the Year: Brian Doyle

2nd Team Player of the Year: James Farrell

3rd Team Player of the Year: Eoin Delaney

2nd Team Player of the YearJames “Sparrow” Farrell

CAPTAIN’S DINNER 2018What a wonderful night at the 2018 Captain’s Dinner on Saturday, October 27th in TheFinnstown Castle Hotel. Our master of ceremonies Kingo, Eoin Delaney, Philly Byrne and ourcaptains Naomi Fynes, Mikey Russell and Kevin Dunphy all spoke very passionately about thelong established strong family ethos of our amazing club. Well done to everyone involved.

1st Team Player of the YearBrian Doyle

Women’s Player of the YearAnne Marie Whelan

Youths Club Person of the YearGareth Steed

Club Person of the YearPhilly Byrne

3rd Team Player of the YearEoin Delaney

25


26


Player Profile: AnneMarie WhelanI’m into my 8th Season at Clondalkin RFC as aplayer and my team mates are the primaryreason I became, and will remain, a Clonette.When I joined the Club, it was on arecommendation from an existing Clondalkinplayer at a time when I was looking for a‘new’ sport to play. I attended my first trainingsession on a cold November evening and waswarmly welcomed by the group of womenand Gordon Condell as head coach. I had myfirst game that Sunday and I don’t remembermuch but I do remember an opposition playerrunning straight at me and trying desperatelyto remember what I’d been taught abouttackling. Thankfully I managed to wrap lowand drive her over the touchline and, withthat, I was hooked. I still go out on the pitchand try to do just that, week in week out.More importantly however, I learned that thegroup of women that welcomed me into theteam were more than just rugby players – thelevel of camaraderie and friendship that existswithin the Clonettes is phenomenal. Wealways welcome new players and we alwaysrespect our opposition.

The other great thing I noticed is that, unlikesome other sports, rugby has a place for everysize and shape – it didn’t matter that I can’trun as fast as Sara Phelan or jackal the ball as

well as Naomi Fynes, I could still do a job onthe pitch. Over the years, I’ve had theprivilege of playing with some of the club’sfinest players and I’ve gotten to understandthe history of the club with so manygenerations still involved as players, coachesand committee members. It’s great to seeformer players giving back to the club, and inparticular this season with the developmentof the Girls Minis Section. I started playing at28 years of age, I can only imagine what theseyoung girls will be able to achieve in ten years’time. In such a family orientated club it is alsofantastic that we can say that we try to caterfor all. That level of investment in the youthsection will pay dividends in the coming years.

Last Saturday, I received the Women’s TeamPlayer of the Season Award 2017/2018. Tome, there is no greater honour than havingyour efforts recognised by your peers. I’m notthe fastest player and I’m not the most skilfulplayer, but I will always be happy to go outand give 100% in that yellow jersey. I thankmy fellow players, most sincerely for seeingvalue in my contributions on the pitch. I’velearned a lot since my first game but I’m stilllearning and I intend to be around to see theclub continue to grow.

Current Position: 8

Favourite Position: 6, Blindside Flanker

First Coach: Gordon Condell

Nickname: Amo

Favourite Rugby Memory: Winning the Paul FloodCup in 2014

27


MATCH DAY SPONSORS

If you are interested in becoming a Club or

Match Day Sponsor, please do not hesitate

to contact us

28

CLONDALKIN RFC

LOOKING FOR THE IDEAL CHRISTMAS GIFT

FOR HIM OR HER?

ORDER NOW A CLONDALKIN RFC FOOTBALL

OR BRING A FRIEND UP AND ONCE THEY SIGN

UP AND PLAY, WE WILL GIVE YOU A BALL!

CLONDALKIN RFC

Documents

Clondalkin Rugbyclondalkinrugby.com/pages/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Matchday... · which, while disappointing, were good performances. They face the current leaders, Wicklow, today