#TBT Tipp 2001

I was there, Tipp Louth qualifier in 2001, 14years ago.

but why was this game so significant?

Well, 2001 was the first year of the qualifiers you see.

and

believe it or not,
because of the timing we played in the first ever qualifier game!
Say our game was on at 2pm, well the rest of the games in the round were on at 2.3opm or something like that.

From what I can remember of the day, the event and spectacle as a whole was so far from glamourous as you can imagine!

Setting off extra early of a Saturday morning because, as you can imagine, we were crammed full of enthusiasm for the ultimate of a trip into the unknown!

Louth playing Munster opposition in the summer!? this is amazing I thought.

When we arrived my amazement drained slightly.
The fact me and my dad managed to scoff all the half time hang sandwiches after about 6 minutes into our journey didn’t help.
So we were quite hangry upon arrival but the setting for the GAA’s first ever qualifier literally took the biscuit I desperately desired at the time.

The game was in Clonmel, yes Clonmel not even Thurles for godsake!
Instead of the so called home of hurling that we are going to be blessed with Saturday evening we got a dilapidated venue with a farmers hay shed for a stand, you know the type, curved cyclinder type structure at the top way too high to cover you from the rain, with skinny poles underneath blocking everyones view. Luckily it didn’t rain!

The game itself ,was a further disappointment well, not only because the standard was just above challenge match level but I remember being gutted that Declan Browne the Tipperary legend wasn’t even playing!!! He was injured!

The result? We won 13 to 1-8 but it was a lot tighter than it should have been and especially when you consider the team we had when you look back!

From Memory, I think they lined out as follows, I stand corrected and please do correct me because I want to know!

1. Colm Nally
2. David Brennan 3. Aaron Hoey 4. Simon Gerrard
5. Alan Page 6. Stephen Melia  7. John Neary
8. Ken Reilly 9. Nicky ‘Butcher’ Malone
10. Darren Kirwan11. Christy Grimes 12. David ‘skid’ Reilly
13. Mark Stansfield 14 Ollie McDonnell 15.  CK

Manager at the time was Paddy Clarke

The Team

Back Row: Simon Gerrard, David Brennan, Colm Nally, Christy Grimes, Darren Kirwan, Stephen Melia, Ken Reilly.
Front Row: CK, David ‘skid’ Reilly, Alan Page, Mark Stansfield, John Neary, Nicky ‘Butcher’ Malone(C), Aaron Hoey, Ollie McDonnell.

Where Are they now?
Three of the team that day will be in the backroom team on Saturday evening, Goalkeeping Coach Colm Nally, Selector Ollie McDonnell and Manager himself Colin Kelly.
David Brennan, Christy Grimes and Aaron Hoey are still playing with Mattock and the Brides so does Skid for the joes occasionally.
Alan Page is managing Cooley while John Neary is helping out the Gaels.  Darren Kirwan is over, was over Dowdallshil.
Butcher Malone broke his thumb that day and played his last game for Louth he’s been managing a number of teams in recent seasons. Gentleman midfielder Ken Reilly auctioneer, is current player, Paddy’s uncle.
I hear the Legend that is Stephen Melia is battling illness and I wish him well.
Simon Gerrard is now based in Dublin as a Guard and playing rugby of some sorts and rumour has it, he could still do a job for us!

All in all, the qualifiers started as they went on for us in terms of glamour and mileage clocked up by driving the car all over Ireland hasn’t changed. I know sounded quite downbeat about 2001 but I loved it all really and for the memories alone I wouldn’t have it any other way!

thanks for reading, more again tomorrow!

Here’s the Irish Times Report on the game.

Tipperary bowed out of All-Ireland senior football championship race to tenacious Louth in a well-contested qualifying tie at Clonmel on Saturday.
Tipperary dominated the early play and Damien O’Brien and Peter Lambert pointed frees. Louth’s star performer Mark Stanfield and the hard-working Christy Grimes responded with points before corner forward Lambert rocked the visitors with a stunning eighth-minute goal.
Louth responded with unanswered points from Colin Kelly, Darren Kirwan and David Reilly. Full forward John Shanahan’s 29th-minute point was the first Tipperary score for 21 minutes and they went into the break leading 1-3 to 0-5.
Louth were first off the mark after the break with a Stanfield pointed free and after an exchange of points a Damien O’Brien free on 43 minutes restored Tipp’s lead, but Stanfield hit a brace of points to earn Louth a 0-10 to 1-6 lead.
Tipp’s Tommy Ormond closed the gap again but Louth then really hit the winning trail with three points in three minutes, from David Reilly, Stanfield and Simon Gerard, and that was that.