Australian Wanderers were welcome guests in Springfield ...

Thank to the many who helped to make our hosting of the visit by the Australian Wanderers, the Australian Football touring party a great success. The party of players from the continent of Australia (excluding Perth and Tasmania) and their parents, coaches and supporters arrived in Springfield on Tuesday evening and travelled immediately to Lakepoint Park for the football games.

The games were played using the International Rules format (Don’t tell Pat Daly in Croke Park); the visitors finished ahead on the scoreboard in both matches. In the under-16 match a single point divided the teams and despite the great play of Keith Whaley, Seanie Hynes in goal, the goal-scoring of Ronan McHugh and a few great points from Danny with the Aussie Rules ball, a late Wanderers goal secured victory for the tourists.

The matches were played in four quarters, two referees were used and the ‘Sherrin’ Aussie Rules match ball was introduced for the final quarter in both matches.  The Aussie Rules tackle was used with success and encouraged the player in possession to move the ball forward quickly. This tackle might be worth introducing to Gaelic football on an experimental basis as it would quickly end the slow laborious build-ups and short kick-outs that have become such a feature of modern-day football. Thanks to Barry Kelly and Shane Maher for their refereeing duties on the night.

Our under-16 lads adapted well to the oval ball but our Under-17s weren’t as quick to adjust or maybe the Wanderers were more efficient with the ‘Sherrin’ than their younger colleagues. The last quarter proved to be the decisive in the second match as the sides were level entering the final oval-ball phase of the game where the Wanderers secured the match winning scores.

The two entertaining matches provided wonderful experiences for our young players who thoroughly enjoyed the novel international experience that introduced them to new ideas on how our games could be played.

After Lakepoint Park it was back to The Clubhouse in Springfield for food and entertainment. Daniel and Michael Greaves helped by Alison Owens was in charge of the catering and performed something of a loafes and fishes miracle to ensure that nobody went home hungry. Ciara Maguire and Aileen Daly were there in the afternoon with food in abundance; for the post-match catering Roisín Masterson, Maria Carroll, Helen Aherne, Ciara Keegan and Tina Gerard supervised the food distribution.

After the feasting, Paul Doolin presented his entertainment programme with the emphasis on Irish Culture. Ross and Declan kicked-off the show and the brother and sister harpist-banjo duo Emily and Noel Bardon  from Crookedwood were next on stage; Solo-singer and Westmeath Scór na nÓg champion, Jemma Seery from Ballinagore was next up and she was followed on stage by Shamrocks’ own Rachel Daly,  also a solo singer; the entertainment continued with the Mullingar Shamrocks figure dancing team before Paul Doolin closed the show with a beautiful rendition of Eric Bogle’s (the man who wrote Green Fields of France and The Band Played Waltzing Matilda) Now I’m Easy as a treat for our Australian guests.

Our newly elected Chairman, Seán Hynes spoke on behalf of Mullingar Shamrocks, Luke Carroll represented the Wanderers , gifts were exchanged and our wonderful volunteer parents, who provided the accommodation for the young visiting footballers, collected their guests before the lights were switched out in Springfield to conclude what was a most productive and enjoyable evening and another organisational triumph for the club.

 The Wanderers touring party included one of Australia’s leading Academy coaches, Jason Saddington, a former star of the Aussie Rules game. Saddington was a team-mate of Tadhg Kennelly at Sydney Swans, a club he represented 142 times between 1998 and 2005 in the AFL   before a serious knee injury provided a career setback. Following his recovery, Jason was traded to Carlton Football Club where he played another 20 matches before his career in the AFL ended in 2008. He is now an Academy coach at the Great Western Sydney Giants Club, one Cora Staunton joined the women’s section of the club this week.