No words can possibly describe the emotional scenes witnessed in Gaelic Park, Melbourne on Sunday the 22rd of February 2015, as Young Ireland Football Club lifted not one but two cups.

It was a historical day for the club not only due to the double winner but also due to the fact that it was the first time the Ladies ever lifted silverware.

While, patience is a virtue, success requires heart, spirit, determination and the will to win. These qualities were embedded in each and every Young Irelands player last Sunday with one and only thing on their minds….success.

The Ladies opened their winning streak with a 2 point victory over St Kevin's. Young Ireland Ladies came storming out of the blocks and had two goals in Kevin's net within minutes.  Kevin's reacted strongly though and dominated the first few minutes of the second half. It was a tough battle with the Melbourne team but our girls dug deep and came out on top.

The Men's opening game was also against St Kevins. St. Kevin's and Young Ireland have met many times in this competition during the years and the first half was a hard fought encounter. But Young Ireland's ability to pick off points put them in front at half time. In the second half the game opened up as St. Kevin's tried to chase the win. This created opportunities for both teams but Young Ireland were more clinical and they eventually pulled away to a 5-11 to 2-6 win.

Round 2 saw the ladies face Darwin Shamrocks. This was Darwin's first year playing in the Melbourne 7's competition and certainly gave Young Irelands Ladies a run for their money in the first half.
However, the second half saw Darwin ladies tire which YI capitalized on and stuck away 3 goals in the second half, helping the Sydney ladies to a facile victory of 6-4 to 2-3 victory over Darwin Shamrocks.
Young Ireland Ladies were now top of the group and through to the semi final stages.

Next up for the men was Southern Districts from Perth after a 4 hour break. The winners of this game would top the group and make the semi-final so a lot was on the line. Southern Districts had a strong team and this game in the hottest part of the day took a lot of energy out of both teams. A first half goal from regular goalkeeper Marty Dowling, playing at midfield for the day, gave YI a lead that they had to fight hard to hold onto.
Both teams traded scores over the remainder of the game with neither team really gaining control on a very bumpy pitch. Young Ireland were kept in front by a string of fantastic saves by goalie, Brendan O' Connell as the Perth side piled on the pressure. The black card handed out to the Southern Districts goalie in the final minutes of the game was a crucial blow to their chances as Young Ireland ran out 3 point winners in a low scoring game. Their semi-final opponents would be St. Finbarr's of WA.

Young Ireland Ladies drew Michael Cusacks for the semi final. Nothing short of a heated battle was very much expected and that is exactly what was delivered. There was very little room for error in this game as it was point for point for the majority of the 20 minutes. Early in the second half saw Young Ireland Ladies down to six players providing a massive opportunity for Cusacks to capitalize and take the game from Young Ireland. However, the YI heads did not drop, quite the opposite in fact. The defensive hats were put on and YI ladies kept their fellow Sydney team at bay. A mere two point win over Cusacks sent YI flying through to the final.

The men next faced St Finbarr's who had scored plenty of goals in their previous game against Mc Anallen's to qualify for the semi-final so this was a further test of YI's abilities. Back on the main pitch where their opening game was played, Young Ireland got on top early and set about taking their scoring opportunities whenever they came their way. However, St. Finbarr's grabbed 3 first half goals to be only a point behind at half time. YI regrouped and continued to take their chances in the second half. Strong defence became key to the Young Ireland cause and despite 2 further goals to St. Finbarr's, YI clinched their spot in the final on a score of 3-10 to 5-01.

The final game of the day saw Young Irelands ladies face a very experienced Coast team. Again another cracking game between the Sydney teams made for a heart stopping twenty minutes.  The sides were well matched in terms of fitness accuaracy and confidence on the ball.  Goal after goal were exchanged but at the half time whistle for the first time that day the Young Ireland Ladies trailed by a goal. The restart saw Young Irelands ladies shooting out of the blocks and looking that bit more dangerous in the opening minutes of the second half. However, the Central Coast Ladies were not about to give up the Melbourne 7's title easily and were on the YI Ladies tails until the vey end. 2 minutes to go and YI ladies were three points up and the cup was in sight, until a heart stopping moment which saw the ref award a penalty to the Central Coast Ladies. Coast brought a sub from the side line on to take the penalty but the heroic Aoife Dolphin denied coast not once but twice with her most impressive saves of the day. The ball was blasted out of the YI defense and the final whistle was blown and history was made. Young Ireland Ladies had won their first long awaited title.

While the girls were celebrating their victory the YI men were in the dying moments of their game. The opponents in the final were Penrith Gaels who had shocked the favourites Wolfe Tones with a strong semi-final display. Penrith and YI had been familiar foes, facing off in 2 challenge games in Sydney in preparation for this tournament. Penrith started strongly and raced into a comfortable first half lead. As half time loomed the Gaels lead by 1-5 to 0-3. Then YI won a penalty which was scored by captain Alan Costello, cutting the lead to just 2 points when the half time whistle blew.
With a full panel to choose from, for the second half Young Ireland started with its fittest players and set about closing the gap. A break upfield from Padraig Healy resulted in him kicking Young Ireland in front. Healy stayed alert and spotted a short kick-out from the Penrith keeper which he intercepted and returned over the keepers head to the back of the net to put YI in a strong position.
YI defended their lead as best they could against the Penrith onslaught, losing players to injury and black cards. As the game ticked in to its final minute, Alan Costello kicked a free to put YI 2-10 to 1-9 in front. Penrith were not done however and attacked immediately winning a free 20 yards out from goal. An ambitious shot snuck into the top corner to close the gap to the minimum. But intelligent use of possession by YI from the kick-out meant that Penrith had no further opportunity to draw level. After 4 hard games and almost 9 hours since the start of their first game, YI were champions.

The then men joined the victorious ladies to celebrate their maiden competition win and the celebrations continued all the way back to the Coach & Horses on Monday night.

The club couldn't be prouder of the players, management, previous management and supporters who were involved in the achievement of one the club's proudest days.

YI Abu…..Onwards and Upwards

YI Men's Panel :Brendan O'Connell, Marty Dowling, Niall Horgan, Brian Gillen, Padraig Healy, Damien Moynihan, Jack McGovern, John O'Sullivan, Alan Costello, James O'Sullivan, Willie Moore, Packie Spiers, James Hegarty, Colin O'Dwyer, Niall Dennehy, Barry Concannon.

YI Ladies: Niamh Greene, Aoife Dolphin, Lorraine Carrabine, Elaine O'Halloran, Joan O'Halloran, Aine Byrne, Anne Marie Geraghty, Laura Shaughnesse, Ann-marie Noonan, Joanne Murphy, Karen Duffy, Nicole Phelan, Michelle Fitzpatrick, Anna Steveson

For anyone interested in joining Young Ireland Men or Ladies team please check us out on the below links.

http://youngirelandsydney.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/youngirelandsgaa

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