Pride and Passion in Monaghan: Dual Finals for Dromintee U12s at Ogie Duffy Blitz

The Dromintee U12 boys closed out their season in spectacular fashion on Saturday, putting in a series of heroic performances at the annual Féile Peile Ogie blitz hosted by Monaghan Harps GFC. Held every year in memory of Brendan Óg Ó Dufaigh (affectionately known as Ogie), this prestigious tournament brought together a high-caliber selection of clubs from across Ulster, Connacht, and Leinster, making for an incredibly competitive day of football. The tournament itself is particularly poignant for one of our coaches, Philly McEvoy, as he had the pleasure of coaching & getting to know young Ogie when coaching with Monaghan u20s at the time of his sad passing in 2021. 
Playing in a fast-paced 9-a-side format, Dromintee showed the incredible strength and depth of their panel by being one of only three clubs in attendance to enter two separate teams. This ensured that every single boy got maximum playing time on the pitch to finish out their year of hard work.
Competing at the highest tier of the tournament, Dromintee's older side put on a masterclass in the group stages. The boys hit the ground running with excellent victories over Cremartin (Monaghan), Naomh Muire (Donegal), and Latton (Monaghan). Topping their group in style, they progressed straight into the Cup Quarter-Finals.
In the knockout stages, they accounted for Truagh (Monaghan) before digging incredibly deep to edge out local rivals Cooley (Louth) in a grueling, hard-earned semi-final. This set up a mouth-watering Cup Final against Inniskeen. Having played five intense games with a minimal bench, the heavy schedule finally caught up with the boys. Despite a massive effort, they just ran out of steam and narrowly lost out in the final decider.

Meanwhile, Dromintee’s younger squad were busy writing their own underdog story in the Shield competition. Consistently punching well above their weight, the boys went toe-to-toe with first-string teams from rival clubs and showed absolutely no fear. Early group wins over Currin (Monaghan) and Newtownbutler (Fermanagh) safely saw them top their respective group & progress through to the knockout phase.
The momentum kept building in the quarter-final with a fantastic win over Latton (Monaghan), followed by a truly brilliant, high-energy semi-final victory over Ballybay (Monaghan). This earned the young side a well-deserved spot in the Shield Final against the tournament hosts, Monaghan Harps. Just like their clubmates, the lack of available substitutes throughout the day eventually took its toll. Despite giving it everything they had left in the tank, the home team proved too strong, and Dromintee came up just short at the final hurdle.
While there was natural disappointment to miss out on silverware at the very end, for both Dromintee teams to reach the finals of their respective competitions is an absolute credit to this group of players. The sheer determination, work rate, and collective team spirit on display all day was outstanding & was in keeping with all the attributes that young Ogie showed when representing his club Monaghan Harps and his county so it was indeed fitting tribute to him on what was a special day for all that had the fortune to know him.
Reaching dual finals in a cross-provincial tournament is a massive achievement and a direct reflection of the dedication and hard work these players have poured in all season. As they have done all year, the boys represented the Dromintee jersey with immense pride and distinction. If they continue to work this hard and keep this attitude, the future is incredibly bright for this group of young players.
Well done to all the players, coaches, and travelling support on a fantastic season!
Our thanks to Monaghan Harps GFC for the invite and for hosting an excellent tournament.