Sidelines Magazine 2005

INSIDE • Fresher Camogie Champions • Michael Walsh Interview

• Intermediate Hurling Champions • Blitz with a Difference

The Magazine of Waterford Institute of Technology GAA Club Vol 12 September 2005

SID

EL

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1982-1983 Division 3 Hurling League


1984-1985 Division 3 Football League

Freshers Football League



Hurling Championship

Division 3 Hurling League


Munster Freshers Football Championship

1987-1988 Division 1 Freshers Hurling League

Ladies Football Championship

Munster Freshers Hurling Championship

Fitzgibbon Plate Hurling

1988-1989 Division 1B (Intermediate) Hurling League

Division 1 Freshers Hurling League


Freshers Camogie League

Division 1 Ladies Football League

1989-1990 Purcell Cup Camogie Championship

Division 2B (Intermediate) Football League

Division 2B (Intermediate) Hurling League

1990-1991 Purcell Shield Camogie Championship


Division 2 Football Trench Shield

1991-1992 Division 1 Camogie League

Purcell Cup Camogie Championship

Division 1 hurling League

Fitzgibbon Cup

1992-1993 Division 1 Camogie League

Purcell Cup Camogie Championship


Handball League and Championship



Ashbourne Shield

1994-1995 Fitzgibbon Cup

Division 2B (Intermediate) Football League

Freshers Camogie League


Division 2 Football League

Handball Ladies Singles Open


Ashbourne Shield





Division 1 Camogie League



Ashbourne Cup

Division 1 Camogie League


Division 1 Freshers Ladies Football Championship

O’Connor Cup Plate – Ladies Football




2000-2001 Ashbourne Cup


Division 1 Freshers Ladies Football Shield

2002-2003 Fitzgibbon Cup Champions

Fresher 1 Hurling Champions

Fresher 2 Hurling Champions

Division 3 Ladies Football Champions


Intermediate Hurling

Fresher 2 Hurling

2004-2005 Intermediate Hurling

Fresher Camogie

WIT GAA Club Role of HonourWIT GAA Club Role of Honour

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On behalf of WIT GAA Club I would like to thank

all those who have helped to put together this

year’s publication.

I would also like to thank all those who

contributed articles and photographs for this

edition of Sidelines.

I hope that you enjoy reading the various articles

and learn about life here in Waterford Institute of

Technology.

We had great success both on and off the field

this year and we look forward to the coming year

with great anticipation.

Guím sonas daoibh go léir, rath Dé ar bhúr

saoltair.

Damien YoungEditor

A word from the Editor. . . Contents. . .

4 Fresher Camogie Champions

5 Intermediate Retain Crown

6 Solid as a Brick

7 Ashbourne CupClubs & Societies Awards

8 Classy Kate Excels in both Codes

9 Fitzgibbon three in-a-row dreams dashed

10-11 New Initiatives

12 WIT GAA All-Star RecipientsPlayer Profiles: Alan Mulhall / Hugh Maloney

13 A Crystal Clash 2005WIT Scholarship Students

14 Fresher HurlingWIT GAA Club Officers

16 Sigerson CupBeing Part of the GAA ClubSenior Intercounty Stars 2005

17 Freshers FootballPlayer Profiles: Nicola Scully / Ursula Jacob

18 Ladies Football

19 Defining Sport PsychologyOne ClubFashion ShowGAA Information Centre

20 WIT Graduate Membership

Fresher Camogie Champions

Saturday the 6th of November 2004 will beremembered for a long time in Camogie circlesas the day when WIT’s Fresher Camogie teamcaptured the CCIA 7-a-side All-Ireland Freshertournament. This great win accumulated afternumerous training sessions and a fantasticdisplay of skill, determination and heart on theday of the competition.

Training for the tournament began in midSeptember as managers Lizzie Flynn andGeraldine Kinane put the girls through their paces.As the competition approached a strong panel of 10was chosen to make the journey to Galway. Ouropposition for the first game was Maynooth. WITstarted brightly and early scores from Ursula Jacoband Susan Keane put us into a comfortable lead. Indefence Michelle Shortt and Claire Ryan were alertto any danger and cleared their lines time and timeagain.

In the second half, WIT continued to dominateproceedings and won on a score line of 4-8 to 0-2.After a short interval we lined out against NUIGalway. After a poor opening half, WIT trailed by apoint at the break but stepped up their performancein the second half with Jacqui Frisby and LauraMurphy playing well at mid-field. Our second victoryof the day was secured on a score line of 0-9 to 2-2. In the final game of the group stages we took on

UL’s second team. The girls played brilliantly andwon, 4-3 to no score.

Three wins from three put us top of the group andstraight into a semi-final spot against UCC. Thegirls from Cork applied plenty of pressure on ourback line but were met by some excellentdefending by Susan Keane. While in attack, try asthey might they were unable to stop Ursula Jacobwho demonstrated great accuracy from play andfrees. In the second half we finally pulled awayfrom UCC and a well-taken goal from Lisa Milleasealed the victory on a score line of 2-8 to 2-1.There was plenty of heart stopping moments alongthe way but some fine goal keeping by Mary Cullenhelped WIT to victory.

Our opposition for the final was UL’s first team. In atight opening half both teams were neck and neck.The second half continued at the same intensity asthe first with both sides giving it everything. SusanKeane was brilliant in defence while Ursula Jacobshook the UL net to give us the lead. This lead wasshort lived as UL came back with two goals of theirown. Things looked to be going against us as withonly 5 minutes remaining we were trailing by apoint. Then a long clearance by Claire Ryan fell toUrsula Jacob but her shot rebounded off thecrossbar. The girls refused to give up and momentslater Michelle Shortt won a free, which Ursula

Jacob pointed. Then in the dying seconds we wereawarded another free from a considerable distanceand once again Ursula stood up and slotted itsweetly over the bar. The final whistle thensounded with great scenes of joy from the WITcamp.

After the match Laura Murphy who played acaptain’s part lifted the coveted cup while UrsulaJacob the star of the tournament received theworthy accolade of Player of the Tournament.Congratulations to all on a fantastic achievement.

Successful managers Geraldine Kinane and LizzyFlynn.

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Back Row L to R: Lizzy Flynn, Lisa Millea, Ursula Jacob, Michelle Shortt, Andrea Mangan, Niamh O’Sullivan, Claire Ryan, Ger Kinane. Front Row L to R; Jacqui Frisby, Laura Murphy(Capt), Mary Cullen, Susan Keane.

Pride of place this year went to theintermediate hurlers who, for thesecond consecutive year, won the All-Ireland. A major feat in any competitionand I am sure the aim will be to go forthree in a row, but for the moment wewill bask in the glory of another All-Ireland hurling title for the college.

While the final was won in summerconditions in April, it started off in a wetand miserable October against UL inLimerick. This was the first we saw of whatthis team was capable of, grafting out adraw against a very physical Limerickoutfit. While not a day for fancy flicks ortricks, we saw the heart and courage ofthe lads in a low scoring, hard hittingencounter in which a last minute point froma free by James Meagher secured a draw.

From there we played a very skilful andcommitted UCC team in the Mardyke inCork. While the lads grafted hardthroughout with some fine displays fromBrian Moroney (full back), Stephen Barrett(wing back) and James Meagher (fullforward), UCC were that little bit sharperand ran out comfortable winners by 5points.

Next game up on the cards was CIT inCork, this was a very polished display bythe WIT boys scoring 2-17 in bad weatherconditions. UCC was to be our last game

before Christmas as we qualified for bothAll-Ireland and Munster semi finals.We then had to wait until March for theMunster semi final against old enemiesUCC in Thurles. On a day when “youwouldn’t put the cat out”, two teamsproduced a cracking game of hurling. Itwas a fantastic display with everyindividual putting his body on the line forthe cause. There were memorable displaysfrom James Glancy, and Stephen Grehanat the back, Stephen Fox at midfield andEddie Bevans up front. However thisdefeat was to be a blessing in disguise asthe boys knuckled down to training andmade winning the All-Ireland a priority.

In the first week of April we travelled toDublin to take on St. Pats of Drumcondrain the All-Ireland Semi-Final, anothermammoth struggle in which WIT scrapedthrough by a single point. In bad underfootconditions, WIT struggled in the first half,and went in 6 points down. With harshwords spoken at half time, the playerscame out a different team, Eddie Bevanswas on fire, scoring two goals and weclawed the deficit back bit by bit, andeventually came out on top by 2-11 to 2-10. Thus we qualified for the final againstUCD the following week.

The final was played on the second weekof April in Carlow Hurling Grounds. All thehard work had been done, the lads knew

only one hour stood between them andanother All-Ireland. This was by far thebest display of the year by the lads, agame in which we led from start to finishcoming out on top by 2 points. Howeverthe score line doesn’t tell the truth, withUCD getting two goals at the death to putpressure on us, but we held out to win by0-12 to 2-02. It was a day where youcouldn’t pick out any individualperformances, for the first time this year,they really gelled as a team, playing somefantastic hurling.

It was a great win for the college and I’msure it is something that these players willlook back on in years to come and cherishthe memories.

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Intermediates RetainChampions Crown

Martin Maher Chairman CA presenting the Cup toSean O'Sullivan.

by Conor O’Brien

by Phil FanningSince winning the Fitzgibbon Cup for thefirst time in 1992, there has been nolooking back for the WIT GAA Club on thecolleges front. Since then, WIT hascaptured the famous trophy on no fewerthan five occasions with sides adornedwith All Stars as well as three in a row“Hurlers of the Year” award winners;Tommy Dunne, Henry Shefflin and JJDelaney.

In 2004 the college achieved it’s sixth title,winning two in a row for the second time whilescoring a sweet victory over great rivals UCCin Athlone in February. It was the beginning ofwhat was to be a big year for Waterford hurlingand for one young man in particular. WhenMichael “Brick” Walsh of Stradbally won hissecond Fitzgibbon Cup medal in Athlone, hecould hardly have anticipated the events thatlay in store for the remainder of the 2004-year.It was Michael Walsh’s performance in theFitzgibbon Cup final, when he totally outplayedCork’s Tom Kenny in midfield that clinched hisplace on the Waterford Hurling Senior sidethroughout 2004. His level of performance inthat game was maintained into the league andchampionship.

Dual StarThe previous year, as a twenty year old, hemade his championship debut as a substituteon the Waterford Senior hurling team. It wasas a footballer, however, that he made hismark, being the driving force in midfield on theWaterford U21 side that shocked Cork andKerry to win the Munster title. He wasawarded the accolade of Waterford’s“Footballer of the Year” for his exploits inthose games in 2003. Like his countyteammates, he recovered from thedisappointment of losing to Galway in theleague final of 2004 to put in a stormingdisplay against Clare in the Munster Hurlingquarter final a week later. His performancethat day destroyed a player of no less thanSeanie McMahon. He maintained that level ofconsistency against Tipperary in the Munstersemi final. His storming display in the MunsterFinal against Cork helped 14 man Waterfordto their one point win.

Munster Hurling All-StarMichael Walsh’s performances in the Munstercampaign made him an automatic choice, atcentre forward, on the first ever Munster All-Stars side, selected on the basis of

performances in Munster. In that regard he faroutstripped subsequent Vodafone All Starwinner, Niall McCarthy of Cork.

Winning Four County Football TitlesOn the local championship scene, Walshassisted his club in retaining senior hurlingstatus and then went on to play a key role inStradbally’s achievement of winning four countyfootball titles in a row. His class, as a footballer,stood out in his club’s Munster championshipcampaign and it is safe to say that he would bea valuable asset to any football side in thecountry. Indeed, when it comes to talking ofduel players, I have no hesitation in puttingMichael in the same category as another greatstar of WIT fame, Declan Browne. The year of2004 ended for Michael Walsh in Kilmallockwith the losing of the Munster Club FootballFinal by his beloved Stradbally toKilmurry/Ilbrickane after two games they couldhave won. Even that defeat could not take theshine off what was an amazing year for thisyoung man.

Role modelThis year, 2005, began like any other forMichael Walsh, playing Sigerson and captaining

the Fitzgibbon for WIT,hurling and football withStradbally and preparing forthe league andchampionship withWaterford. On the academicside he was facing into histoughest year as a final yeardegree student, he managedto achieve an honoursdegree in Business Studieson the academic side– atremendous achievementwhen you consider thenumber of hours, thecommitment and loyalty hegave to all these teams. Iwould suggest that MichaelWalsh is one of the finestathletes involved in GaelicGames as well as being oneof the most versatile. He is amodest, unassuming youngman, who will beembarrassed to see himselfput forward as a role model.

Players such as this deservethe ultimate prize and, if theaforementioned attributesmeans anything, it willcome, in the not too distantfuture.

Left: Michael WalshDegree in Bachelor Business Studies.

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Solid as a Brick

WIT AwardsINDIVIDUAL SPORTS AWARDS

HUGH MALONEY

County: Tipperary

Club: Hurling – Nenagh Eire Og

Course: Bachelor of Business Studies

PATRICIA O’ HALLORAN

County: Tipperary

Club: Camogie - Portroe

Course: Legal Studies

PAUL DEANE

County: Cork

Club: Football – Dohenys GAA Club

Course: National Certificate in Business

Studies

SPORTS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

SUSAN KEANE

County: Galway

Club: Camogie - Killimor

Course: Exercise & Health Studies

MICHELLE SHORT

County: Tipperary

Club: Camogie – Drom & Inch

Course: Recreation & Leisure Management

CATHAL PARLON

County: Offaly

Club: Hurling – Coolderry

Course: Architectural Technology

ANDREW HANLEY

County: Mayo

Club: Football - Ballaghadereen


LISA MCGRATH

County: Waterford

Club: Ladies Football - Old Parish


MARK SCANLON

County: Kildare

Club: Football – Round Towers GAA Club


Ashbourne Cup

As hosts of this year’s competition everyonefelt it would be extra special if we were to winthe competition. All involved realised howdifficult this would be as the Ashbournetournament boasts the top teams fromaround the country. Preparation began inearly October as the girls under the guidanceof Jackie O’ Connor, Kate Kelly and Sheila O’Donohue met for training. In November theleague campaign began and we had victoriesover CIT and LIT but were defeated by ULand UCC.

Training continued at a high intensity and fromthe beginning it was obvious that competition forplaces was going to be very tough. The draw forthe championship was made and we were pittedagainst a formidableNUIG outfit. A win wouldsee us qualify for thecup semi-final, whiledefeat would mean wewould be contesting ashield semi-final. Wecontinued to prepare for the game against NUIG,by playing a number of challenge games againstthe Waterford Juniors, the Garda College andthe Kilkenny Seniors. After a tough encounter wewere defeated by UCC on a score line of 3-11 to2-12.

On Saturday the 29th of January we travelledthe short distance to Ballygunner to face NUIG.After a cracking contest we emerged winners ona score line of 2-11 to 1-11. The girls produced agreat team display and deserved their 3-pointvictory. An early goal from Geraldine Kinane setthem on their way while points from SusanKeane and Ursula Jacob ensured we went in atthe break leading. NUIG showed greatdetermination in the second half and had thesides level. Some excellent goalkeeping by

Fiona Kavanagh kept them at bay while despiteconstant pressure from the NUIG attack NiamhHarkin and Helen Breen were outstanding indefence. With only minutes remaining the sideswere level before Ursula Jacob won possessionand scored the all important goal that saw usprogress to the cup semi-final.

For the next three weeks we planned for ourmeeting against UCD in the semi-final on the19th of February. A win would mean we wouldqualify for the final the following day. The gamewas played in Ballygunner and a large crowdturned out to watch two determined teams dobattle. Unfortunately for WIT we never settledinto the game and found ourselves chasing UCDfrom the beginning. Despite having plenty of

possession ourforwards were finding itdifficult to registerscores. Our mid-fieldpairing of TrishO’Halloran and CarolineMurphy worked

endlessly for the 60 minutes while GrainneBrennan gave a fantastic performance at wingback. In a low scoring intense game UCDemerged winners on a score line of 1-5 to 6points to the heartbreak of the WIT camp.

Unfortunately despite our best efforts it wasn’tto be WIT’s year. Thanks to the managementteam who put so much time and effort intopreparing the team and well done to all the girlswho showed great commitment throughout theyear. Behind the scenes an unbelievable amountof work was put in by a number of people inorganising the hosting of a very successfulweekend and they too must all be thanked. Atthe banquet Trisha O’Halloran was deservedlynamed on the Ashbourne All-star team for herexcellent display against UCD.

Back Row L;R Caroline Greed, Helena Jacob, Nicola Alyward, Ursula Jacob, Brid Byrne, Fiona Kavanagh,Andrea Mangan, Trish O’Halloran, Geraldine Kinane, Lizzy Flynn, Caroline Murphy. Front Row L:R AoifeTracey, Ann Marie Kelly, Susan Keane, Karen Atkinson, Grainne Brennan, Fiona Dowling, CatrionaMeagher, Laura Murphy, Michelle Shortt, Maeve Maloney

The girls produced a greatteam display and deserved

their 3 point victory.

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The sight of Kate Kelly in full flow is something tobehold. Whether it’s camogie or ladies football,this livewire with the admirable competitive streakhas been thrilling supporters since her early teens.

Her name is mentioned in revered tones around WIT,and with very good reason. When the college madethe big breakthrough in 1999 by winning theAshbourne Cup for the first time, Kate was inmarvellous form throughout.

She also secured Division 1 League medals incamogie and ladies football that season, but therewas even more to come from one of the finest dualplayers Wexford has ever produced.

The Ashbourne Cup success was repeated in 2001,with Kate in the driving seat once again. The fact thatshe won two Player of the Tournament awards at themost prestigious event on the third level camogiescene says it all about her ability.

And while her student days are firmly behind her atthis stage, the bond with WIT hasn’t been broken.Kate was seen in a different role last February whenthe college hosted the Ashbourne, operating as jointmanager with Jackie O’Connor.

This affable native of Ballyruane, Screen, didn’t getinvolved in Gaelic games by accident. She couldn’tavoid it really as the eldest daughter in a familysteeped in camogie, hurling and football tradition.

Her mother, Peggy (nee Doyle), and aunt, Mary Sheil,were on the Wexford Senior camogie squads of 1968and 1969 which brought All-Ireland glory to the countyfor the first time, while her father, Seán, has beenassociated with numerous successful Shelmaliersteams and also served as a county selector in under-age hurling.

Kate’s three big brothers, Denis, Michael and John,have donned the purple and gold at various levels,and the 25-year-old also has five younger siblingswho are familiar faces on the playing fields. Mag is acolleague on the county Senior camogie team, whileSinéad, Stephen, Anne Marie and Joseph completethe Kelly clan - one of the best-known and mostpopular families on the G.A.A. scene in Wexford.

Kate first came to prominence on the local front withSt. Ibar’s in camogie and Shelmalier in football. Theseclubs have put Castlebridge, Screen and Curracloe onthe map through their marvellous exploits, and her listof honours makes for impressive reading.

Under-12, Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18championships and leagues were won in both codes,along with an All-Ireland Féile football crown.

Kate has helped Shelmalier to a magnificent ninecounty Senior championships and leagues, threeLeinster Club titles, and two All-Irelands, while she

has assisted St. Ibar’s to four county championshipsand leagues, and two provincial crowns.

She has been a regular on Wexford teams since theearly 1990s, winning Leinster championships atUnder-14, Under-16 and Under-18 in camogie andfootball.

Her first All-Ireland title was annexed in Under-14football, and she was a leading light in 1995 when theWexford Under-16 camogie team tasted national gloryfor the only time.

Kate has also won an inter-provincial football medaland several Leinster Senior camogie championships,and the crowning glory came last December whenshe was selected at midfield on the first-ever All Starteam in the latter code.

She was joined on that history-making fifteen by ÁineCodd who is well qualified to comment on Kate’sattributes, having lined out with and against her forwell over a decade.

“I have played on a county team with Kate every yearsince the age of twelve, and I genuinely believe she isstill improving”, she said. “She has mastered the art ofescaping from a tight situation on the field. There is nobetter player to turn a game around with a spectacularlong-range score or a goal from lurking in around theposts”.

Describing her as a marvel to play with, Áine addsthat there are less fortunate times when Kate is on theopposing side. “She was always the one to watchwhen I played with UCD against WIT, and will remaina threat with her club, St. Ibar’s, for years to come.Her enthusiasm for success is admirable”, she added.

The highlight of 2005 for Kate came in late July whenshe played at centre forward on the Wexford Juniorfootball team, which landed the TG4 Leinsterchampionship title with a win over Dublin.

Her busy playing schedule continued, as she was thecounty’s top scorer in camogie for the second yearrunning. And while disappointment was their lot in theNational League semi-final against Cork and All-Ireland semi-final against Tipperary, Kate’s memorabledisplays in both games will leave her firmly in line fora second All Star.

The Business Development Manager with One CardSolutions Ltd. is a proven winner on the field and aninspiration to her colleagues. We’ll leave the final wordto Áine Codd, her long-time friend and team-mate.

“With her skill, determination, commitment andleadership, Kate has everything it takes to be thegreat player that she is”. And so say all of us!

ALAN AHERNE is P.R.O. of Wexford G.A.A.County Board and Assistant Editorof People Newspapers.

Classy Kate Excels in both Codesby Alan Aherne

Camogie president Miriam O’Callahan, Kate Kelly AllStar recipient and Brian Cowen, Minister for Finance.

Kate Kelly in full flight for Wexford being chased by Susane Kelly (Tipp).

Fitzgibbon three in-a-row dreams dashed

Front row l to r: R. Jacob, C. O’Brien, B. Dolwing, D. Hayes, M. Walsh, E. Reid, H. Maloney, P. Brennan, J. Milne, P.J. Delaney, T. Holland, J. Kennedy, P. White, R.Wall, D. Bourke, K. Hynes. Back row l to r: J. O’Shea, N. Gleeson, J. Meagher, A. Cullinane, G. Grifley, A. Kirwin, K. Rossiter, C. Phelan, J. Brady, J. Phelan, K.Brady, C. Parlon, S. Fox, K. Moran, L. Lawlor, C. O’Brien, W. Ryan.

WIT started off the 04/05 academic yearas double Fitzgibbon Cup champions.Hopes were high that WIT couldachieve the dream of a three in-a-rowas the team had 11 of the starting 15players that won the previous year.Luck was not on our side as RoryJacob and Anthony Owens were ruledout of contention due to long-terminjuries. However WIT had a verystrong panel. They trained very hardover the Christmas period inpreparation of the first round gameagainst UCD.

Hard earned victory over UCDWIT had home venue and started theirFitzgibbon Cup campaign against UCD inBallygunner. On a wet and wintryFebruary day, both teams were findingscores hard to come by. WIT led by justfive points at half time, 0-8 to 0-3, havingplayed with the assistance of a gale forcewind. Even though WIT only scored two pointsin the second half, a powerful display bythe rock-like WIT defence kept UCD’sscoreline down. In the end it was the sheer grit anddetermination of WIT that saw them safelyover this difficult first round on thescoreline of 0-10 to 0-5.Scores for WIT: B Dowling 0-5, O Reidand C Phelan 0-2 each, T Holland 0-1.

Waterford wipe out Ulster Colleges &reach Fitzgibbon Cup WeekendWaterford IT coasted into the semi-finals ofthe Datapac Fitzgibbon Cup with an 18-point win over an Ulster Combinedselection at Ballycullen in south Dublin. Brian Dowling hit 1-6 in 26 devastatingminutes. At the break WIT were 1-12 to 1-1in front. WIT continued to dominate thesecond half and tacked on a flurry of pointsto leave the final score WIT 1-21 to UlsterColleges 1-3. Scorers for WIT; B Dowling (1-7, 4f), A Cullinane (0-5), J Kennedy (0-3), PJ Delaney (0-1f), D Hayes (0-1), J Phelan (0-1), C Phelan (0-1),K Hayes (0-1) R Wall (0-1)

Old rivals come out on top forFitzgibbon Cup Semi FinalWIT were defeated in a marvellouslycontested Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final at theLIT Grounds. UL played with the elementsin the first half but after 20 minutes, a goalfrom Cullinane gave WIT the lead.However, UL’s reply was swift, as ULscored two goals. It left the half time score- UL 2-5 WIT 1-4. Eight minutes into the 2nd half, WITpegged back the four points to get back onlevel terms and, with the aid of the breeze,were expected to go on and win thiskeenly contested clash. However, UL,were inspired and only nine minutes latermoved an amazing eleven points clear, 4-9

to 1-7, with thirteen minutes left to play. They say champions die hard and WITwere not going to give up its crown withouta fight. Keeper Philip Brennan drove acracking goal from a 20-metre free to theUL net, the comeback got underway.Brennan had another 20-metre free saved,as fortunately for UL, it hit the goalie’s leg. A raft of frees from Brian Dowling meantthat when Phelan pointed, there was just asingle point between the sides with timenearly up. The crowd waited for anequaliser and extra time but instead ULbroke away and fired over the last score ofthe game.

Even though it was an commendablecome back, WIT never played to their fullpotential and found the possession style ofhurling by UL difficult to counter. It wasfrom several passing moves that ULgrabbed their brace of goals in bothhalves, which always had WIT chasing thegame.

However, this WIT panel showed thatthere’s no shortage of motivation towardswinning another Fitzgibbon and if thisyear’s panel can give that level of resolveand commitment again, WIT will always bedifficult to beat in this competition.WIT: B Dowling 0-8 (0-7 frees); A Cullinane 1-1; P Brennan 1-0 (pen); PJ Delaney (1f), E Reid, M Walsh, C Phelan 0-1 each.

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The first ever secondary schoolsLadies Football Fun for All Blitzwas held on Friday April 22nd2005 and was a huge success.With almost 200 participants, theobjectives of promoting anddeveloping the sport in Waterfordat post primary level were mostdefinitely achieved.

The initiative was a partnership ofeffort and resources from WaterfordInstitute of Technology GAA Club,Waterford Ladies FootballAssociation and Waterford SportsPartnership and was the result ofmonths of planning.

It was a wonderful opportunity for allsecondary schools in the County totry out a new sport, improve thestandards of current players, makevaluable ‘ladies football’ links withother schools, clubs and WIT andavail of opportunities to developcoaching skills in the sport. Theformat of the day allowed for thosewho had not played ladies footballin the past to ‘come & try it’ whilstalso offering a fantastic opportunityfor current players to enjoy a greatday of football.

There were two sections tothis Blitz with a Difference:

The Come & Try It section cateredfor those who had never tried ladiesfootball before (beginners) or thosewho had limited opportunity to playto date (improvers). Participants inthe Come and Try It section wereintroduced to ladies football and tothe fundamental skills of the game.Qualified coaches guided andsupported players in thedevelopment of the basic skills ofthe game in a fun and safeenvironment.The Fun for All Blitz section cateredfor those who had played before. Itwas a fun blitz that provided afantastic opportunity to enjoyparticipating in games against otherschools. A zone based system (3zones – backs, forwards andmidfield) was used to maximiseparticipation and this proved to be agreat success in opening up allgames and giving every player a fairopportunity to play.

Each player received a t-shirt andeach participating school received 5

footballs and a plaque on the day.Prior to the event all schools wereoffered the opportunity to completethe Fundamentals Coaching courseand Playing Rules seminar.

The following eleven secondaryschools took part in the event :Coláiste Chathail Naofa,Dungarvan; St. Angela’s UrsulineSecondary School, Waterford;Abbey Community College,Ferrybank; De la Salle College,Waterford; St. Declan’s CommunityCollege, Kilmacthomas; St.Augustine’s College, Abbeyside;Our Lady of Mercy SecondarySchool, Waterford; St. Paul’sCommunity College, Waterford; ArdScoil na nDeise, Dungarvan; Stella

Maris Secondary School, Tramore;Blackwater Community School,Lismore.

Waterford Institute of TechnologyGAA Club, Waterford LadiesFootball Association and WaterfordSports Partnership would like tothank the secondary schools ofWaterford for their enthusiasticresponse and support of thisinitiative to develop and promoteLadies Football in Waterford andlook forward to working with them inthe future. We are also indebted tothe Ladies Gaelic FootballAssociation Head Office forconstant help and continuoussupport and to Waterford GaelicGames Promotion for their ongoingsupport and assistance. Thank youto Waterford Institute of Technologyfor the supply of facility andrefreshments. Finally, a big thankyou to all the volunteers, coaches,referees and stewards who gave up

their free time to make this such asuccessful event.

The last word goes to theparticipants with some feedback atthe end of the day….“The day was good and enjoyable.It was good craic meeting peoplefrom different schools. It wasexcellent.” Karen Rockett“It was good craic, made loads ofnew friends.”Abbey Girls – Siobhan, Maggie,Jessie, Emma, Kellie, Roisin, Laura,Kayleigh“Blitz with a Brillance” EmmaSlattery, Abbey“It was a good day, very different, Ireally enjoyed it.” Aisling, Blackwater“It was very well organised and goodfun.” Aoife & Emma, Mercy“It was a brilliant day for everyone”Kerry Dunphy, St. Declans“Great day, great to get lots of girlsout and actually play in blitz.” SarahKeane, Abbey

Players and coaches from St. Augustines College Dungarvan and Blackwater Community School Lismore who participatedin the Blitz!

New Initiatives at WITBlitz with a difference

Players and coaches from St. Declan’s Community College Kilmacthomas and Abbey Community College Ferrybank whobattled it out at the Blitz!

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Increasing Skill Through Fun Participation

Last year, WIT GAA club ran a pilot initiative, which saw CountyDevelopment Squads and Clubs from disadvantaged areas inWaterford attend the Waterford Institute of Technology for expertcoaching. These players also availed of various educationallectures on Nutrition and Conditioning. This initiative was such asuccess that Munster Council received funding to carry out thisscheme throughout the six counties of Munster.

This year we built on last years success. The aim of this SummerSchool of Hurling is to increase the standard of hurling within thevarious counties, with the third level colleges being responsiblefor carrying out this project. WIT has named this initiative“Increasing Skill Through Fun Practice”. Within this plan we havecatered for a wide range of activities where each participant willexperience fun and enjoyment as they learn and develop theirskills.

The types of activities that will take place are as follows;● Club Coaching U11/12 - Go Games● Go Games Blitz● Club Coaching for U14/15 “Off d Wall”● Goalkeeper Coaching● U14, U15 and U16 Development Squad Coaching● U17 County Specialised Preparation ● Summer Camp Coaches● Development Squad Coaches● New Club Mentors Course U11/12 Coaching

30 clubs have been involved in the U11/12 club coaching whichinvolved players receiving expert coaching and then wereintroduced to the Go Games initiative. At the end of the six-weekperiod all the clubs were invited back into WIT to take part in afun blitz, which was based on the “Go Games” theme. 700children participated in this blitz over the two days.

“Off d Wall”27 Clubs have taken part in a new coaching session, which hasbeen designed by Damien Young called “Off d Wall”. As the name

suggests this coaching session takes place against the wall,which sees players practice their skills and are also introducedto fun drills that they can practice in their own time.

Goalkeeping CoachingWe held two specialised nights for goalkeepers, one sessionin Dungarvan for all the West Clubs and the other in theWaterford Crystal Grounds for the East Clubs. The sessionconsisted of special drills concentrating on catching, makingsaves and improving reaction. A large number attended onthe nights, the goalies said that it was the first time theyreceived any kind of goalkeeping training.

County SquadsAs well as targeting the clubs in Waterford we have completed avery successful range of coaching for the county squads, the U14to U16 attended on two occasions and the U17 squadattended on seven. The seven nights included four trainingsessions and three specialised lectures from Gerry Fitzpatrick(Waterford Senior Hurling phsycial Coach), Noreen Roache(Kilkenny Nutrionist) and Jim Kilty (Director of SAQ Irelandand Physical Trainer to the Wexford Senior Hurling Team).This has proved a huge success and has given next yearsWaterford Minors a huge boost.

Benefits● Experience quality coaching● Learning skills in a fun atmosphere● Players experience coaching in different

surroundings.● Players receive more attention through smaller

groups● Opportunity to visit and create a link to WIT● Club mentors took home coaching ideas

During the six-week period, we atered for over 1200 playersfrom various clubs within Waterford. This has been a hugesuccess and this is only the first year of this new initiative, it ishoped to build on the success of this plan in the comingyears.Su

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WIT GAA Club continues to strivefor excellence as over 150 studentscompleted the Foundation Hurling &Football GAA Course in February.This course was offered to theBusiness Studies Recreation &Leisure 1st year students for thevery first time this year. The coursewas run over a six-hour period withthe participants actively involvedthroughout. The aim of this course:• Why coaches coach?• Who you coach?• What you coach?• How to do the best job possible?Participants enjoyed various topicssuch as; developing technical skill,organising a coaching session, howto provide as much enjoyment as

possible and how to deal withconflict.

This course received great reviewsfrom both the students and lecturerswho took part. It is planned tocontinue this initiative with theincoming 1st year Recreation andLeisure students, but also next year,we will offer a level 1 GAA course toall those who have completed theFoundation course.This has proved to be a hugelysuccessful initiative. This year wehave 150 students qualified to coachjuveniles in various clubs up anddown the country and it is our aim toincrease this number on a yearlybasis.

Coaching Courses New Initiatives at WIT

PLANS FOR CAMOGIE BLITZ

B a c k g r o u n dA new and exciting Camogie initiative is planned for April 2006. Theproposed project consists of a one-day Blitz to be held each year in fourdifferent third level lnstitutes across the regions (rotating to differentInstitutions from year to year over the duration of the project). SecondarySchools from the county of the host college will be invited to come with apanel of ten students to participate in a seven a side competition. Teams willbe graded and a skills session will be run for those that have played verylittle Camogie or none at all.

S u p p o r tA support structure will be established in advance of the Blitz and afterwardsfor teachers to help equip them for their involvement namely through Codeof Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport training programmes, FirstAid and Foundation Level Coaching Courses. This training will give teachersthe confidence to train Camogie teams in their school.

A i mThe main aim of this programme will be to increase participation in camogieby re-igniting the interest of young women who may have played camogieand to maintain the interest of those that continue to play.

C 3Camogie Colleges

Clubs

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WIT GAA Players &All Star Recipients

WIT GAA Club has seen a large number of quality players play for theCollege over the years. Some have been very successful on the pitchby winning Fitzgibbon Cups, and some were unfortunate to miss out.But the one thing each of the players below have in common, is anAll-Star award. Each of these players has excelled for their countiesduring and after their time in WIT. The successful award winners are:

TOMMY DUNNECounty: Tipperary

Fitzgibbon Success: 1995Hurler of the Year 2001

All-Star: 1997, 1999, 2001

DECLAN BROWNECounty: Tipperary

Fitzgibbon Success: 1999 &2000

All-Star: 2003

JJ DELANEYCounty: Kilkenny

Fitzgibbon Success: 2002 &2003

Hurler of the Year 2003All-Star: 2003, 2004

MATTIE FORDECounty: Wexford

Footballer of the Year 2004All-Star: 2004

MARK O’LEARYCounty: Tipperary

Fitzgibbon Success: 1999 All-Star: 2001

PAUL KELLYCounty: Tipperary

All-Star: 2002

MICHAEL KAVANAGHCounty: Kilkenny

Fitzgibbon Success:1999 & 2000

All-Star: 2002, 2003

DEREK LYNGCounty: Kilkenny

Fitzgibbon Success: 1999 All-Star: 2002, 2003

SETANA O’HAILPINCounty: Cork

Fitzgibbon Success: 2003All-Star: 2003

KEN MCGRATHCounty: Waterford

All-Star: 2004

HENRY SHEFFLINCounty: Kilkenny

Fitzgibbon Success: 1999 & 2000

Hurler of the Year 2002All-Star: 2000, 2002,

2003, 2004

EAMON CORCORANCounty: Tipperary

Fitzgibbon Success: 1999 & 2000Fitzgibbon player of the

Tournament 1999 & 2000All-Star: 2001

PETER BARRYCounty: Kilkenny

Fitzgibbon Success: 1995All-Star: 1999, 2000, 2002

MICHAEL DUIGNANCounty: OffalyAll-Star: 1998

LIAM DOYLECounty: Clare

All-Star: 1995, 1997

ANDY COMERFORDCounty: Kilkenny

All-Star: 2000

BRENDAN CUMMINSCounty: Tipperary

All-Star: 2000, 2001, 2003

NIALL BUCKLEYCounty: KildareAll-Star: 1997

RAY COSGROVECounty: DublinAll-Star: 2002

Henry Shefflin and Eamon Corcorcan.

JJ Delaney

Tommy Dunne

Ray Cosgrove

The month of January comes with a vengeance,rain, sleet and very often snow, but for Camogiethird level students, there is only one dream -winning the next best medal to a senior All-Ireland,an Ashbourne medal.

Study continues for those necessary exams, but thesame students also find time for many trainingsessions. Some of these are often held very early inthe morning. The sacrifices some students make forAshbourne are truly extraordinary. This year whenWaterford Institute of Technology had the honour ofholding the first JJ Kavanagh Ashbourne of the secondCamogie century, they left no stone unturned.

The weekend went like clockwork, even though acertain semi-final seemed to be heading for theGuinness Book of Records on the Saturday afternoon,but that is all part of Ashbourne, and everyone took itall in their stride

Walking along the sidelines of so many pitches thatweekend, one gets to hear of so many past Ashbournestories. The person telling you the particular storyalways feels their one is best. You may have only hearda better one further down the line, but you dare not saythat or you might be there for the day as yourAshbourne story- teller tries to resurrect the best everAsh tale.

However, when the Ashbourne 2005 semi-finalswere over, players attended a most beautiful mass inthe WIT College. Those students who had the goodfortune of reaching the finals on the Sunday went off fora bite to eat, team meetings and plotted as to how bestto overcome the opposition.

The defeated finalists went off to enjoy themselves,perhaps feeling a little sorry for themselves, but neverthe less just honored to have taken part in the bestcollege competition of the year.

Later on Saturday night, a number of distinguishedguests including Uachtarán Cumann Camógaiochta nanGael, Miriam Ui Cheallacháin were all invited to asplendid meal in the College hosted by WIT GAA Club.

By Sunday lunchtime it was all systems go as theShield Finalists took to the beautiful Ballygunner pitch.Mary I defeated CIT, 2-7 to 2-4 to take their first everAshbourne Shield. Defending your title is never easybut UL won the Ashbourne on a score line of 0-12 toUCD1-4.

What else can one say about the greatest Camogieweekend except, well done to Waterford Institute ofTechnology for hosting a fantastic weekend. Back l to r: D. Doyle, D. Kinsella, T. Holland, M. Walsh, C. Phelan, K. Hynes. Front l to r: G. Kinane,

M. McEvoy, U. Jacob, S. Denver, L. Flynn.

WIT ScholarshipStudents

A CRYSTAL CLASH 2005Máire Ui Scolai,

National Camogie PRO

Ashbourne Cup Launch at WIT

Scholarships Recipients Waterford Institute of Technology is now one of thelargest Institutes in the country. There have been manyintercounty players who have passed through thecollege over the years. GAA scholarships have gonefrom strength to strength since their inception inOctober 1995. WIT GAA Club has rewarded manystudents with GAA Scholarships in the interveningyears and all of these players will testify that it was notjust the monetary value that was of benefit. WIT GAAscholarship is worth €1000 to each recipient and wewould like to acknowledge the contribution fromMunster Council GAA towards this.

This years Recipients were:

GERALDINE KINANE, TIPPERARYCamogieIn the three years Geraldine has been in college, shehas made the Ashbourne Cup team in each year. Sheis heavily involved off the field as PRO for theCamogie Club. A speedy corner forward who had agreat campaign for WIT last year. Ger is currentlystaking her claim for a place on the Tipp senior teamand is improving all the time. Geraldine was managerof the successful Fresher Camogie Team in 2004.

LIZZY FLYNN, GALWAYCamogieLizzy is now a regular on the Galway senior team.Wearing the number four jersey for WIT, she is anightmare for any forward and a great ambassador forthe game. Lizzy was secretary of the Camogie club,where she organised various fundraising events for theCamogie team. Lizzy was joint manager of the FresherCamogie team that won the All-Ireland 7-a sidetournament.

URSULA JACOB WEXFORDCamogieUrsula has been a regular player on the WexfordSenior team for the past few years, they came veryclose to edging out Tipperary last year. In her firstyear in College, she was picked to line out for theAshbourne Cup team. Ursula is a player to look outfor in the future.

DIARMUID KINSELLA, WEXFORDFootballDiarmuid has been a vital part of the Sigerson panelduring his time at WIT. He has made a successfulreturn to Inter-county football after a lengthy injury lastyear. He is now a regular on the Wexford Senior Team.

DANIEL DOYLE, KERRYFootballDaniel has represented Ireland in U17 InternationalRules level. He was a major player for Kerry when

they reached the minor All-Ireland last year. Danielstarted in the Sigerson Cup campaign where he hasshown his true leadership qualities.

MICHAEL WALSH, WATERFORDHurling/Football“Brick” as he’s better known, played a vital role inwinning a Munster title for Waterford last year, he isnow one of Waterford’s key men in the middle of thefield. Michael captained the Fitzgibbon Cup team thisyear and was one of the most consistent performersthroughout the campaign. He has fierce determinationand a terrific attitude to the game.

TOMMY HOLLAND, CLAREHurlingTommy made a name for himself over the past twoyears with his fantastic displays in the Fitzgibboncampaigns. He has been part of the Clare SeniorHurling Panel and made his championship debutagainst Laois at corner back in 2004, since then hehas made occasional appearances in the League.

CONOR PHELAN, KILKENNYHurlingConor broke onto the Intercounty scene in 2004. Hemade a valuable contribution to the Kilkenny SeniorHurling Panel and also was successful with the U21’slast year when they won the All-Ireland. Conor gavesome inspirational performances in the FitzgibbonCup since joining the College three years ago.

MARGUERITE MCEVOY, LAOISLadies FootballMags as she is better known, has made a hugeimpact on the Ladies Football Club at WIT. Sheplayed a vital role at centre back and wing back onthe Senior Ladies Football team, which reached theDivision 1 league final for the first time in a longnumber of years.

SARAH DENVIR, DUBLINLadies FootballSarah plays her Club football with Ballyboden St.Enda’s in Dublin. She has been very involved in theGAA Club in WIT, mainly organising variousfundraising events. Sarah played corner forward withthe O’Connor Cup team and she played on theDivision 1 team that reached the final against UL.

KEVIN HYNES GALWAYHurling Kevin was a Fresher this year, and was one of theconsistent players throughout. He was also part ofthe Fitzgibbon Cup set-up. Last year, Kevin played avital role for the Galway Minors, which won the All-Ireland.

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WIT has a marvellous record in the AllIreland Fresher League championship.These Freshers provide a conveyor belt oftalent for the club’s famous and highlysuccessful Fitzgibbon cup teams.

Unique competitionFresher hurling is one of the most uniquecompetitions for a player to compete in, as aplayer has only one opportunity to win an AllIreland Fresher medal while in college.

This statistic proved correct as the trialgames were attended by up to 100 players inlate September. When the Fresher 1 hurlingpanel was selected, preparations began forthe first league game. Overall WIT playedfour league games and emerged victoriousagainst LIT, UL and CIT while the only losscame against UCC. WIT topped their groupsection, and so gained a home game in thequarterfinal.

Quarter/ Semi Final In early February, WIT played UL. Theystruggled at stages to find their rhythm buteventually pulled through by 5 points. Thesemi final against UCC will live long in thememory of all involved as the team fought forevery ball, even when it looked like a lostcause and dug deep in the face of defeat.The game was a real nail-biter and went toextra time. During the first period of extra timeWIT went 5 points down and it looked like thedream of making the final were slipping. WITregrouped during the second period, andsome inspired performances pulled WITthrough by the minimum.

Third time unluckyThe final against UCG was nip and tuck allthe way as both teams showed a huge desirefor victory, and WIT again faced extra time.

WIT GAA Club Officers2004/’05

FOOTBALLChairperson . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tony KeeganSecretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Darren Egan PRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Darmody

LADIES FOOTBALLChairperson . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nicola ScullySecretary . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nicky FitzgeraldPRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aine McGee

CAMOGIEChairperson . . . . . . . . . . . . .Helena JacobSecretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lizzy FlynnPRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Geraldine Kinnane

HURLINGChairperson . . . . . . . . . . . .James MeagherSecretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John O’SheaPRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Conor O’Brien

Tremendous FresherHurling Record

During extra time, the players fought veryhard and played, in some cases, beyond therealms of pain but just had no more left andUCG won by 3 points. After leading for longstages of the game, the result was a hugedisappointment for all involved.

Many of the players involved must nowmake up for this defeat by showing the samehunger and desire they showed in 04/05 toensure that the great WIT tradition in theFitzgibbon cup is continued and enhanced.Many of this team will graduate to becomecornerstones of WIT Fitzgibbon teams overthe next few years.

Mentors; Rory Jacob, Pierce White andEdward Redmond

The Fresher 2 Hurling StoryIn most cases, seven wins out of ninematches would usually bring any teamsuccess, however, this was not the case forthe dedicated group of fresher 2 hurlers.

After various trials, the panel was selectedand the numbers at training was very positive.This trait continued for every session, evenduring the bitter cold November nights. In thefirst game, WIT received a walk over from LIT.The next fixture was against Mary I. The teamshowed great heart, especially in the 2nd halfto come from behind and win the game on ascore-line of 1 – 11 to 1 – 09. This victorybrought the team together as a unit and thenight out in Oxygen was one to remember.

The 3rd game against UCC was played inCork. Following a very bright start, WIT let thelead slip and ended losing on a score-line of4 – 04 to 1 – 08. WIT trained hard for thenext three games, which were played over afive-day period. On the 24th on November,

WIT played host to a strong CIT team. Thegame finished in favor of WIT on a score-lineof 2 – 13 to 2 – 03. Two days later WITplayed Tralee I.T in a wind swept Aghada inEast Cork. In probably the worst conditionsone could imagine, WIT completely outplayedthe Kerrymen and won comfortably on ascore-line of 2 – 12 to 0 – 00. On the 29th ofNovember WIT played host to UL. This wasprobably one of the team’s best performancesof the year and put WIT forward as seriouscontenders for the All – Ireland crown.

Training resumed in early JanuaryTraining resumed in early January for the AllIreland Quarter final, which saw WIT pittedagainst UCC, who had beaten WIT already inthe campaign. However, WIT were veryfocused and won on the score-line of 2 – 10to 2 – 08. This set WIT up for an intriguingsemi final showdown against Mary I, a teamWIT had already beaten in the campaign. WITstarted brightly but were soon over poweredby a far superior team. This brought an abruptend to the campaign and the disappointmentfor the players was evident to see.

Friendships and the “banter”However, in saying that, its obvious that eachand every member of the panel thoroughlyenjoyed their time with the team, - from thefriendships gained, to the banter on the wayto matches and, of course, to the long socialnights after games. All in all a great year washad by one and all, which will be fondlyremembered in the years to come.

The management team of Cormac O’Brien,Conor Phelan and Bernard O’Callaghan wishto thank each and every one of the lads fortheir massive commitment through out theyear.

Waterford Institute of

Technology O

fficial Merchandise 2005/’06

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So another sporting year passed by in WIT butunfortunately for the footballers it ended indisappointment, losing to DCU by a point in the1st round after extra time. The year began with aleague match in Watergrasshill against Tralee ITback in October which ended 7pts each. Therewere futher games against CIT, UCC, and UL inNovember, to complete the league.The Sigerson draw was made in Croke Park, thissaw us up against DCU in the 1st round. Trainingfor this game started to take on more of anemphasis once all the lads finished their Christmasexams. Everyone set about training over theholidays, before we all come back in early January.Once the team started back it was right down to thehard graft, slogging through the paces up in theCrystal. The management team which consisted ofMick Sullivan, Paul Quirke & Colm Tynan andtrainer Damien Young put in a massive effort intogetting the team prepared.Also in preparation for the Sigerson, WIT enteredthe McGrath Cup for the first time. Originally it wasa tournament set up for county teams but recently ithas been used as a combination of county andcollege teams. The draw was made at Munstercouncil meeting and it pitted us against Limerick inthe first round. We used this competition as goodprepartion for the DCU match. The lads gave agood account of themselves with Limerick justpulling away in the last 10 mins.

The final match before the competition began, wasagainst Wexford U21’s in Buncoldy. It ended in acomprehensive win for the college and signs lookedpromising as the match approached. So match dayhad arrived, but unluckily for us we lost the servicesof one of our most important backs AndrewMcLoughlin through sickness. After only fiveminutes we lost our team captain Paul Deane

through a hamstring injury, this was a real blow tothe team. The signs looked bad with DCU takingcontrol of the game early and winning most of theimportant duels around the pitch. After the restartthe lads dug deep to get back into contention. Theteam was lucky to have identical twins on the team;Alan Mulhall and Paul Finn and it was the man from“the Island” that kept the college in contention withfrees. Paddy Flaherty scored an important goal ashe finished a ball that rebounded off the post whileon his knees. After that both teams swapped scoresbefore the match ended in a draw, there were greatchances for both teams to win the game but they

couldn’t be separated. The match entered extratime and after a great tussle, DCU just won out by a1 point to avance to the next round. Thatunfortunately ended the campaign but on the dayeverybody played exceptionally well but in particularDavid Hickey, he gave an outstanding display at fullback, dealing with every player that entered thesmall rectangle.

On belalf of the players I would like to thank allthose involved with the senior team but a particularthanks to Paul Quirke and Colm Tynan who haveput in so much over the last number of years.

Sigerson Cupby Diarmuid Kinsella

Back Row L to R: Paul Deane, Damien Rossiter, Diarmuid Kinsella, Tomas Corley, Alan Mulhall, DanielDoyle, Mark Scanlon. Front Row L to R: Mark Peters, Andrui MacLochlainn, Paddy Flaherty, AndrewDarmody, Andrew Hanley, Ross Connor, Eddie Rocket.

Starting out in a new college can be a dauntingexperience and challenging for some. However,joining the GAA Club can help peopleovercome their fears of settling into collegeand make it an enjoyable experience. The WITG.A.A club gives you a great opportunity tocontinue participating in Gaelic Games and it isa brilliant opportunity to meet new friends.

This year, I was secretary of the Ladies GaelicFootball with Nicola Scully as Chairperson andÁine Magee as the PRO. I found it to be quite anenjoyable position yet challenging at times.However it has left me with plenty of fantasticmemories and friendships for life. It gave me thechance to see all the extra work that is involved inorganising matches and the various fundraisersthat are arranged throughout the year. Theexperience I’ve gained throughout will stand to me

for a long time to come.With my fellow “delegation committee”, wearranged a variety of fundraisers during the yearfor the Ladies Football team. One which sawmany of our superstars being transformed for onenight only as we staged an ‘All Stars in yourEyes’. From Cher and her ‘shoop shoop’ song,who certainly gave the crowd fever!!! The nightwas a great success and one that will beremembered for years to come.

All in all, it was a great experience being thesecretary of the Ladies Football Club and aposition that I held with great honour. As thesaying goes ‘Ask not what your county can do foryou but what you can do for your county’. Eventhough this year on the field we may have notbeen very successful, off the field manyfriendships have been made and memories thatwill be treasured forever. The WIT G.A.A Club isrun at a very professional level and I am only gladthat I could be part of that experience. There’ssomething for everyone here in the GAA club, beit playing, administration or simply helping outfrom time to time but be sure to get involved insome way during your time here in WIT.

Being Part ofthe GAA Club

By Nicky Fitzgerald

CAMOGIEUrsula Jacob, Wexford; Trish O’Halloran,Tipperary ; Geraldine Kinane, Tipperary; NiamhHarkins, Tipperary; Michelle Short, Tipperary;Lizzy Flynn, Galway; Caroline Murphy, Wexford;Susan Keane, Galway

LADIES FOOTBALLEvelyn O’Brien, Waterford; Niamh Briggs,Waterford; Ashling Barrett, Cork; Claire Conlon,Laois; Mags McEvoy, Laois; Sarah Cuddy, Laois;AnnMarie Walsh, Cork; Michelle Kilkenny, Longford

FOOTBALLDiarmuid Kinsella, Wexford; Alan Mulhall, Offaly;Andrui MacLochlainn, Kildare; Paddy Flaherty,Tipperary; Eddie Rocket, Waterford

HURLINGKeith Rossiter, Wexford; Joe Brady, Offaly; ConorPhelan, Kilkenny; Kevin Brady, Offaly; CathalParlon, Offaly; Liam Lawlor, Waterford; CormacO’Brien, Dublin; Rory Jacob, Wexford; DavidHayes, Galway; Michael Walsh, Waterford; HughMaloney, Tipperary; Philip Brennan, Clare; JackKennedy, Waterford; Thomas Holland, Clare

SENIOR INTERCOUNTY STARS 2005

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Course: CorporateAministration

Influences in your career:Lizzy Kent & Family

High point of your sporting career to date:Captain of WIT Ladies Football Team 2005,Playing in Leinster Final 2004 & 2005

Third level college-sporting honours:O’Connor Shield Final, Div 1 League Final

Other achievements if any: National LeagueDiv 3, Leinster Junior & Minor Finalists

Other sports played: Camogie, Soccer

Players you admire: Caroline Murphy(Wexford), Sharon Treacy (Longford)

Most memorable game for WIT: Beating NUIGin 2005 League semi-final

What impresses you most about the WIT GAAclub: The professional organisational approach, andthe unity of all the club

Best sporting event/match witnessed: LeinsterSenior hurling final 2004.

Ambitions in life: To play in Croke Park and to winan All-Ireland with Wexford

Favourite music/film: Million Dollar Baby

Who would be your ideal Date? Partial to the RugbyBoys!! Especially one from Co Tipp.

NAME:NICOLA SCULLY

PLAYER

PROFILE

Course: Business, Recreationand LeisureInfluences in your career: Myparents, brothers Michael andRory, sister Helena and coachesMs Elva Moriarty and Martin Storey.High point of your sporting career to date:Captaining Colaiste Bride, Enniscorthy to win-ning the All Ireland senior colleges final in 2004against Charleville, being selected on the col-leges All star team and representing Ireland inthe camogie/ shinty international in the sameyear.Third level college-sporting honours:Freshers All Ireland 2004, player of the tourna-ment in the same competition and 1st yearsportstar of the year 2005.

Other achievements if any: 2 All Ireland senior col-leges camogie, 1 Junior All Ireland colleges camogie, 2county senior championships, 2 All Ireland Feile nanGael, winner of all underage titles.Other sports played: Gaelic football, athleticsPlayers you admire: Martin Storey, Sean Og OhAilpin and Declan Meehan Most memorable game for WIT: Freshers All IrelandFinal 2004What impresses you most about the WIT GAAclub: The high level of organisation and the great spiritamong players and officials.Best sporting event/match witnessed: Leinstersenior hurling semi final 2004, Wexford V Kilkenny.Ambitions in life: To succeed academically and to winan all Ireland senior camogie with Wexford.Favourite music/film: Shania Twain/ Ocean’s 11Who would be your ideal Date?Chad Michael Murray

NAME:URSULA JACOB

PLAYER

PROFILE

Both WIT Fresher Football Teams had whatcan be best described as an unlucky but anencouraging year. Trials started in midSeptember and nobody could doubt thecommitment of the majority of the hundredsof fresh faced and keen incoming studentswho were all eager to show the managementthat they were all worthy of putting on thefamous WIT jersey. 5 trials were held in this period after which themanagement selected 2 panels of 25 players tomake up the “A” and “B” Fresher squads for theyear. Hopes were high that both teams could dowell and take WIT to the latter stages of eachcompetition.

The first A team game was played against atalented UL team; despite an encouraging andhard working performance from the WIT lads,they were cruelly denied the victory that theirheroic performance deserved when theyconceded a late goal coming from a veryquestionable free. The final score-line was WIT1-10 UL 1-11.Next up for both WIT was a trip to Cork to faceCIT. Trips to Cork have historically beenconsidered as bogey games for WIT, but on theday both teams put on battling displays. First upon the day were WIT’s “B” team who startedslowly and at half time trailed by 3 points.Inspirational words at half time saw WIT put it upto the CIT side, however this wasn’t enough onthe day as Waterford lost by 4 points with ascore line of 1-10 to 1-6. WIT’s “A” team werealso involved in a cracking game, but yet againthe team conceded a goal in the final minutes tolose heartbreakingly by the minimum once againby a score-line of CIT 2-13 WIT 2-12. Besidesthe score line a lot of positives were taken fromboth games and proved to all involved that WITcan compete at this level.

Cork was again to be the destination for the nextround of league games and both Fresher teamshad to travel to the Banks of the Lee where thistime we took on UCC. In the earlier game WIT“B” had gained a well deserved draw, the teamproved their mettle against a fancied Cork, withtheir all round work ethic contributing to a greatteam performance. With the boost of seeing their“B” team colleagues gain a valuable point, the“A” team looked to emulate this or go one betterin their match, and as in the first game it wasplayed at a high pace. Just as it seemed that theteam would register their first victory, a late braceof scores from UCC meant that the lads yetagain finished the wrong side of a 1 point cliff-hanger, the final score-line UCC 1-09 WIT 1-08.

Two points did come for both teams in the nextround, but not in the manner either players ormanagement would have wished as walkovers

were awarded due to Tralee’s withdrawal fromthe competition. This result did however pave theway for the team’s progression into the All-Ireland Series. Athlone I.T. were drawn to facethe “B” team and the “A” team were to faceQueens University of Belfast.

The “A” team travelled to Dublin to face hotfavourites Queens University. The WIT ladsstarted slowly and fell behind early on, but WITrallied towards the end of first half and followinga wonder goal they went in at the break level.Queens came out strongly in the second halfand went ahead but WIT got another goal andfollowing a late penalty drew level near the end.It looked like the Waterford lads were about tosteal a magnificent victory but Queens scored ininjury time point to take glory from WIT. FinalScore: Queens 2-12 WIT 3-08. The “B” team led by the inspirational Oisin Lynchfaced Athlone IT and had an encouraging start,due in no small part to the WIT team attackingthe Athlone defence with intelligent and quickmovement. However, WIT had lost its scoringtouch and did not build up the lead that theirgood play deserved. When Athlone finally foundthe location of the Waterford goal posts theyshowed how to put the ball over the bar andwent into the break leading by 1-4 to 0-1.Athlone then started the second half well and putthe game beyond Waterford’s reach and we lostour first and only home game on a score line of2-7 to 0-2 points. Despite neither team achieving glory in the year itcannot be described as a poor year, some greatperformances and a lot of hard work from bothmanagement and players cannot go unnoticed.

The players formed bonds and friendshipsthroughout the year and stuck together to thebenefit of the team. The management teams ofAndrew Dermody, Andrew McLoughlin, MichaelDillon (A) and Darren Egan, Tony Keegan &Ciaran Garry (B) provided a professionalapproach to their task and training sessions andgames were organised in this manner. Thequality of the Fresher panels was shown as 3players were called up to represent the WITSigerson Cup Team, namely Tom Curley, MarkScanlon & Andrew Hanley.

Many thanks must also go to every member ofthe B team panel who all played their part overthe season, in particular players like Oisin Lynch,Richard Finnegan, Graeme Molloy, Tom Colfer,Andy Linane & Eoin McGuire who showed goodform over the campaign.Signs for the future are good for the Waterford ITfootballers as the quality and commitment of theFresher lads will only benefit the college, and nodoubt a high number of them will represent thecollege and their counties at the top level.

Freshers Footballby Andrew Dermody & Tony Keegan

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Ladies Footballby Aine McGee, Football PRO

It was not meant to be for WIT ladies footballersthis year. Our dreams of the O' Connor Cupfinal were short lived when they were beaten inthe qualifier stages by Maynooth last March ina thrilling match when WIT narrowly lost outafter extra time. It was a highly contestedgame with both teams digging deep andbattling hard, however late into the 2nd half ofextra time WIT let their dreams of O’ConnorCup success slip away. This left WIT to battleit out in the O’Connor Cup Shield Playoffagainst UCC. After last year’s disappointmentwe felt we had something to prove this year,however UCC started off on top and remainedon top until the end.

However it was not because of lack ofcommitment that success eluded us. October sawthe start to training and also the introduction ofthree new 'bosses', Lizzy Kent, Alan Mulhall andPaul Deane. Our first training session had anattendance of over 40 girls eager to impress andearn a prestigious place on the O'Connor Cuppanel.

The year got of to a promising start when theleague commenced in late October. WIT facedstrong opposition from the Garda College whoalways field a formidable team, however WITproved to be the better side on the day. The nextmatch of the League WIT faced a star studdedNUIG side and despite fielding a strong team, wefound ourselves trailing early on and the gameended in disappointment.

Next on the agenda was a date with UL. It was aslow starting game, where WIT found it hard toget going, and UL proving to be the better andfitter side on the day.In mid January, WIT Division 1 put on their bestperformance of the season when they facedNUIG for the 2nd game of the year this time in

the Munster Championship Semi Final.Having lost the previous match,WIT went out with their headsheld high, full of optimism.Victory was theirs with awonderful display of footballskills and excellentteamwork.As a result of this victory,spirits were high when WITfaced a strong UL team in theMunster Championship Final. Awhirlwind start from the girls tooka bit of UL's wind but in the 2nd halfUL came fighting back and theirexperience proved to be too much for WIT in thelast 10 minutes and the game ended in a narrowdefeat for WIT.Following on these two strong displays WIT facedconfidently into the O'Connor Cup campaign. Thedraw was made later than usually in the year inCroke Park and was attended by the committee.

As we have recorded already, WIT went under toa Maynooth team. WIT worked extremely hardthroughout the game and to lose by so little afterextra time was complete heartache. Focus wasduly diverted to the Shield Semi Final againstUCC, a fixture that has served up manygreat battles in the past. Howeverthe heartache was to continuefor WIT as UCC proved to bethe stronger and moredetermined side on the dayand WIT's O'Connor CupCampaign came crashingdown.It was a disappointing yearfor a panel with such talentand promise. Credit must go tothese players for giving their timeand energy to activities both on and

off the pitch!! It was a memorable yearfor all.

Finally on behalf of WIT ladies Iwould like to give a massive

thanks to Lizzy, Alan, Paul,Gerry and Damien for theirhelp, encouragement andsupport over the last yearand I think all that's left to

say for another year is BUMPIT UP!!!!!!!

Freshers In December, we travelled to Limerick

for the Freshers Blitz. WIT finished top oftheir group beating Tralee, UCD, UL (2) andNUIG. All ten players who participated playedoutstanding football, but in the end UUJ provedto be too potent for WIT in the Semi Final of theCup.

Division 2The Division 2 girls were unfortunate to lose theirmatch on the same day against a strong Mary Iteam. There were some fine performances fromWIT, which led to the promotion of a number ofplayers to the Division 1 Panel.However, the Division 2 team went on to record

their first win of the year by defeatingTipp IT, this followed with a win over

LIT to progress to the semi final.The semi final was played

against a strong Tralee ITside who had only recentlybeen relegated from Division1. Weather conditions werefierce on the day with galeforce winds and not one area

of the pitch sheltered. TraleeIT were the stronger and more

experienced side and decisivelywon this semi final clash.

Back Row L;R Treasa Walsh, Michelle Kilkenny, Deirde Shields, Maria Kiely, Michelle Doyle, Laura Murphy, Nicky Fitzgerald, Schendah Moran, Ashling McNamara,Ashling Barrett, Rosie Lawlor, Mags McEvoy, Sarah Cuddy, Niamh Briggs, Claire Hurley. Front L;R Mave Quill, Edel Kennedy, Caroline Murphy, Aine McGee, RachelWall, Evelyn O’Brien, Sarah Denvir, Nicola Scully, Claire Conlon, Pauline O’Callahan, Lisa McGrath, AnnMarie Walsh.

19

Many prominent athletes and coaches believethat though sport is played with the body, it iswon in the mind. In recent years there as beena surge of popular and scientific interest inpsychological factors such as motivation,concentration, ‘psyching up’ and ‘calmingdown’ and mental imagery etc. in enhancingathletic performance. In this context, thediscipline of sport and exercise psychology hasemerged as an exciting new field, which drawsfrom both psychology and sports science. TimHenman proposed that the ‘mental side is thedifference between the top guys and the rest’.

Few athletes compete alone in their sports, mostathletes either interact with their teammates oragainst other athletes collectively. A team has acollective sense of identity and is distinguishablefrom other groups. GAA teams can also avail ofsport psychology to encourage team building.Team building exercises are an excellent means ofimproving team performances by improvingcommunication, reducing conflict, and generatingcommitment among team members. Team buildingis not a ‘quick fix’ or ‘pep talk’, rather it involves along- term commitment of task related andinterpersonal sessions which focuses on enhancingthe teams performance. It can also be used toenhance mutual respect amongst GAA teammembers -in the sense that all team members maynot like or agree with each other- however theyknow they all have common goals regarding the

team’s performance. GAA teams can avoidpossible conflict by engaging in team buildingexercises, prior to any problems occurring, bondingthe team in pursuit of their aims.

The new MA in Sport Psychology aims to educatespecialists in the field of Applied Sport Psychology.Graduates will have the necessary knowledge, skilland abilities to work in the area of enhancingsports performance, sports participation and bestpractice, at a variety of age and performancelevels. Graduates will have the ability to facilitatethe psychological development of athletes,coaches, teachers, and other specialists from abroad - based, sound theoretical and appliedcourse.

The taught MA offers graduates of sports science,recreation, physical education and psychology apathway towards enhancing their professionaldevelopment within the sports environment andconduct research within The Centre for Sport andExercise Psychology in WIT .

The duration of the course is 18 months, andincludes residential weeks. Key module areas of study include:

• Sport Psychology Applications• Exercise Psychology• Mental Training for Sports• Social Psychology• Research Methods

Course: Recreation &Leisure Management

Influences in yourcareer: Father & Family

High point of your sporting career to date:Representing Offaly at senior level and win-ning National League in 2004

Third level college-sporting honours:Playing Sigerson

Other achievements if any: Two Offaly clubleague titles, National Div 2 League withOffaly. Minor club championships in bothFootball & Hurling.

Other sports played: Hurling

Players you admire: Vinny Claffey, DaraghO’Shea and Maurice Fitzgerald.

Most memorable game for WIT: Sigerson 1stround v Carlow

What impresses you most about the WIT GAAclub: The family type atmosphere among the club.

Best sporting event/match witnessed: 1982 AllIreland Football Final, Offaly v Kerry. 1997 LeinsterFootball final, Offaly v Meath

NAME:ALAN MULHALL

PLAYER

PROFILE

Course: BBS

Influences in your career:Club Nenagh Eire Og, Family,Hugh McDonnell, Martin Morris

High point of your sporting career to date:Probably playing senior hurling with Tipp.

Third level college-sporting honours:Fresher runners up, 2 Fitzgibbon’s

Other achievements if any: 1 Munster minor,2 Munster U21, 1 Leinster and All Ireland BSchools medal, various club medals and schol-arships/awards.

Other sports played: Rugby, football, soccer

Players you admire: Michael Cleary, Tommy Dunne,John Kennedy.

Most memorable game for WIT: Beating UCC in the2004 Fitz final, some sneer!

What impresses you most about the WIT GAAclub: The crack after the matches!

Best sporting event/match witnessed: Championsleague final last year between Liverpool and Milan

Ambitions in life: Have a handy job, be rich with anice wife and be successful in sport

Favourite music/film: U2, Lord of the Rings

Who would be your ideal Date? Chichi’s sister thelovely Mary Slattery!

NAME:HUGH MALONEY

PLAYER

PROFILE

Defining Sport Psychology for GAAand Opportunities to Study on the

MA Sport Psychology in WITby Ciara Losty

GAA INFORMATION CENTREIf, for any reason you cannot call to the GAA office (main Campus), never fear as all members canreceive information regarding upcoming fixtures, training and team selections at our GAAinformation centre which is located in the Atrium, just outside the canteen.This centre will be staffed by a club official, you may even meet our full time development officerDamien Young, each Monday to Friday at the following times:

11.00am-11.30am, 12.45 – 1.45pm, 3.00pm – 3.20pmThe WIT GAA Club is constantly updating our facilities, equipment and our communication network.Our dedicated and enthusiastic members constantly update these boards from our control centre inthe GAA office.

GAA ADMINISTRATION OFFICEAny large organisation needs a base to work from which to organise the “troops” and the GAA atWIT is no different! Our so called “home” is our office which is located on the first floor of theCourtyard building, which sometimes resembles Connolly Station on a Christmas Eve! It is a hive ofactivity and is open from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. So if you have any questions or helpfulsuggestions feel free to drop in and let your views be known.

Phone 051 302239 / Fax 051-353906e-mail: [email protected] / Web site www.gaa.ie/wit

Where to Find Us - GAA Information Centre

When WIT’s GAA Club was founded in 1982it consisted of just one Hurling team playingin Division 3. Today it has 21 teamscompeting in various competitions in theThird Level Sector, and has a unique recordof winning at least one trophy every yearsince. The Club has always strived toprovide as many games for students therebyinvolving the maximum number ofparticipants. This policy has reaped benefitson several fronts but especially on theplaying fields when a number of significantvictories have been achieved.

With this in mind WIT GAA Club are launching anew Graduate membership scheme inNovember. One of the main objectives of thisscheme is to renew contact with our pastmembers and it will also represent anopportunity for past and present members tocontinue and renew old friendships. When youjoin you will receive updates of our annual GAA

trips abroad - (recently to Disney World andUniversal Studios in Florida and skiing to Francein January), we will inform you of any socialactivities, team reunions, medal presentationsand general club news. We plan to launch thisscheme in late November at our GAA Club Ball.This is a new another new addition to the WITGAA club calendar, this promises to be amemorable night, and one not to be missed.

Please visit our web site;http://wit.gaa.ie

This is a great opportunity for you so why notcall the GAA office and join up today.

Damien YoungGAA Development Officer

051 [email protected]

WIT Graduate Membership

Brian Forde and Alan Kelleher. Henry Shefflin and Dr. Tadgh O'Sullivan at a WIT GAA function.

Past Graduates who won All-Ireland medals in 2001. Back L to R; S Fogarty, Munster Council Chairman, B Cummins, P Kelly, B O'Meara, P Curran, E Corcoran, J Delaney, Colm Bonnar. Front L to R;

D Delaney, D Nealon, Munster Council Secretary, T Dunne, Con Hogan, Tipp County Chairman, S Nealon, T Barrett, Tipp County Secretary. Andy Moloney

Documents

Sidelines Magazine 2005