Doon GAA 2022
2022 was another great year for Limerick and for the Doon players involved.
Sunday July 19th saw the Limerick Senior team capture their third All Ireland in
a row and their fourth in 5 years. Congratulations to Darragh O Donovan, Richie
English, Barry Murphy and Adam English on this wonderful achievement. From
a club point of view, it was very disappointing to see Pat Ryan miss out this year
in difficult circumstances and our hearts go out to Pat.
Limerick U20s won the 2022 Munster championship and fell agonisingly
short against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final, in a game they probably could
have won. Doon were well represented on this team also with Adam English,
Chris Thomas, Cian O Donovan and Eddie Stokes playing a big role.
On the club scene, 2022 saw a different calendar with the split season kicking
in. Our adult teams started a Strength and Conditioning program early in the year
and league matches didn’t commence until early April. With so many players
involved with Limerick at senior and u20 it was difficult to get out any sort of
a decent team in the senior league and we struggled with results. However, the
team continued to train hard with the championship in mind.
With the All-Ireland Senior final played earlier this year in July, it was quickly
back to the club championship. It was great to see club games being played in
good weather and on good pitches and the interest in the club championship
was evident from the big crowds in attendance. Having lost out narrowly to
Na Piarsaigh in our opening game, our senior team beat Adare, Ahane and
Patrickswell and drew with Kilmallock to qualify for a county quarter final. We
beat Kildimo Pallaskenry in this game and the draw pitted us against Kilmallock
again in the semi-final.
In atrocious conditions on a very wet day in the middle of October, we met
Kilmallock in Bruff. In hindsight the pitch was probably unplayable but the
torrential rain came late before throw in and during the game and the referee
deemed the pitch playable. We lost Josh Ryan early in the game to a nasty leg
break. Doon put up a very good performance on the day and really took the
fight to Kilmallock. For most of the game it looked like we were going to win
the match, only to lose out agonisingly to a late goal, 5 minutes into injury time.
This defeat was very hard for all to take.
Our Junior A team won the East league and were defeated by the narrowest
of margins after extra time by Hospital Herbertstown in the Co Semi-final. In
the championship we beat Ballybrown, Askeaton and Feenagh Kilmeedy, drew
with Mungret and lost to St Kierans. This qualified us for a county quarter final
against Patrickswell. Again, it looked like we had this game won in the final
stages only to concede 2 goals in injury time to lose by a point. Another very
difficult result to swallow.
Our Junior B team won the East Junior championship, beating Fedamore in the
final with a fine performance in Cappamore. At the time of writing this, the team
is currently preparing for a county quarter final against Ballybrown.
Our U21 team have just commenced their 2022 campaign. Having won the title
for the last 3 years hopes are high that we can have a good championship again.
We have beaten Garryspillane in the first round and are waiting to play Ahane
and Kilmallock.
U17
Our U17s had a good year with 5 wins and 2 losses in the group. Wins over
Murroe Boher, Bruff, Garryspillane, Monaleen and Na Piarsaigh. 2 losses
against Mungret and Kildimo Pallaskenry. This was enough for semi-final
qualification against Mungret. Mungret were the better team on the day and
went on to win the County Final against Monaleen.
U15
Our U15s had wins over Monaleen, Kilmallock and Killeedy Tournafulla
Monagea and lost to Mungret, Ahane and Na Piarsaigh in the group stage.
This left Doon in a playoff with Monaleen for qualification for the semi-final.
Monaleen were narrow winners in this. In the Division 1 Shield Final Doon lost
to Killeedy Tournafulla Monagea.
U13
Our U13s were in a very tough group in Division 1. They had a good win over
Adare and a draw with Hospital Herbertstown and played 7 other games in a
busy competition.
U6s – U11s
Our younger players played consistently in leagues and blitzes throughout the
Summer and trained hard with the help of a large number of volunteers and
coaches. The work which is being done both in schools and at the pitch on
Saturday mornings is exceptional and great credit is due to all who volunteer
and help out.
Our Cúl Camp held in July was a great success. The weather held good and
the kids had a great time. The visit of the Liam McCarthy Cup was a highlight
and the kids loved getting a chance to hold it and have their pictures taken.
Thanks to all who helped throughout the year.
Off the field of play our Club Lotto continues to be our main fundraiser and
I wish to thank our outstanding committee for all the hard work they put in.
Also, to all of our supporters who continue to support our Lotto every week, a
big thank you.